Recently we lost someone who many knew as one of our very finest. Robert S. Trinkle, noted lawyer, community servant, and world traveler, passed away September 20, 2024, at the age of 90.
It was an honor knowing Robert some 50+ years. As a term of endearment, which certainly fit him well, he was “a Gentleman and Scholar.”
Robert Trinkle was a man of deep faith who loved and cared for his family, friends, and community. Much respected for his excellent skills as an attorney, he also was one who insisted on finding time to help others and causes that he found to be both just and honorable.
It was his name listed first on the shingle of the law firm where I started work as an attorney. Still to this day, the firm carries proudly the moniker of Trinkle Redman; and it is where he essentially shunned retirement, and continued onward until just a few months ago, dispensing advice and serving as “Of Counsel.”
Robert “loved the law,” as we sometimes say about attorneys devoted to the practice. He said he seemed destined to be a lawyer since both his father and older brother were already. “So I determined that I might as well learn to like it,” he chuckled, knowing that it was both true and that he liked it nonetheless.
He worked first with his father when the firm name was Trinkle Moody. As years passed, the name changed with other lawyers joining, later settling into Trinkle Redman. A fine reputation it gained for legal counsel, all while producing public servants and elected officials including Judges, legislators, commissioners, and a Mayor, with Robert, the ever-constant captain at the helm.
Somehow, as a “young man” (which is how he always referred to me) I convinced both Robert and one of his partners, Jim Redman, to promise me a job starting when I graduated from law school. That was enough for me to get a loan to pay for tuition.
A year before I finished, I asked Robert, out of respect, for advice on what courses I should take. He laughed quietly, smiled, and simply said I should just sign up for whatever interested me. It made no difference, he said, since they would just straighten me out when I got started.
Later, to his surprise, I came home as the only Plant City attorney with a course specialty in admiralty and maritime law, and an understanding of piracy of the sea! Some may not have shared Robert’s response, but he was delighted and thought it was terrific.
Silly as perhaps it was, it perfectly describes Robert Trinkle. He simply loved learning! To him, it made no matter what the subject was; anything you learned, only made you smarter!
Never did he stop learning, either! Just weeks ago, during our last visit, he was devouring several newspapers on his iPad. Regardless of the subject, Robert knew lots about it and was eager to learn more. He was current on news, world affairs, and sports, and as a season ticket holder from the very beginning, always ready to rant about the Bucs.
It’s not hyperbole referring to Robert as a lifelong learner. He always was, says his family and friends. One Plant City High School classmate, longtime community leader, and personality, Al Berry, once said about Robert, “That man, he had a brain! He could remember anything. He had a brain that couldn’t wait!”
Yes, learning couldn’t wait for Robert, nor would it stop. Consider continuing education, which all attorneys do, but most get by with local courses and meetings. For Robert, though, his brain tugged him to combine education with travel (another lifelong passion) and study in summer seminars at Oxford University in England.
Yes, of course, he would study the beginnings and fundamentals of our legal system in the heart of where it all began. While there, though, Robert decided to also delve into biblical archeology and review the Dead Sea Scrolls and other biblical era texts, and do so in their original language!
No matter his pursuits in life, Robert was a man of focus. Mind you, it was not just aimed at his profession, but life itself as exhibited by his insatiable love for travel. Europe and Africa always intrigued him. Yet so, too, did athletics, which he equally excelled in.
Much to his amusement, I think I never beat Robert in a tennis match, not even a set! Then, too, there was football, for which he not only was a fan as previously noted, but it provided him, as a player, an opportunity to use that same skill of focus and determination.
Rarely for example, did he regale anyone with the story of his interception against Plant High School which ultimately led to the victory by Plant City. Proud he was, though, that as Co-Captain it led our Planters to win the Southwestern Conference championship!
Determined, demure, dignified, humble, stoic. We’ll all surely miss him. Truly, Robert Trinkle was a “Gentleman and Scholar.”
Just a few out of many worth noting:
Indiana University, B.S
University of Michigan Law School, J.D.
Board of Trustees, Florida Southern College
Board of Directors, South Florida Baptist Hospital
Board of Trustees, St. Joseph’s Baptist Healthcare
President, Florida Strawberry Festival
Plant City Citizen of the Year