Richard was born July 1, 1928, to Frank and Mary Beck in St. Paul, Minn., the oldest of two boys.He graduated from St. Thomas College (now university) in 1949. After a stint in the U.S. Army in the Korean War (1950-1952), he returned to Minnesota. There he received a B.S. and M.S. in library science at the University of Minnesota. He worked as a librarian at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, and The University of Detroit.

In 1957 he moved to Moscow and worked at the University of Idaho library for 31 years before retiring as Associated Dean of Libraries in 1988.Richard was a member of many organizations and held offices in most, including The Latah County Historical Society, the 3rd and 4th degree Knights of Columbus, The Idaho Library Association, Moscow District Camp Fire and the Palouse Empire Stamp Club. He wrote histories of some of these organizations and the book "100 Famous Idahonians."

Robert was born May 13, 1939 in Susanville, CA, the second son of Elva Augusta Lowry Hook and Percy Derling Hook. He spent his early years in the Sierras, attending Washington Elementary School and Quincy Jr.-Sr. High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences at California State College, Chico and a Master of Arts, Library Science, at San Jose State University and a Master of Public Administration and a PhD, Library Science at the University of Southern California. His professional career began as an information desk librarian at San Jose Public Library. He then moved to Moscow, ID to accept a positions at the University of Idaho Library where he worked until retiring on December 31, 2007. During his time at the UI, he took leave in 1984-85 to fill a one-year appointment at the University of Technology in Lae, Papua New Guinea. He was active in professional organizations: California Library Association, Idaho Library Association, Pacific Northwest Library Association, and the American Library Association, holding various offices and committee memberships over the years.