Mark Stuart Ellison has worked as an estates administrator, a probate attorney, and a general assignment reporter for The Brooklyn Skyline. His articles have appeared in Physicians Financial News, Dutchess Magazine, and The Poughkeepsie Journal. He has been a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the New York Deadline Club since 1997.

The younger Mr. Ellison earned an MA in experimental psychology from Brooklyn College in 1988 and a JD from Pace University School of Law in 1994. A former competitive swimmer and fitness enthusiast, his varied interests include hiking, singing, and international travel. He currently teaches English to international students in New York City.

Eli Ellison was a radio truck operator in the 327th Fighter Control Squadron of the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1943 to 1945, where he attained the rank of sergeant. He landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy on June 16, 1944 and was stationed in strategic cities such as Verviers and Liège, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. He also served in London and Germany.

Eli Ellison's postwar career included stints in advertising, insurance, builder's hardware sales, and social work. In 1969 he became a home instruction teacher for the New York City Board of Education. He earned a master's degree in special education from Hunter College in 1974. Although he officially retired in 1988, the elder Mr. Ellison continued to teach part-time through November of 2003 while battling advanced prostate cancer. He died on July 6, 2004 at age 81.