Daniel “Dan” Pinkham rides a tractor in June 1997. Pinkham, a longtime teacher and coach at Lincoln Academy, died on Friday, Dec. 6 at Gosnell House in Scarborough. (LCN file)
Damariscotta educator Daniel “Dan” Pinkham is being remembered by those that knew him as a caring teacher, coach, and friend committed to helping others.
Pinkham, who died on Friday, Dec. 6 at Gosnell House in Scarborough, was best known for his 17-year stint as the girls basketball coach at LA, leading the 1982 team to a Class B state championship win.
For nearly 30 years, he taught general science, biology, and forestry to hundreds of young minds at Lincoln Academy.
Outside of his work, he began volunteering with Damariscotta’s Massasoit Engine Co. after retiring in 1999 and members of his family have owned and operated Lakehurst Properties in Damariscotta since 1969.
Jon Pinkham, one of Dan’s three sons, said his father was gentle and devoted to his family, friends, and community.
“He was a quiet person, but when he spoke, you knew you should be listening,” he said. “He’d help you out and not expect anything in return.”
Dan Pinkham was born and raised in Damariscotta, graduating from Lincoln Academy in 1961.
He went on to attend the University of Maine, where he met his wife, Ann, and graduated with a degree in forestry utilization in 1965.
The couple moved to Vinalhaven fresh out of college to begin careers in teaching and coaching, but the pair eventually made their way back to Lincoln County. Ann Pinkham taught at what was then Wiscasset High School and Dan Pinkham taught in Woolwich and later at Bristol Junior High School.
From 1968-1969, Pinkham took a break from teaching to serve his country. He was in the U.S. Naval Construction Forces, also known as U.S. Navy Seabee, where he built bases in Okinawa, Japan and Da Nang, Vietnam.
In 1971, Pinkham found himself back at Lincoln Academy, this time as a teacher. He began coaching the girls basketball team in 1982, leading the team to state championship win.
Elizabeth “Biz” Williamson, a senior starter on the 1982 team, said she knew of Pinkham growing up, but she didn’t officially meet him until he started coaching her team at Lincoln Academy. She recalled that he was a laid back, knowledgeable, and supportive coach.
“I really look back at it as he really provided the freedom and coaching for us to grow and win a championship,” she said. “When you look back at it, that’s not necessarily easy, so I think there was a lot with the way he coached, especially with a group of seniors and starters, that, in their own right, were very, very motivated.”
While Williamson said she saw Pinkham and his wife a few times a year since graduating, she and her teammates were lucky to have seen him this past summer and this fall at Lincoln Academy’s homecoming, as some hadn’t seen him since they graduated from the school.
“One of the things we always think about as a team are how fortunate we were to have Dan (Pinkham) and (coach) Walt (White),” she said. “It was great playing for a coach that allowed us to grow together, and to accomplish what we did.”
Philip Page, assistant athletic director at LA, coached alongside Pinkham in the 1980s – Page coached varsity boys basketball, while Pinkham coached varsity girls. The pair and their teams would often travel to games together, said Page.
“The 1980s was a very successful time in the sports history of Lincoln Academy,” said Page. “There were some very colorful coaches, and Dan Pinkham was of one them.”
Page said the teachers were a very “tight-knit” group back in the day, and that he and Pinkham grew quite close. He recalled practices and long bus rides to and from games, noting that Pinkham “had what it takes to win a basketball game.”
“It was an honor to work with him,” said Page. “Many great memories.”
Pinkham was inducted into the Lincoln Academy Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. The 1982 LA girls basketball team was inducted into the Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame.
Pinkham later led the 1996 team to be the Class B runner-up and his teams won three Mid-Maine Conference championships and four Class B Good Sportsmanship Awards. He retired with a career record of 240-108.
“Dan Pinkham touched the lives of hundreds of Lincoln Academy students in his roles as teacher and coach,” said Lincoln Academy Communications Director Jenny Mayher. “His legacy lives on through his children, grandchildren, and other family members who remain a part of the Lincoln Academy community as students, staff, and coaches.”
Following his retirement, Pinkham began working with his son, Jon, in construction.
Jon Pinkham said while he never had his father as a teacher, he and his brothers were on their best behavior at school, because they knew their father was always around the corner.
“We respected him as a father, and we knew if we did anything wrong we’d get a talking to,” said Jon Pinkham.
In the early 2000s, Jon and his brother, Josh, had been volunteering with Damariscotta’s Massasoit Engine Co. for a few years. Jon Pinkham recalled bringing his father with him to work, but often leaving him at the job site to respond to emergency calls with the Damariscotta Fire Department.
“That didn’t make sense,” Jon Pinkham said. “So he said, ‘To heck with it, I might as well join.’”
Dan Pinkham joined the Damariscotta Massasoit Engine Co. in 2005, according to Damariscotta Fire Chief John Roberts.
He volunteered alongside his sons and was often recognized for responding to the most calls in a given year, even when he would take a six-week vacation to Hawaii, said Jon Pinkham.
“Normally, the kids follow the father’s footsteps in something like that, but he followed us,” said Jon Pinkham.
Roberts said Dan Pinkham had a gentle demeanor about him, and that he was a “pretty incredible” person. A 1999 Lincoln Academy graduate, Roberts had Pinkham as a biology and forestry teacher.
“I always really respected him as a teacher … Later on in life, it was nice to work with him in a different way and work together to help protect the community,” Roberts said. “Thinking about it, it almost makes a nice, natural progression. He helped educate the community, and then he went on to help protect the community later.”
Jon Pinkham said his father was always a firm believer that “if you’re going to do something, do it right and be committed to it.” He said he and his family are feeling thankful that they live so close to his parents’ house, as Dan Pinkham would often drop by to visit with his grandkids.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, Dec. 22 from 1-3 p.m. at Hall Funeral Home, at 949 Main St. in Waldoboro. Jon Pinkham said the family will likely hold a celebration of life in the summer.
