6 minute read
Virginia Jordan Dial
Founding Director of San Antonio College’s Legal Assisting Program
By Regina Stone-Harris
Introduction: Several years ago, I began the herculean task of researching the first fifty women law graduates of St. Mary’s University School of Law—an effort I am still working to complete. During my research, I interviewed the late Judge Preston Hastings Dial. By my count, Judge Dial’s wife—Virginia Jordan Dial—was the 63rd woman law graduate. Although not among the first fifty women law graduates, Virginia Dial’s story is one that needs telling. As the founding director of San Antonio College’s legal assisting program, Virgina played an important role in the history of the San Antonio legal community.
Virginia Mary “Ginny” Jordan was born October 31, 1947, in Buffalo, New York.1 Ginny’s father—Charles Christopher Jordan, Jr.—was from Scarsdale, New York, and joined the United States Army Air Corps at the outset of World War II. Charles met Ginny’s mother when he was stationed at the former Sheppard Field in Wichita Falls as a production engineer.2 At the time, Ginny’s mother—Mary Belle Block—worked as a secretary for the General Motors Frigidaire Division.3 The couple married in 1942 and began a family. After the war, the family moved to New York.4 The couple had three additional children—Ginny, her second brother, and a sister.
A few years later, the family moved to Dallas, where Ginny’s father first worked as a distribution manager for National Gypsum Company,5 and then as an advertising manager for Flintkote6—a manufacturer of roofing supplies that went bankrupt after asbestos litigation. Although born in New York, Ginny claimed to be a Texan because she grew up in Dallas. She attended Thomas Jefferson High School, where she was a member of the school German Club, World Situation Interests International Club, and Library Service Club.7 She also volunteered as a clinic assistant in the school nurse’s office.8
By the time she graduated from high school, Ginny’s oldest brother was a pilot in the United States Air Force, living in Dallas. Ginny’s brother encouraged her to go to college and join the United States Air Force as an intelligence officer.9 So, after high school, Ginny attended Lamar University in Beaumont,10 earned an undergraduate degree, and applied for the Air Force’s Officer Training School. She was accepted and was about to graduate when she was diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease11—an illness that prevented her from becoming an Air Force officer. She was medically discharged from the Air Force as a reserve Airman Basic.12 That status would later serve as a source of playful banter with her future husband—an Air Force Reserve Colonel—about who out-ranked whom for household chores.13 Ginny used her veterans’ education benefits to enroll at St. Mary’s University School of Law.14
Ginny met her future husband—Preston Hastings Dial—during law school.15 At the time, Dial presided over the 175th District Court, Bexar County, and taught criminal procedure at the law school. Ginny was one of his students. After graduating in 1974, Ginny visited Judge Dial and asked for a letter of recommendation to support her application to take the Texas Bar exam.16 She did not know an attorney to provide a letter, but a letter from a former law professor would satisfy the requirement.17 Judge Dial told her he would provide the letter if she returned the following day and had lunch with him.18
After passing the Texas Bar Exam, Ginny first practiced law with William H. “Red” Ferguson in San Antonio, and then as an attorney for Alamo Title Company.19 At the time, Judge Dial served as the Director of Judge Advocates for Air Training Command.20 That role involved travelling throughout the command’s region to talk with reserve judge advocates.21 According to Judge Dial, he asked Ginny to marry him so she could travel with him,22 but to hear him talk about Ginny, it was clear more was at heart. The couple married in 1977, and Ginny joined her new husband on his trips.
For the next four years, Ginny practiced law in San Antonio with Judge Dial’s nephew, William Michael Murray.23 By 1980, Ginny had grown disillusioned with practicing law.24 Her illness had progressed, necessitating a feeding tube. Tired of working 12-14 hours per day, and working on weekends, Ginny struggled with what to do next.25 She then got the opportunity to teach a legal assisting course at San Antonio College (SAC).26 She began by teaching one course, followed by teaching two courses the next semester.27 Teaching became Ginny’s new career path. According to Judge Dial, Ginny decided that SAC should teach paralegals, and she set out to make that happen.28 She taught paralegal courses and recruited lawyers to talk to paralegal students about diverse topics.29
By 1981, Ginny became the founding director of SAC’s legal assisting program.30 She was a very popular professor,31 often interviewed by the campus newspaper about a variety of topics.32 Despite a love for teaching, Ginny left teaching in 1984 to practice law in Seguin with classmate Patricia Irvine, class of ’74.33 She and Patricia focused on wills, estates, and probate law until 1993.
The year before Ginny passed, she toured Europe with her husband.34 While at an Italian train station, someone stole Ginny’s brief case that contained her feeding pump and nutrition.35 Judge Dial was able to get Ginny’s nutrition, but no pump, so he manually pumped the nutrition into her feeding tube until they returned home.36
Ginny was known for her love of hunting. She began hunting when she and Judge Dial were dating.37 Judge Dial first took Ginny to hunt white wing dove. Although she had never fired a shotgun, she was hooked. She loved dove hunting, but also hunted quail, deer, javelinas, turkey, and buffalo.38 The couple had a rule though: you eat whatever you kill.39 Every year, the couple held a Super Bowl Sunday “game” dinner.40 They served wild game, including a wild boar with an apple in its mouth, chili prepared by Pat Irvine, goose gumbo, and Aoudad sheep dip. Ginny and Judge Dial were both born on October 31, and held an annual Halloween party to celebrate.42
Ginny passed away at the Audie Murphy Veterans Hospital on October 27, 1994. wanted her ashes spread over the couple’s ranch in Zavala County and the Guadalupe River. Dial did that, but in 2005, he relocated ashes and water from the Guadalupe River to the family plot at the Texas State Cemetery.
At the time of her death, Ginny was president-elect of the San Antonio Bar Auxiliary.46 The organization has two scholarships in Ginny’s name, one for a paralegal and one for a law student.
