Earl B. Emrey, Jr. was born in Louisiana and grew up in various communities throughout the Southeastern United States. He attended Georgia Tech. He enlisted in the US Army in April 1941, and was assigned to the 7th Army Air Force Geodetic Control Squadron as a Technical Sergeant. His military occupational specialty was "Surveyor Topographic" and his assignments included a tour of duty in Mexico, and two winters in Alaska. After being discharged from the military in 1945, Earl Emrey returned home to Georgia. He was employed as an engineer by Southern Bell Telephone Company throughout most of his career. He married Nell Abbott in 1957 and they had 2 daughters.

His primary responsibility in Alaska involved performing surveys for the purpose of mapping the region. The work had to be carried out in the winter time in order to use stars to plot locations. He spent time above the Arctic Circle, experiencing sub-zero temperatures and often traveling by dog sled and small plane. He once had to spend the night sleeping on a frozen lake after a forced emergency landing. He always enjoyed telling family and friends about his adventures as a young man in Alaska.