Elmo Gideon (American, 1924–2010) an Army Ranger veteran of World War II, came to Miami in 1946 with decorations for valor, the GI Bill, and three hundred dollars in his pocket. He briefly attended the Terry School of Art, before beginning a productive career as an artist and commercial artist in South Florida. Initially Gideon exhibited in group shows in the Miami area, eventually contracting to produce original works for the Fontainebleau Hotel, the Ocean Reef Hotel, and the Americana Hotel on Miami Beach; the Rooney Plaza Hotel, Dunes Motel, Doral Beach Hotel, Key Biscayne Hotel, Voyager Hotel, Burdines Department Store, Richards Department Store, Tip Freeman Pictures, and the Montmartre Hotel in Miami.

For decades Gideon had his own gallery where he created thousand of serious paintings and sculpture for private collections. On April 12, 2001 the Miami-Dade County Office of the Mayor and Board of County Commissioners declared “Elmo Gideon Day” with an official Proclamation, “We call upon the good people of Miami-Dade County to join in recognizing this extraordinary artist and citizen for all of his invaluable contributions to this community as well as the culture of South Florida.”