Carolyn Dimmick Final PDF.indd - Washington Secretary of State

didn’t need math as prerequisite for law school, so that opened the door. If that’s so, we’re
kindred souls, because there’s one whole lobe in my brain that doesn’t do math …
Dimmick: (laughing) That’s correct. That’s correct. And then the minute I got in there,
they had a legal accounting class – the first thing out of the bag. It was the first time they’d
ever offered it and it was a required subject. And I thought, “This is false premise, getting
me into law school and then put me in legal accounting.”
Hughes: Were there any notable incidents you thought were chauvinism, circa 1952?
Were they were really throwing up roadblocks, like “Who do these girls think they are?”
Dimmick: Well, yes, the one professor. But other than that, not much. I had a very close
friendship with Professor Harry Cross. After my first year, he called me and wanted to
get to know me because I did so well on one of his tests. And he was kind of my mentor
then, through the years, and when I was going to leave law school after my first year, he
counseled me. I went there for one year to get my B.A. That was my intention.
Hughes: If I recall correctly, you could leave (the general university) in your junior year, go
to the Law School and get a B.A. after one year of Law School.
Dimmick: That’s correct, and that’s what I did.
Hughes: Do they still do that?
Dimmick: No, you have to have a degree to
get into law school now.
Hughes: So, in essence you could get a law
degree in seven years as opposed to eight.
Dimmick: Yes. Well, seven and a half
because we had to go to summer school the
first summer.
Hughes: Looking back do you think the
University of Washington Law School
prepared you well for your career as a
prosecutor and a judge?
Dimmick: Sure. Well, I managed to fumble
University of Washington Law School graduation photo, 1953
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