Ree graduated from the University of Southern California in 1991. She first majored in broadcast journalism, switching to gerontology later on. She met Ladd, whose family ranks as the 23rd largest landowner in the U.S., after graduation.

She was readying herself for a cross country move from Los Angeles to Chicago — but their connection turned out to be too strong. They got married on Sept. 21, 1996, starting a new life together in Pawhuska, Okla.