Carolyn Dimmick Final PDF.indd - Washington Secretary of State

Hughes: When did you meet Barbara? You were really kindred spirits, weren’t you?
Dimmick: We were both District Court judges. She was on Mercer Island when I was on the
Northeast District court.
Hughes: So it was 1965-1970; you were in your 30s.
Dimmick: Yes, and so was Barbara. Barbara was a little younger than me.
Hughes: That was a singular accomplishment for you two. There were only a handful of
female judges in that era.
Dimmick: We were also on the King
County Superior Court at the same
time.
Hughes: Tell us more about Barbara
Durham. Was she someone that you
Two good friends, Supreme Court Justice Carolyn Dimick and King County
Superior Court Judge Barbara Durham at a banquet in 1982. Durham
would succeed Dimmick on the high court in 1985.
just knew you liked right from the
beginning?
Dimmick: Yes, she was just very, very
bright, and very witty. I’d say, “Look, I’m going to have a party for Betty Howard. Get me
some invitation ideas.” And she’d get it down, “Better come to Betty’s.” Just off the top of
her head. Very sharp, very quick.
Hughes: What kind of a judge was she?
Dimmick: We had just about the same philosophy all the way through. She was a good
judge. She paid attention. She worked hard. We used to meet after work with Judge H.
Joseph Coleman, who is now retired. Well, we met with quite a few other judges. The
Superior Court was quite collegial. Four or five of us were closer than others.
Hughes: You know I have to say this again: Life is a crapshoot. Here you are alive and well
(at 79) and looking 15 years younger than you are … and Barbara Durham is dead at 60.
Dimmick: Fifty-nine. She hadn’t had her 60th birthday.
Hughes: That’s really sad.
Dimmick: I know. It was Alzheimer’s. You could see it coming. She could see it coming.
Hughes: So could her colleagues.
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