Alwin J. Girdner grew up on in Dinétah (the Navajo Reservation) and was nicknamed "Rusty" in English and "Little Red" in Navajo. After leaving Dinétah in 1939, he traveled in 114 other countries before returning to his native New Mexico. Girdner holds degrees in business and Southwestern and Latin American history from the University of Arizona. He is a native speaker of Navajo and has studied and maintained lifelong ties to Diné (Navajo) culture.