Timothy Hull Pinkham

(portions from www.eeri.org interview with Clarkson W. Pinkham which was published in 2006)

"Timothy Hull Pinkham was born in 1949. He was a defense analyst for the federal government in Washington D.C. He married Marian Chung, a doctor of internal medicine (whom he had met while they both attended the University of California at Berkeley for undergraduate courses). They had two children, Rebecca and Daniel. Timothy died in 2005."

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(The following excerpts are from the January 2005 publication, "Communiqué," at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), his place of employment for 33 years):

"DI Senior Middle East Analyst Retires - Senior Middle East Analyst Retires after Serving DIA and the Intelligence Community for 33 years" -- by James L. Eden, DI

"Good Morning." This was the good tiding that started each day as Timothy H. Pinkham walked through the office and personally greeted each of his coworkers. It also served as the daily announcement of his arrival in the workplace -- the place he had chosen for his life's vocation. Pinkham retired Dec. 31 after 33 years of loyal service to DIA and the intelligence community.

Like many others, Pinkham joined DIA by way of the military. He arrived in 1971 as a naval lieutenant. He began his civilian career in 1975 and remained committed to working Middle East issues for the next 29 years. The list of those who recognized his contributions is impressive and includes DIA directors and senior leaders, U.S. ambassadors, as well as OSD and JCS leaders. These accolades culminated with the [November 2003] awarding of the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal by George Tenet, then-director of central intelligence. However, the recognition that means the most to Pinkham comes from his fellow analysts, many of whom he set on the path to analytic excellence.

P.F., who worked in the Middle East Division at Arlington Hall, met Pinkham in 1974 and recalls that he had already gained the reputation as a connoisseur of military equipment. He would have the answer about any piece of equipment. He was often described as a walking Jane's Fighting Vehicles encyclopedia. Anytime someone needed an answer or advice, they could count on Pinkham for help. "Tim taught me the importance of knowing the basics before making an analytical judgment," said P.F. "I know he did this for many others over the years. He was always someone you could count on."

This is part of Tim Pinkham's legacy: mentorship that created a rich medium for growing analysts, many of whom are today passing on that legacy to our newest employees.

In a crisis -- and there have been many in the Middle East -- Pinkham was unflappable, always maintaining his calm but authoritative demeanor and good nature...

...Pinkham could be counted on to humanize the work place with his sense of humor and with his irrepressible optimism that any pendulum that seemed to be going the wrong way would eventually correct itself. He is also a master of historical trivia. One of his more recent probes of our knowledge of U.S. history: "Who was the only 6-star general in the history of the U.S. military?" Needless to say the unanimous response of those who are challenged with this question is based on incomplete knowledge and denial that there ever was a 6-star general! Research of the subject revealed a little-known truth -- not to be revealed here! (Why tease the readers like that?)

Pinkham's soft footprints are all over this place, and he will be missed every single day. There has been one constant in the last 33 years of Tim Pinkham's career: the achievement of a level of analytic excellence rarely attained.

[We will] name a conference room in his honor. The Pinkham Conference Room will be a gathering place where the profession Tim loves will carry on, reminded of his legacy."

Sadly, 10 months after the above publication was printed, Tim Pinkham died after battling a terminal brain tumor for six years. A conference room at his place of work was officially named in his honor in December of 2008.