William K. Dial, February 17, 1940 – January 5, 2023
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio on February 17, 1940 to Col. Richard J. Dial and Lucille Keck Dial. He was an army brat who lived everywhere. In December 1944 the family moved to Ft. Benning, GA near Columbus and in June 1948 they went to Ft. Hamilton, NY. The family was supposed to go to Guam but North Korea invaded South Korea while they were driving across the country and Bill’s father got orders to go to Yokohama. Wives and children were not allowed to go to Asia so Bill’s mother, brother Doug, and Bill stayed in Carmel, CA. In February 1952 the family was allowed to go to Japan so they went by military transport ship to Yokohama where Bill’s father was stationed. They lived there until March 1953 when they were transferred to Ft. McPherson outside Atlanta. In September 1955 Bill’s parents were transferred to Anchorage, Alaska and Bill spent the next 3 summers in Alaska.
Bill graduated from Andover in 1957 after attending Andover for 2 years and was accepted to Yale in 1957 graduating in 1961. From June 1961 to June 1964 Bill was in an armored battalion in Germany. 8th Infantry Division as a heavy truck company commander in a supply and transportation battalion. Bill attended law school at Boldt Hall in Berkely, CA from September 1964 to June 1967. He worked as an attorney at Lawler, Felix and Hall in Los Angeles, opened an office of Pillsbury Madison and Sutro in Los Angeles and worked at Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison in LA.
In 2002 Bill worked for Chevron of Counsel and retired from Chevron in 2004. He retired from work as an attorney in 2008 when he and Maureen moved to Santa Barbara. He volunteered for AVP (Alternatives to Violence Project) at San Luis Obispo Men’s Colony and later at Lompoc Federal Prison where he introduced the program into the federal prison.
His brother, Douglas A. Dial (1936-2022) died in September 2022. Bill is survived by his life partner, Maureen Murdock, his daughters Kirsten Dial and Karina Dial Bristow (James Bristow), his grandchildren, Tamsin, Imogen and Gareth Dial-Spenser and Alexander Bristow and Felix Bristow and step-children Heather Murdock and Brendan Murdock. Bill loved to dance, travel with Maureen and was an avid golfer who played with the Cosmopolitan Club and formed many lasting friendships on and off the course. Bill succumbed to AML (acute myeloid leukemia).