Ray Brinker was an architect who began his career in Detroit with the firm of Victor Gruen & Associates; He worked to design the world's first enclosed shopping mall in the Chicago area. At the time, it was the largest enclosed mall in the world. He later moved to Chicago and became the corporate architect for Carson Pirie Scott & Company. His lifelong passion for drawing cartoons and charactertures, for the amusement of family and friends, made him a perfect fit for the depiction of Edgar.
Dawn Brinker grew up in the Chicago area but moved to California after graduation from USC. Edgar and Me was based on her experience raising a baby crow who fell from a tree near her home. Her work in collaboration with her father was not completed before his death in 1994. It was not until years later that Dawn finished the project and dedicated it to Ray's grandchildren and great grandchildren. She currently lives in Idaho.