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Dale Pinkney’s public career runs through Pedretti’s ballfields, West Main Street and an eventful election night. Turlock’s 18th mayor served from 1978 to 1982, following eight years on the council. The Journal recalled his service in 2018.
From Turlock High to City Hall
Pinkney’s family obituary places his birth in El Centro in November 1931 and his death in Turlock in April 2018, aged 86. He spent most of his life here, graduated from Turlock High in 1950 and from Modesto Junior College in 1955, and served in the Army.
Pinkney led Town & Country Finance & Thrift. The Journal records Christoffersen’s appointment of him to the Planning Commission in 1968 and his council election in 1970.
The election with a misplaced name
The Signal’s March 14, 1978 election report, page 2 reported Pinkney’s victory over Tom Howard, 1,147 votes to 948. Christoffersen had endorsed him. The margin was 199 votes, and Pinkney told the student reporter that Howard had attracted more support than he expected.
There was a mechanical complication. Pinkney’s name was misaligned on voting machines, appearing under the council race instead of the mayoral heading. Voting paused for almost an hour while the problem was corrected. The paper estimated that no more than 25 votes were involved before officials spotted the error. It reported the disruption, without establishing that it changed the result.
In the same interview, Pinkney discussed removing downtown parking meters and creating a youth council involving high-school and college students. Those were proposals, not a list of completed projects. He was interested in getting college students to participate in the city beyond campus.
The less glamorous business of a growing city
The Journal recalls disagreements over the Geer Road median and West Main widening. Leaving office, Pinkney highlighted a sewer plant, a third fire station and road repairs. These were shared city projects; the list reflects his own 1982 assessment, recalled in the later article.
How an airport idea became ballfields
Parks director Abe Rojas’s recollection in the Journal offers a more personal connection. Rojas remembered discussing land intended for an airport with Pinkney and suggesting a sports complex instead. He described Pedretti’s development as an effort built with volunteer labor, donated materials and state grants, completed in 1982.
Read more about the ballfields in our Turlock parks guide.
A park honor and the morning coffee table
Cimarron Park was later renamed Dale Pinkney Park. the Journal’s park-dedication report describes the public ceremony, a proclamation from Mayor John Lazar and a state resolution presented by Assemblyman Bill Berryhill. It recognized a civic career that also included Lions Club work and helping develop Pedretti.
The park occupies the Cherry Blossom Lane and Arthur Mace Drive area in Turlock. The City lists a playground, covered picnic area, benches and open play space there. It is a neighborhood stop, separate from Pedretti’s sports facilities.
Pinkney continued volunteering and joined Latif’s morning coffee group, the Journal recalled. Brad Bates succeeded him in 1982.
Explore the full Turlock mayors timeline.
