Carl Francis Pinkerton's Obituary
Carl Francis Pinkerton, 94, died Sept. 17, 2024, at his home in Fayetteville after a brief illness. He was born Feb. 15, 1930, in Stilwell, Oklahoma, to Fay Newton Pinkerton and Ellen Sanders Pinkerton but lived most of his life in Fayetteville. He was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved brother, Harold Pinkerton.
His earliest memories were at a farm the family called “the holler” near Stilwell. It had a cold, spring-fed creek where the family got water and stored perishable goods by sinking them into the creek in jars. They lived without running water or electricity. In good times, they had a plow horse and enough money to butcher a hog for the winter. Carl sometimes traveled in summers doing itinerant farm work with his dad.
The family moved to Fayetteville around 1948 and lived in an apartment in Wilson Park, later settling into houses on Adams Street and finally Spring Street. One of his closest friends during his young adult years was Ronnie Hawkins, who became a pioneer in rockabilly music. Carl fondly recalled his early days in Fayetteville when rock ‘n’ roll was new, cars were an obsession, and young folks met up at drive-ins like Jug Wheeler’s on Dickson Street. In many photos, he wore the classic uniform of the time: wide-cuffed jeans, white shirt and black leather jacket.
Carl was drafted and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War but never deployed, instead remaining at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. Funded by the G.I. Bill, he studied mechanical engineering at the University of Arkansas and John Brown University. He spent time during those years with his uncle, Clyde Pinkerton, a U.S. Navy pilot and instructor, giving him a lifelong interest in aviation. Another favorite uncle was Tom Pinkerton, who managed the Jackson Cookie Company in Little Rock for many years.
His brother, Harold, founded Pinkerton Heating and Air Conditioning in 1958, and Carl worked alongside him doing service calls and sheet metal work. The brothers also invested in property along College Avenue in the early 1960s, building two simple brick buildings that still stand today.
Carl was a brilliant mechanic who spent his free time building cars and working on them. He lovingly maintained sports cars the brothers bought in the 1960s during the heyday of the business, including a Shelby Cobra he built from a kit.
The brothers formed a car racing team, with Carl building late-model stock cars and Harold driving them during stints in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Carl still displayed trophies they won, including the late-model championship at Fayetteville Speedway in 1979.
After the death of his brother in 2015, Carl struck up a friendship with Harold’s daughter, his niece Jennifer Cook. They had coffee several times each week for nearly 10 years.
People sometimes asked what they talked about. Carl was interested in construction around town and was happy to see buildings from his early memories restored. He also
liked new buildings and favored modern architecture. Though he was skin and bones, he loved to talk about food. He followed college football, NFL and NASCAR, always pulling for drivers of Ford vehicles, his chosen brand. The best days were when Carl told stories from the brothers’ time growing up in Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Going through life on his own terms, Carl lived independently right through to his last day, an enviable feat.
He is survived by his niece and her husband, Kyle Cook, of Fayetteville; nephew Steven Pinkerton of Prairie Grove; and great-nephew Henry Pinkerton of Hot Springs.
A graveside service is planned at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, at Fayetteville National Cemetery. Visitation will be held immediately prior, from noon to 1 p.m. Oct. 1, at Moore’s Chapel.
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