Ginger Curtis

Virginia Curtis Lee

In the fall of 1965, Ginger Curtis, a descendant of French king Charlemagne (thirty-ninth generation), twelve related kings of England and Scotland, and undocumented Mayflower descendant, started college at the University of California Berkeley. In February 1966, she married Charles Hay, then a Stanford undergraduate and now an Idaho senior judge. Ginger and Chuck had two sons, the older a health care attorney, the younger a GPS engineer with General Motors and the father of Virginia’s three grandchildren.

In 1977, Virginia graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor of science in biology, was elected a member of Phi Beta Kappa and became certified to teach high school biology and math.  In 1979, Virginia graduated from the U’s College of Law; she worked as a serving person at LaCaille, an upscale French country restaurant, to put herself through college.

Virginia is a trained mediator and has taught emotional intelligence (EQ) skills to Utah attorneys.  In 1998, Virginia was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Virginia’s first intellectual love has always been the biosciences. A Myers-Briggs ISTP, she devours books and is thrilled by scientific and even legal research.

In 1980, Virginia married James Lee. They are the parents of one son, an engineer.

Virginia, a liberal Democrat and BV-rated attorney since 1995, continues to practice law in Salt Lake City.

In 2004, the Utah State Bar awarded her the Scott Matheson Award for distinguished service to law-related education.  In 2014, she retired from the Wyoming State Bar.

In 2001, Virginia received the Dr. Lowell L. Bennion Commission on Youth Service Award. She serves people in her community and state in a number of volunteer capacities.

In September 2011, Borah 1965’s Ernie Simmonsen tracked Virginia down.  Virginia then delightedly connected with Terri Baxter McKendrick, Kim Hansen Osborne, Carolyn Wootton and Jan Murdoch for twice-a-year Borah Girls lunches along the Wasatch Front; in October 2014, Danny Tippetts and his wife joined them for lunch.

Virginia is chagrined that Scott Fitzwater submitted his classmate page before she submitted hers.

Virginia is especially pleased to correspond by email now with Owen Daly.