Posted by John C. Bahnsen on August 16, 2005:

Dale Pinkerton was one of the most gentle, easy going men I have ever known. He had a soft voice and only raised it when told to speak up by upperclassmen. He came to West Point through the USMA Prep School and had been an SSG (E-6) in our Army's tank force. He barely made the upper age limit for admission; born in 1930. He was mature far beyond most of us, but had the patience to help anyone and everyone when asked. He was especially helpful to me in plebe math. Dale was well liked by everyone in C-1 and was rated at the top of our class in aptitude based on our first aptitude ratings. He was selected as our plebe cadet commander at Christmas, a job he handled quietly and without any pretense. Dale fell madly in love with a lady named Jessie who worked in Highland Falls. She was a beautiful, talented woman who Dale spent every possible moment with, and when not with her, thought about her. After Christmas he made the decision to resign and marry her. He never regretted this decision. He graduated from the Colorado School of Mines and worked for Ingersoll Rand for many years eventually becoming the leader of their tool division. I did not see Dale for many years and made contact with him while visiting in Colorado in the late '90s. He was the same person I had known some 40 odd years before. Soft spoken, warm and as personable as ever. Unfortunately his wife Jessie had died and he was a lost man without her. Talking about her was difficult for him. He turned to alcohol as his way of forgetting and that led to heart disease and other health complications. We talked about his heart by-pass operation which he weathered sucessfully. My last conversation after he recovered was a sad one which dwelled on how much he still thought about Jessie. Dale was a good man, kind and considerate to everyone he knew. He only walked in our ranks for a short time, but those memories of him are all positive. Rest in peace old friend. Doc

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