Judith Vivienne Korey was born in New York and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. Her father was an attorney and her mother a businesswoman. Though she did not approve of her mother working at the time, Korey later came to realize that she was a pioneer. With a family full of working individuals, it was never really questioned that Korey would attend college. After completing her courses at Classical High School, Pembroke College was one of the only viable options for a college education due to financial reasons. Korey cherished her time at Pembroke and all of the extracurricular activities she involved herself with. After graduating in 1946, she went on to work for several retail-advertising moguls.