A faculty member in the College of Business Administration who died suddenly last week will be remembered for his loving and caring personality, heavy involvement in ACU academics and his deep faith in God.
Dr. Darryl Jinkerson, associate professor of management, died Friday afternoon of a heart attack.
Jinkerson, 54, joined ACU in 2002 after leaving a consulting position with Arthur Andersen in Chicago. He taught courses on organizational behavior, statistics and strategy.
Dr. Darryl Jinkerson
Dr. Rick Lytle, dean of COBA, was a classmate of Jinkerson’s at Harding University. He said Jinkerson’s sudden death came as a surprise to everyone.
“This loss is a shock to us all,” he said. “Our hearts are hurting right now.”
Lytle said Jinkerson will be remembered for his close relationships with God, his family and his students.
“He was a man of deep faith in God and a man who loved his family,” Lytle said. “Darryl was one of the most active faculty in the building: teaching, researching, serving, consulting, shepherding and leading a number of important initiatives for the college.”
What Lytle remembered most about Jinkerson was his passion for what he believed in.
“I can remember on several occasions Darryl fighting hard for that which he believed to be right,” Lytle said. “He was an authentic human being.”
The ACU flag flying near the Judge Ely Boulevard entrance to campus is flying at half-staff in honor of Jinkerson.
Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, sent an email to all faculty and staff Friday evening to tell them of Jinkerson’s death.
“All of us held Darryl in high esteem and his students loved him for the many ways he cared for and mentored them,” Schubert said in the email.
Jinkerson earned his Bachelor’s degree at Harding in 1980 and graduated from Northeast Louisiana University with a master’s degree in 1982. Five years later he received his Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
Jinkerson was a member of the University Assessment Committee, a Sam Walton Fellow, he served as ACU’s Students in Free Enterprise chapter and served several terms on Faculty Senate. He led the study abroad program for COBA and served as chair of the Department of Management Science from 2004-2008.
Dr. Phil Vardiman, associate professor of management and Jinkerson’s closest friend, said Jinkerson truly loved his work and his family.
“He was a good mentor, not just to his students, but his peers,” Vardiman said. “He’s a really good example of what a Christian teacher and husband should be.”
Dr. Don Pope, assistant professor of management, said Jinkerson’s invested interest and involvement in COBA made a great impact on the college and its students.
“His students remember him as a professor who cared deeply for them, opening class with a prayer,” Pope said. “We will miss him deeply.”
Jinkerson was a regular member and elder at University Church of Christ.
He met his wife Cindy in the registration line during their freshman year at Harding in 1976 and were married three years later.
Jinkerson is survived by Cindy and three daughters; Whitney Olsen, Rachel Goodman and Amanda Carpenter, and one granddaughter. He’s also survived by his mother, LaVerne of O’Fallon, Ill.; two brothers, Richard of Lake in the Hills, Ill., and Perry of Starkville, Miss.; sister, Cheryl Hamm of St. Louis; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A viewing will be conducted at Piersall Funeral Home in Abilene on Wednesday from 6- p.m. The funeral service will take place the following day at 2 p.m. at University Church of Christ.
