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Those words took Cynthia D. Kinser all
the way from Pennington Gap (population:
1,781) to the other side of the world and
the country of India. They took her from a
cattle farm to the Virginia Supreme Court.
They took her from her local 4-H Club to a
decided slot in the history books as the first
female chief justice of Virginia’s Supreme
Court.
Kinser’s journey from a cattle farm to
the state’s highest court is as interesting as
the role she ultimately achieved when she
became chief justice in 2011. She didn’t
come from a family of lawyers. Her mother taught home ec, and her
father was a library administrator, and they lived on the family farm.
Pennington Gap is hardly a hotspot of the world. It is a speck on the
farthest corner of the Virginia map. It is located in what they call
“the far southwest” in Lee County. With a good pair of hiking boots
on, you could walk to the Kentucky
border.
Nevertheless, Kinser knew as
early as the seventh grade that law
would be her calling. There was the
influence of television, of course,
and she was one of many Perry
Mason fans of that era. But more
so, it was the excitement of those
lessons in school—a government
class in particular.
“I just liked it,” said Kinser with
the smile of someone remembering a
cherished time and place. “I already
knew.”
Those early years of formal
education
were
laying
the
groundwork for a career, but there
were other visions building as well,
not the least of which was 4-H.
4-H is a worldwide youth
development
organization
that
grew out of the U.S. Department
of Agriculture and the land-grant
universities, such as Virginia Tech.
The original concept focused on
rural youth programs as a way
to introduce new agriculture
technology. The official motto is “To
make the best better.”
When Kinser heard that motto
as a child, she said it “struck a chord.” It provided her with the
motivation that she needed to do things, to do them well, and to
keep on a lifelong pursuit of growth and excellence.
She describes one experience in particular, which brought back
the sweet memories of youthful accomplishment. In 4-H, participants
present their work, often in the form of prized cows, lambs, quilts and
pies, at county and state fairs. They are encouraged to develop “how-
to” demonstrations. Kinser, an eighth-grader, took a state prize for her
class about “Edible Flowers for the Table.” Think of beautiful, edible
garnishes, such as carrot curls, radish roses, and sprigs of fresh mint.
As she tells this, she holds her hands out, as if to offer a scrumptious
platter of food and art at the same time. She smiles and says that her
mother’s home ec background was inspiring. Those carrot curls were
not just fun, they were confidence building.
So much so, that she applied to be a foreign exchange student in
college. This was a girl who had never traveled outside the southern
United States. Kinser imagined faraway places like Europe or maybe
even Australia. But the acceptance assigned her to an even more
exotic place: India. This was 1973. India was not nearly as known to
Americans as it is today. She went with several other students, and
did experience culture shock “at first.”
“It was very different. A very different culture,” she said. She
stayed with four different families and was expected to “do what ever
they do.” These families were not the poor people of India; they were
people who had the means to participate in this program. It gave her a
new view of the world, and she said she will always be glad she rose
to that challenge.
Kinser attended college first at University of Georgia, then
transferred to University of Tennessee, where she graduated in 1974.
Then it was off to the University of Virginia School of Law. She said
she remembers that first day. The class was assembled and was told
that “you are the cream of the crop,” and that their lives would change
as of that day.
In law school, Kinser worked
hard, and continued to “make
the best better.” She said she
felt a little advantaged because
her undergraduate school, the
University of Tennessee, had
already exposed her to the Socratic
method, the stressful question-and-
answer method that terrifies most
law students to this day. By that
time, she was already married, to
Henry Allen Kinser, Jr., so she was
a student who could settle down to
work. One of her classmates was
George Allen, who would one day
be elected as Governor of Virginia.
With law school behind her
and admission to the Virginia State
Bar, she began her distinguished
law career. Kinser served as a
law clerk to U.S. Judge Glen M.
Williams, Western District of
Virginia. She later was elected as
Commonwealth’s Attorney for
Lee County. Then she served as
a U.S. Magistrate Judge, Western
District of Virginia.
This solid background was
what prompted her old schoolmate,
who was now The Honorable
Governor George Allen, in 1997,
to call her and ask her to fill a vacancy on the Virginia Supreme
Court. She had all weekend to think about it. It was a tough decision
in many ways. The court meets in Richmond, so many travel days are
required. Even if she were appointed to fill this vacancy, there would
be no guarantee that the General Assembly would approve her for the
next term.
She said she was very uncertain. She described sitting at the
dinner table and discussing it with her family. Her son was a senior
in high school. He said, “You know, sometimes opportunities come
just once in a lifetime.”
That was all she needed. She sent her notice of acceptance the
very next day.
Kinser served as an appointed justice and was, indeed, elected
to another term. When Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr.,
Five words can take you a long way:
“To make the best better.”
By Bonnie Atwood
Chief Justice Kinser
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