Dial was a member of the Lumbee Tribe and a graduate of Pembroke State College, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in social studies.
Soon after graduating, Dial enlisted with the United States Army, completing a tour of duty in the European theater of World War II.
[1] Upon returning from the war, Dial sought further education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but was denied admission due to his ethnicity being labelled as 'non-white'.
During his time at UNC-Pembroke, Dial was also able to secure a grant from the Ford Foundation; realizing the minuscule amount of information relating to the Lumbee Tribe, the foundation's grant led to Dial's collaboration with fellow UNC-P professor David Eliades in creating The Only Land I Know: A History of the Lumbee Indians.
Dial's work became commonplace in state publications and even reached a national audience, such as his being published in U.S. News & World Report in 1984.
[1] Dial was also a founder of the Robeson County Church and Civic Center, and served on the board of directors for the Lumbee Regional Development Association.
[citation needed] His work in American Indian Studies helped pave the way for various departments and curriculum to form across the Southeastern United States.
[1] The Dial Humanities Building on the campus of UNC-Pembroke houses the English and Theater, History, and Foreign Language departments of the university.
[5] The Adolph L. Dial Amphitheater on the university's campus is a dedication towards his philanthropic work,[6] and regularly performed the play Strike at the Wind!