Dr. Darryl Jinkerson’s legacy continues long after his death in the fall of 2012. The professor in the college of business administration left behind family, friends and colleagues that continue to honor his memory.
This past spring, ACU honored Jinkerson by acknowledging his work and awarding him full professorship.
Rick Lytle, dean of the college of business, said Jinkerson was well-qualified for the award.
“He was extremely hardworking and a multitasker. This guy was fully connected in a lot of realms, a wonderful colleague and a sweet person” Lytle said. “Rather than not honor that, we just wanted to have that go through the system and for him to be deemed a full professor in the college of business.”
Jinkerson, who worked at ACU for 11 years, completed a portfolio for full professorship in early September but passed away in October before receiving his results. The ACU Tenure and Promotion committee reviewed the portfolio and sent it to the Provost and President for confirmation. A letter from the Provost’s Office was then sent to Cindy Jinkerson, Jinkerson’s wife, informing her of his promoted rank as a professor in the college of business.
The university was not the only one to remember Jinkerson over summer. Phil Vardiman, associate professor of management, traveled to Honduras in memory of his long-time friend accompanied the rest of the Jinkerson family, including Jinkerson’s mother, brother, wife and one of his daughters to construct a “memory house” for Darryl.
“It was an honor to build it in his name, he would’ve been proud of that,” Vardiman said. “He was a special teacher, a special friend.”
The team worked alongside Casa de Esperanza, a non-profit organization established by Marc Tindall, who Darryl had built a “memory house” with about five years ago in honor of his father.
Vardiman said Jinkerson had a special link to Honduras, so it seemed appropriate to honor him there. In fact, Cindy Jinkerson, Jinkerson’s wife, said a missionaries’ residence house was established in Darryl’s name because of his involvement in Honduras.
Mrs. Jinkerson said that she and her husband always planned to go to Honduras together, but they never got the chance. This trip gave her the opportunity to see and experience what her husband did just a few years earlier.
“It was good to give back and do something for another family,” Mrs. Jinkerson said. “There were a lot of people that he [Darryl] knew that I didn’t, we were all there together. We got to spend a lot of time laughing and joking.”
Despite the sudden loss of Professor Jinkerson, his family, friends and colleagues are doing their best to keep his memory alive.
“We’re seeking to try to never forget him, which is a hard thing to do,” Lytle said. “But we know, without a doubt, where he is. So we know we’ll see him again.”
