Doyal William Pinkard Jr. was born in Detroit, Michigan, on July 28, 1929, to Doyal and Margaret Pinkard Sr.. Doyal Sr. was an interior decorator contractor who was born in Georgia. Margaret was born in Pennsylvania. Doyal had a younger sister, Carol Lee (Branning). The family later moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where Doyal attended Boys's High School. graduating in 1946. He entered Harvard University in 1950 as a pre-med student.

Doyal William Pinkard and Daphne Thomasina "Tommie" West announced their engagement in July of 1949. Tommie had graduated frrom Ponce de Leon high school in Coral Gables, Florida. She had attendedd the University of Miami and Florida State University. At the time of the engagement, she was attending Boston University. Doyal had graduated in 1946 from Boys' High School in Atlanta, GA. He was selected from a class of 179 graduates to be one of the two student speakers. He had attended Harvard University and Florida State University. The couple were to be married in Cambridge, MA.

Doyal and Tommie came to the Congregational Church of Austin in 1963. They became loyal and active members holding many of the important positions in the church. Doyal taught Sunday School, served on Trustees, and a host of committees. Tommie served on the Board of Deacon for many years as well as serving on many committees. She also sang in the choir. Doyal and Tommie had two sons, Doyal Christopher and David Thomas, both were part of the church community.

After 53 years in the church, Doyal and Tommie moved to Brevard, North Carolina, in 2016 to be near Doyal sister. Sadly Doyal passed away that same year. Tommie remained there eight years until her passing in 2024.

Obituary for Doyal William Pinkard

Doyal William Pinkard, born July 28, 1929, passed away on July 3, 2016. He died of complications of heart disease and stroke. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Tommie. Doyal and Tommie were stalwart members of the Austin community with long careers of public service in Texas state government. Senior members of the Congregational Church of Austin, they were well known for their extensive volunteer work for numerous local and national charities He is also survived by his two sons, Doyal Christopher and David Thomas, and four grandchildren. Private memorial services are planned for Tuesday July 5th with family in North Carolina where he died in hospice care.

Information on Tommie Pinkard

Daphne Thomasina "Tommie" West was born 1928 to Thomas E. and Ruby Arlene Counts West. Tommie had a half-sister Jacquelyn West (Shields) who passed away in 2023. Jacquelyn, a school librarian, championed social justice causes and children literature. Tommie's father was a switchman for the AT&SF railroad in Fresno, California before becoming a sales representative for Gulf Oil. Tommie's mother died in 1930 of a melanoma at the age of 25. Tommie was two years old. Thomas married Bernice K. McBride in 1934 in Jefferson, AL. Tommie work for many years with the Texas Highways magazine, rising to the position of editor in 1990.

 

Article from Rusk County Friends of the Library Newletter

Tommie Pinkard of Austin became editor of Texas Highways magazine in July 1990. She had previously been on the staff as assistant editor from 1964 to 1967, and as associate and managing editor from 1977 to 1986. Tommie has 12 years! experience with the magazine, plus 14 years in other writing, editing and management positions in the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation. An East Coast native, Ms. Pinkard is an alumna of the University of Miami and Florida State University, where she was an English major. She is married and has two grown sons. Marilyn V'Soske, Friends president, said: "We are extremely honored to have the editor of such a respected magazine come to visit our Friends group. Texas Highways is one of the most widely read and enjoyed magazines for our Rusk County Library patrons. The colorful photographs and pertinent articles are great helps for Texas travel and vacation planning. We hope to have a large turnout for the meeting on Oct.15." Ms. Pinkard will discuss various aspects in the preparation of a magazine and will show material from the magazine in different stages of preparation.

Article from "The Waco Citize", July 31, 1990.

Texas Highways Names Editor

Texas Highways, the state’s official travel magazine, has announced the a new editor. Ms. Tommie Pinkard, the magazine’s managing editor from 1977 through 1986, replaces Frank Lively, who retires in August.

Under Lively, the magazine grew from a small, in-house employee publication of the Texas Department of Highways and Public Transportation to a glossy, four-color publication read by more than a million people in all the states and 90 foreign countries. The Lively years brought the magazine numerous citations for excellence, including this year’s Regional Publishers Association Gold Award for magazine cover design. Pinkard will be only the third editor of the publication since it took the name Texas Highways in the mid-1950s. Pinkard brings to the position 12 years of experience with the magazine itself, and 14 more in other writing, editing, and management positions.in the highway department. In 1967, she edited a special 196-page commemorative issue of Texas Highways which chronicled the 50-year history of the highway department. "Tommie Pinkard’s years of editorial experience with Texas Highways will ensure the magazine maintains the same popularity and high quality achieved under Frank Lively," said Herman Kelly, publisher. Pinkard currently serves as Direc- tor of Information Services, overseeing such diverse public information programs as the ‘Don’t Mess with Texas’’ antilitter campaign and the Emergency Road Conditions reporting operation. Her magazine experience also includes editing a publication for the Harvard Medical School and a national medical journal. Pinkard is a member of Executive Women in Texas Government, and was on the founding board of WIN (Women's Information Network), an organization for women in the highway department. She is a past president of the Austin Professional Chapter of Women in Communications,.Inc., and of Chapter I of the Texas ‘Public Employees Association. She and her husband, Doyal, have two grown sons. Texas Highways currently has a monthly circulation of more than 425,000. The magazine is available at newsstands “for $2, or through subscriptions at $12.50 a year.

Doyal and Tommie Pinkard Photos