Joseph 'Joe' Burt Dial

In Loving Memory of Joseph 'Joe' Burt Dial 1936-2024

Joe went to be with his Lord on December 18, 2024, surrounded by his children. Born in Kilgore, TX on April 27, 1936, to William Angelo Dial and Ina Grace Spaulding, he was blessed with two sisters and a brother- Billy Grace Dial, Peggy Jean Dial Readdy, and Allen Grower. He led an amazing life!

Joe lived in many places as a child. While in Corpus Christi, TX, he vividly remembered delivering newspapers in the wee hours of the morning and bagging groceries at HEB. In San Antonio, TX, he spent his high school years (1950-1954) as a boarder at Texas Military Institute (TMI). While at TMI, he rose to the rank of battalion commander and gained the nickname 'Number One'. Lacking an allowance from home, Joe bused tables in the school dining hall to earn $3.35/ week which he usually spent on a weekend bus trip to the Aztec Movie Theater downtown and dessert at Earl Able's Diner on the way home. Joe and his roommate received the Best Room Award all four years, and he was voted 'Most Popular' in his senior year. He lettered in baseball, track, and football and played on the 1953 TMI State Championship Football team. As an accomplished alumnus, Joe was inducted into the TMI Hall of Fame in 2019.

After graduating from TMI, he attended the University of Texas, Austin. In 1957, he married his high school sweetheart, Gertrude Emily Koontz, in Victoria, TX. As co-owner of the 3X Ranch in Victoria County, Joe and Emily spent the next 30 years developing an enterprise that included crops, registered and commercial cattle, registered horses, and four children along the way. Working tirelessly, Joe was a vital part of the enterprise that bought, bred, and promoted the Brahman breed. His efforts added to the respected 3X brand and aided its rise to a globally recognized brand of excellence for registered Brahman cattle, Quarter horses, and Thoroughbreds. Buyers from over 12 countries and across the United States purchased livestock from the 3X during his tenure, attesting to its renowned status. He frequently mentioned how fortunate he was to travel to 38 countries in his lifetime, many times as an official Cattle Judge or U.S. Agricultural Representative. Undaunted by the language barrier, Joe helped expand the 3X brand into Mexico, Central, and South America by learning Spanish at night via a Berlitz course. He sought out and developed programs to finance the exportation of Registered Brahman cattle, working with foreign government officials and the Inter-American Development Bank. In 1989, he served as a member of the Agricultural Advisory Committee, which provided recommendations to the then U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Clayton Yeutter. The Victoria Chamber of Commerce twice voted Joe 'Agribusiness Person of the Year'. As a director on the Board of Directors of the American Brahman Breeders Association, Joe contributed to the international enhancement of the breed and the creation of the publication 'America Brahman'. Joe also served on the board of the San Antonio Rodeo and the Victoria Livestock Show and was an active member of the Texas Cattle Raisers Association.

With a Texas Ranger as a father, Joe felt honor bound to keep the Ranger tradition alive. In 1971, he co-founded the Former Texas Ranger Foundation, and served as its President (1971-1999), Director (1999-2005), and Board Chairman (2005-2010). He directed every detail of the 'The Texas Ranger Experience – Living the Legend' website and was most proud of creating the Junior Texas Ranger 'Better Citizen' program. A program aimed at building character in youths using traditional character traits that have guided the Texas Rangers for two hundred years. As a Son of the American Revolution, Joe was proud of his family's military heritage, which stretched from defending a new country to safeguarding its citizens.

Ever a public servant, Joe accepted Governor Bill Clements' nomination to the Environmental Protection Agency's Gulf of Mexico Citizens Advisory Committee, coordinating the efforts of 14 Federal and 54 State agencies to protect and enhance the marine ecosystem in the Gulf of Mexico. During his tenure, Joe received an EPA's award recognizing his 'outstanding leadership, dedication, energy, and innovation' for his role as the program's first Chairman. Joe co-founded and served as President of the Gulf of Mexico Foundation, which was dedicated to protecting that crucial natural resource. He served this organization for 20 years.

Politics was another arena in which Joe excelled as a public servant. He was campaign manager early in Senator Phil Gramm's and Chancellor John Sharp's political careers. Joe continued to participate in the political process all his life. In 1990, he threw his own 'cowboy' hat into the ring, winning the Republican primary for the U.S. House of Representatives for Texas' 14th District, only to be defeated by the incumbent. The following year, President George H. W. Bush nominated Joe as a Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. His appointment received a rare unanimous consent vote by the U.S. Senate. He served the CFTC in Washington, D.C., until 1997. In addition to his regulatory oversight, Joe represented the CFTC at forums and industry conferences in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. He delivered keynote addresses at international conferences in Bangkok, Sydney, Hong Kong, Jakarta, and Tokyo. His efforts culminated with the signing, by 16 financial regulatory agencies from around the world, of the Windsor Declaration in 1995 and the Tokyo Communique in 1997.

While living in DC, Joe completed his university degree, receiving a BA in Business Management from the University of Maryland. In 1991, Joe met fellow Texan Marilyn Scott Smith. After a joyful courtship, they were married in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1993. They spent their married life in D.C., VA, MA, and TX.

In January 1998, Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government invited Joe to be a Fellow at the Institute of Politics. He loved his time in Cambridge and was proud of the real-world experience he used to challenge his students at the Institute. After leaving Harvard, he worked as a consultant, directing the research, design, and development of governmental regulatory agencies and private sector futures exchanges for the governments of Indonesia, Poland, and India.

One constant in Joe's life was his Christian faith. He cherished his lifelong connection to the Episcopal Church, and his Christian values directed every aspect of his life. A charter member of Saint Francis Episcopal Church, Victoria, TX, Joe served as Lay Priest, Eucharist Minister, Senior Warden, vestry member, lay reader, usher, Sunday school teacher, and Bible study leader. As a team member and later as Event Director/Coordinator, Joe was involved in the 'Faith Alive' renewal church movement in the 70's and 80's. Everywhere he lived, Joe was an active member of the local Episcopal Church - from Victoria, TX, to Alexandria, VA, to Gainesville, TX.

Joe 'retired' to Saint Jo, Texas in 2004, where he continued his civic-mindedness- leading the fight against wind turbine 'farms' in picturesque Cook and Montague counties; campaigning for local politicians, championing the library and historical museum, and leading the charge to beautify and revitalize the downtown square, including assisting a researcher seeking to correct the history of the Chisholm Trail, which history proves went through Saint Jo. Ever the health fanatic, Joe enjoyed walking his dog, Max, and later Daisy, around town twice daily and swimming laps in his pool. He entertained his five grand kids at Katy Lake during the summers- teaching them to fish, drive the golf cart, and cracking them up with his antics during dance-off contests. He loved summer vacations in Colorado with his entire brood where the fun times were punctuated by his infectious laugh and ear-to-ear grin. Joe moved to San Antonio, TX in 2021 and cherished spending time with his children, grandchildren, and great-granddaughter. As was his custom, Joe became a frequent attendee at Christ Episcopal Church.

Most people would tell you Joe was kind and honest- straight as an arrow. He lived by the adage that 'God doesn't give you more than you can handle,' and he handled setbacks in life with grace and resolve. This verse from 'The Cowboy's Prayer' by Clem McSpadden sums up the life that Joe led, "We only ask that you help us to compete in life as honest as the horses we ride and in a manner as clean and pure as the wind that blows across this great land of ours".

Joe was predeceased in death by his parents and his sisters. He is survived and loved by his four children and their spouses, Joseph Dial, Catherine Dial Easley, Emily Dial Heard (Richard Heard), and Peggy Dial (Stephen Shearer); his step-son, Walter Smith; five grandchildren and spouses, Samantha Heard DeYoung (Connor DeYoung), Richard Joseph Heard (Betty Heard), William Zachary Easley, Emma Isabella Easley, and Emily Katelyn Heard; one great-granddaughter, Heather Liv Heard; his two divorced widows, Emily Koontz Dial and Marilyn Scott Dial; twelve nieces and nephews descended from the Koontz, Massey, and Readdy families; and his brother, Allen Grower.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at Christ Episcopal Church, 510 Belknap Place, San Antonio, Texas on April 28 at 11:00 am. The service will be live-streamed at cecsa.org/live-stream.

Memorial contributions may be made to the TMI Episcopal Fund in lieu of flowers at tmi-sa.org.