SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 442
In Memory
of
Joseph Dial
WHEREAS, A full and generous life drew to a close with the
passing of Joseph Burt Dial of San Antonio on December 18, 2024,
at the age of 88; and
WHEREAS, The son of William Angelo Dial and Ina Grace
Spaulding, Joe Dial was born in Kilgore on April 27, 1936; he
graduated from the Texas Military Institute and went on to attend
The University of Texas at Austin; in 1957, he married his high
school sweetheart, the former Gertrude Emily Koontz, and they
raised four children on their 3X Ranch in Montgomery County; a
prominent livestock breeder, Mr. Dial built 3X into a globally
recognized brand, working with foreign governments and the
Inter-American Development Bank to advance exports of registered
Brahman cattle; he also served on the board of the American
Brahman Breeders Association; honoring his father's legacy, he
cofounded the Former Texas Rangers Foundation in 1971 and served
as president, director, and chair; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Dial served in a number of government
leadership roles, including inaugural chair of the Environmental
Protection Agency's Gulf of Mexico Citizens Advisory Committee;
he was appointed to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission by
President George H. W. Bush, and while working in the nation's
capital and representing the commission abroad, he completed his
bachelor's degree in business management at the University of
Maryland; in 1993, he wed Marilyn Scott Smith; they lived in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, during his tenure as a teaching fellow
at the Institute of Politics at the Harvard University John F.
Kennedy School of Government; subsequently, he pursued a new
career as an international consultant, guiding development of
governmental regulatory agencies and private-sector futures
exchanges; and
WHEREAS, In 2004, Mr. Dial moved to Saint Jo; he continued
to be active in civic life, and he was a lifelong member of the
Episcopal Church; he loved to entertain his grandchildren at Katy
Lake and spend family vacations in Colorado; he moved to San
Antonio in 2021 to spend even more time with his loved ones; and
WHEREAS, Joe Dial is deeply missed by those he left behind,
but his kindness, integrity, and strong faith will remain a
lasting source of inspiration to all who knew him; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th
Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the memory of Joseph Burt Dial
and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to
his children, Joseph Dial, Catherine Dial Easley, Emily Dial
Heard and her husband, Richard, and Peggy Dial and her husband,
Stephen Shearer; to his stepson, Walter Smith; to his
grandchildren, Samantha Heard DeYoung, Richard Joseph Heard,
William Zachary Easley, Emma Isabella Easley, and Emily Katelyn
Heard; to his great-granddaughter, Heather Liv Heard; and to his
many other relatives and friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas Senate adjourns
this day, it do so in memory of Joe Dial.
Hagenbuch
________________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on April 24, 2025, by a
rising vote.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate