Betty Evans Boone

Betty Evans Boone died Oct. 31, 2023 at age 95. Betty was a pioneer for women in the legal profession. Betty started her profession in the law as a legal secretary while obtaining her college degree from Centenary College (Shreveport, LA). After marrying her high school sweetheart, Jim (Elbert James Boone) on December 27, 1950, she continued as a legal secretary in the locations where Jim got his Masters degree, served his 6 year commitment to the military during the Korean War, and was a writer in the defense industry in Fort Worth, TX. Upon their arrival in San Diego in July 1959 with Jim just starting a new job, and two young kids and a dog, she found full time employment as a legal secretary, and within a month enrolled at USD Law School. With an all (almost!) male class, she became an editor of its first law review and was the second woman to graduate USD Law School five years later.

After being admitted to the Bar in 1965, looking for work as a lawyer, the private law firms and public legal offices flatly said “no women lawyers.” She found work as the first women associate trust counsel for Title Insurance and Trust for three years, then in 1967 as the first woman deputy county counsel in San Diego, where she rose to senior deputy, retiring in 1981. She then served as a city/county hearing officer for fourteen years. Betty finally retired again in 1995 to focus more on her interests in genealogy research.

Betty was a founding member of Lawyers Club of San Diego, which promotes women in the legal field, serving as board member, newsletter editor, treasurer, and on the advisory board. She served as the archivist for many years, with the archives being named the “Betty Evans Boone Archives” in 2022.

Betty was active in the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego, where she often served on the Board, and was president 1968-1969 and 1980-81. At her first attendance — the opening day of the church in its new location in 1959 — Betty was pressed into service to assist with the children’s education. That started her service in many positions, with her last position being the church’s archivist. She contributed at every turn, and her embrace of diversity in all its forms is well known in the community. Betty pursued growth, acceptance and knowledge throughout her life.

Betty and Jim supported one another until she was widowed in 2013, after over 62 years together. They raised their two sons, seeing each through law school and into their practices, which surprisingly mirrored their practices: one in trial practice and the other a local government lawyer. Betty is survived by Evan and his husband Carl of Portland, OR, and Karsten and his wife Coletta of Temecula, Ca.

Betty’s Celebration of Life is on Saturday, January 13, at 10 am, First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego, 4190 Front St. In lieu of flowers, a donation in memory of Betty Evans Boone is suggested to either the First Unitarian Church of San Diego (URL: https://www.firstuusandiego.org/donations.html ] or the Fund for Justice [ URL: https://lawyersclubsandiego.com/?pg=FFJHome ], the charitable arm of the Lawyers Club of San Diego.