Dr. Forrest Joy Pinkerton (1892-1974)

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First the Hospital, Then The Army

Dr. F.E. Pinkerton left the Laporte hospital Monday after several days detention. The doctor became infected by contact with pus during an operation and the poison refused to yield to local treatment, the doctor continuing about his active practice. his condition grew worse, his temperature rose to 104 and one day at Laporte he became unconscious and was taken to the hospital. He attributes his inability to throw off the infection promptly to the fact that his system was considerably run down through overwork.

Dr. Pinkerton has been advised that he was one of six who were successful in their examination for admission to the medical service of the U.S., and he will receive the rank of first lieutenant in the service. There were 76 in the class taking the examination, and the success of Dr. Pinkerton is conplimentary to his grasp of the principles of medicine and surgery. The test was before the U.S. Medical Board at Chicago two months ago, Dr. Stephenson, Chief examiner of the U.S. Army was in charge. Dr. Pinkerton has been notified that he ranked high in the examination and he will receive his commission in due time.--Westville Indicator.

It is now First Lieutenant Forrest Joy Pinkerton, Medical Section Officers Reserve Corps. He still answers to the name of Doc and Pink, etc., but all this is now out of order, he having received his commission from the President of the United States last week. The commission is countersigned by Secretary of War Baker and Adjutant General H.P. McCain, and it dates March 24. Dr. Pinkerton was asked to make known his wishes as to the field of activity he preferred and he will choose an interior hospital out of reach of the missles of war. Orders to report for duty are now in order, though he is not looking for an immediate assignment. A salary of $2,000 is attached to the position, with expenses, including a house and servant.--Westville, (Ind.) Indicator.

Somewhere in Hawaii

Mr. and Mrs. Cass Pinkerton have received the following letter from their son, Dr. Forrest, who is in the medical corps of the army:

June 16, 1917:

Dear Folks:

Well, when I last wrote you I was in a bustle to see land, and we had just arrived within sight of the mountain line, which was seen by one of the ship's officers. Well, we did not arrive until the next day, my mistake being due to my ignorance of our going around the island and approaching it from the southeast.

NOW MY DIARY

June 9 '17

Up at 6, shower, bath, salt water. Feeling fine, sea quiet and a very fine rest over night. Had dance on salon deck last night. Made a complete inspection of the ship this a.m. Had a boxing and wrestling match, quite an entertainment, something doing all the time. Passed steamship transport Sherman at 8 p.m. Beautiful sight across the water with its bright lights and many colored lights. Saw equatorial star in the south, beautiful many colored affair. The sunset is simply wonderful, with a perfect mass of playing splendor. It is now 11:30 and the moon is shining most wonderfully. It is getting warmer each day, and we will be wearing white linen.

June 10 '17

Up at 6. Just sighted Jap steamer Korea. Have been watching it with field glasses, and when you only see those on your own boat, you will long and patiently look across the broad expanse to see something that looks to be alive. It is then you begin to realize how big a thing the old ocean is, and how great an adventure you are taking. We had a fine drill here, and they instructed us how to get into life preservers.

June 11 '17

Had a heavy strom last night, It did no damage, but it made me wonder how much worse it would have to be to wreck us. Had information for first time that we are not armed, but there is a U.S. patrol ahead of us and one behind, so we are very safe. There is a gang of men on board who are fixing a base for guns, and as soon as it reaches Manila, it will be armed.

June 12 '17

Fine day today. Inspected every soldier on board. Have every disease you can imagine, and the hospital is full and under quarentine.

The boys are singing and playing on the various musical instruments, and Capt. Pyle says let them have a good time for this may be the last time they will have. You see I have charge of 250 of them, so we have plenty to do to keep them amused.

This is all of my diary for I have been so busy that I will depend on my memory to tell you the rest. I know all I write had been of interest to me, and I hope it will also be of interest to you.

Well, we are in Hawaii, and I am glad the trip is over. Still everything has been so wonderful and different that it seems like one long dream, and when I go to bed at night I waken in the a.m., wondering what garden and whose it is, that I am in. With the ability of an artist, you can not imagine how beautiful a place this is.

When you walk out of the transport docks you see all kinds of people, conveyances, etc. When we approached town the Hawaiian boys swam out in the harbor, and dived down in the deep water after pennies and money that we threw into the water. It is wonderful how they do it. We immediately went to headquarters and reported, and then went around town and looked it over. Saw the parks and as you walk along the old palaces, you see here a beautiful flower, then a beautiful palm, there a banana tree, there a coconut tree, and all around you flowers and green grass, and off in the distance you see the mountains with the clouds lying right down into the canyons and so green that it is unbelieveable. We bought a few supplies and then took a 2:40 train for the barracks, the largest training camp for soldiers in the world. Here is one entire division of the U.S. army. It is so much more beautiful than Honolulu, that I won't attempt to even explain or discuss. On the way out here we rode on my first narrow gauge railway, and here we saw a beautiful field of the most wonderful pineapples that just melt in your mouth without sugar, and over there you see rice with the natives in the native costumes busy cutting and binding it in the old fashioined way. Then here again you see a grove of coconuts, all in various stages of ripening. Then again you see the guava tree, with its yellow lemon-like fruit, out of which is made the most delicious jelly and jam.

Over the hills and valleys is one mass of splendor and as we go in and out around and under the mountains, up, up, up, all the way from Honolulu to the barracks, which is 2180 feet up, while Honolulu is at sea level and very humid and damp. Now we approach the barracks and off in the distance at the foot of the highest mountain in Hawaii you see a city of tents and government buildings. Here artillery, there infantry, there cavalry and machine guns, officers quarters and barracks, American flags and brass bands, automobiles, stables, commusary, quartermaster, hospitals, and finally the generals' quarters by itself. Set aside some distance is the prison for German soldiers, who were taken here from the many boats surrounding the U.S. possessions, and every place you look out on the farms you see prisoners with guards at their heels. Then in still another direction you see the guard house, where disobedient American boys are sent, and they are marched out each day and mow the grass and sprinkle plants and everything like that.

This is a city, and when it was begun it was laid out properly, so you see perfect avenues, private lanes, and every foot of this city is in grass and flowers excepting for the gravel roads and sidewalks. You can hardly imagine how beautiful this is, unless you imagine yourself in Lincoln Park, and here and there a cute little house, all surrounded with flowers and grass and not a bare spot in it.

We were assigned to various parts of the barracks. Lieut. Coleman, of New Philadelphia, Ohio, and myself, being assigned to the same quarters. We have a cute little house to ourselves, two bed rooms, parlor and dining room, with two bath rooms, one for us and one for the servants in the rear. The servants also have their own rooms in the rear. Then we have a private garage back of the house on the alley. As soon as we can we are going to begin eating here, but at present, until we get lined up, we are eating at the officers mess and club.

The first night here we stayed with Capt. Watson, who was exceedingly kind to us. He is directly in charge of ear, nose, throat, and owing to so much work I am to take care of the eye department. Also I am assigned to the personal family care of all officers of the 32nd Infantry. You see most of the officers here have their families with them, and you can see it would take a small army of men to command and control 19,000 men, besides prisoners, etc.

This is the rainy season here. Every day a little shower and immediately after the sun shines and everything is lovely. We do not have a bit of unpleasant heat. It is real warm in the day time, but at night it is fine to sleep. Of course, the houses are not heavy and papered for winter for it has never been less than 70 degrees here, so sleeping in these houses is like being on the porch. There is not a snake on the island, but there are plenty of centipedes, though not as poisonous as those of America, still when they bite, they say one is pretty sick. They have large spiders here, just like a tarantula, and people say they are harmless. They are necessary because they destroy insects and cockroaches, which we find in abundance.

Well, I will close now. Hope you are all well. I am fine.

FORREST PINKERTON.

The following letter has been received by Mr. and Mrs. Cass Pinkerton from their son, Dr. Forrest, and they have kindly allowed us to publish it:

August 14, 1917

To the Folks at Home:

The hour is five-thirty, and the band is playing the Star-Spangled Banner and the smoke is just clearing away, after the cannon fire detonating the hour. I am just in, after several hours of intensive training, doing my best to tell the boys how to keep a trench clean, thus doing their best in preventing that additional horror of war-contagion, and infection which statistics show to contribute to the great toll of wars disaster. Well, in reference to the above remarks, I can say that I know personally, that this division of the U.S.A. army is a pretty clean bunch of men, and they certainly have responded well to this course of trenching and etc. that all recruits are subjected to. Some regiments get out at four in the morning and do range and rifle training and are expert in their ability to handle weapons of defence. Modern methods of warfare are widely varied, and so extensive that only the best boys we have can make the best soldiers, as far as general training goes. So that simply means that a soldier is pretty well qualified to be transferred to any department wherein his duty is the handling of fire arms and like instruments. That means that they get a pretty good general knowledge of all the methods of warfare, but more particularly their own.

I received your letter today, via Transport Logan. You will smile when I tell you that I keep pretty close watch of all ships, and know long before how many bags of mail are headed this way, and whether they are first class and etc. Special orders have been coming this way at a great rate recently, taking some of our best officers, and all the high ranking men. So that now the Post is under the direct command of the lower ranking officers. This applys to the medical department as well as the line.

A great deal is demanded of the medical department in the service as well as you find in civil life. They expect a medical officer to be familiar with the line, with the executive part of his own department, and they have no time for a man who does not succeed professionally. No movements are made without the co-operation of the medical department. I find this to be true here as well as in the States and in Chicago especially the National guard.

All of our regiments are up to war strength now, having received about a thousand new men to form what is called additional units. The regulars with us, combined with the Hawaiian National Guard, and the one they are forming with the draft subjects, make this a well protected point. It is a very certain conjecture that there will be a radical change made here in a short time. But you never can tell, so what is the use to worry. It will end up for the best in a short time. That thought seems to be one of encouragement for the boys here.

In the many letters I have received since landing here, I read often, inquires kindly asking me if I need anything in the way of clothing, food and the other thousand and one things that we have at home, but not here. And in reply to those inquires I want to say that you are not aware of the appreciation we boys have for those kindnesses, and that we are very comfortable and need nothing, only the assurance that we will soon be given an opportunity to step in and do our part to put an end to this awful uncertainty. By being uncertain, I mean ignorance of the time that we will get orders to mobilize to France. As far as success ultimately, there is not a doubt.

I read with great pleasure the names of several men whom I know to be in sympathy with Germany, included in the draft, and I wonder with much concern how they will conduct themselves. That applies to some of the names that I have read among the home papers, but of course according to their own words they don't want to fight. They want Germany to win. We have many of them here and hardly a day that the Court Martial does not send them up for a number of years and in consequence thereof, our roads are in pretty good condition, for every one works here--father included. Our lawns are in perfect condition at all times, and for that we at times must thank the Germans, because they were careless with their tongue as well as their actions.

I am still pretty busy at the hospital of course doing more work than I did at first, simply because I have a greater capacity for it, and besides a person can do better work at his own hospital than he can at a strange place. With all the new men there is a great increase in the work. Twelve additional officers arrived here today, that means that we may get a little relief, but perhaps not, since they are going to send some of the men to Hilo over at the Volcano, on duty there.

I am enclosing a picture of myself in the regulation white dress uniform that we officers wear. Here is the place where one man can not possibly wear better clothes than the other. We all buy the best grade of khaki and have our clothes made and the white is only one grade. I think you will agree with me that the uniform is a very neat one, and just the thing for us at this time. This is no time for gold cord and etc. that goes to make up the officers full dress clothes.

I have been around over the island considerably since I have gotten the car, and it helps to while away the few hours I have when not on duty. And besides, there is so much to see, that I am making the best of my opportunity to see as much of this wonderful place as my time will permit. Traveling here would never bore the most indifferent person for the beauty is so wonderful that Hawaii is truly the garden spot of the world. The wonderful trees and flowers, with the ideal climate makes it so desirable that I doubt if I will ever want to leave here. So you see in spite of my feeling home sick now and then I feel that my lot could not be better. And I tell you the time just oozes away.

Enteretainment is plentiful here, for at so large a post, nothing has been left undone. Golf, tennis, fishing, bathing and etc abound in every portion of the island and the twenty-fifth base ball team are the champions of the Western League, as we call it here. I have had many pleasant outings at Waikiki Beach, and as you know, it is wonderful. You can walk out into the ocean a mile before you come to deep water and there is absolutely no undertow and very few breakers in this part. But if you want to see the surf riders you walk or swim out to the coral reef and stand on it and watch them come in on their surf boards. I am sending a picture that will show what surf riding is. You will not get the real exact impression as these pictures were not taken under ideal conditions.

I am writing this letter and keeping time with the twenty-fifth band, which plays in front of our house every evening at dinner time. So we have music with our meals, along with other pleasure and entertainments.

Was ordered out to artillery maneuver and the cavalry camp down at beautiful Haliewa on the Pacific. They used the Pacific ocean as a target field and the way they made the water boil was interesting. To give you an idea of the size of the guns, will explain, that we have them here fifty feet long which shoot a shell five thousand yards and at that distance penetrates steel armor twenty-one inches thick. And as I have said before, when they have target practice, they publish the fact, so the housewives around can raise all their windows and paste paper over the glass to prevent their being broken by the vibration and concussion.

I received the Lowell Tribune today and was happy as usual to get it. The paper tells me things that you do not, and I know just where to look to find what I want. Nothing in the world quite as welcome as the home paper and the letters from home.

You would get plenty of amusement at my expense, if you were here to see me command an ambulance company. Every morning before my work at the hospital, I take the one ambulance company out for drill. Everything would be lovely until I forgot a command, and then things go wrong. It is more difficult to handle them than it would be to manage the line men, for there are many more commands for execution with the ambulance company. It looks easy to a person until you are called on to do the honors, and you can imagine my humiliation, when I had them headed for the Colonel's fine hedge, and as usual forgot the proper command to get them headed in another direction. All I can add to this last remark is that you ought to see the hedge. Ha! Ha!

I am sending under a separate cover a few stones and if I can get what I want will send you some coral, and shells that I picked out myself. Nothing rare about them, but they came from here and I sent them. Just plain stones. I wish that I might be able to send you some of the rare fruits that abound here. I am sure you would like them after trying bravely to eat them for two weeks. Two weeks was the time required for myself and some people here have required more. The alligator pear is very fine, being similar to your pear, only in shape, and tasting like an unripe muskmelon. But then I think all these fruits taste that way until I have learned to like them.

Well, I am alone this evening, Dr. Coleman having reported to the hospital for twenty-four hours as officer of the day. I came off that dutry this morning at nine o'clock. In that time I had five ambulance calls and all kinds of outside work, that with my regular work ran me till late at night to finish.

In closing, I hope you are all enjoying the best of health and are happy. I am perfectly well, having lost about twenty-five pounds of that which we consider useless to a soldier. That perhaps explains why I am so well and why I enjoy these Hawaiian fruits. They say a hungry man will eat anything once and if it does no damage and he likes it, will go back for more.

A letter now and then looks good here and do not expect an answer to all of them either.

As ever
Forrest

A very enjoyable Christmas dinner was served at the home of Mr. and Mrs. James Pinkerton in Shelby Tuesday. There were about twenty-five of their children and grand-children present and a most enjoyable day was spent by all. Real Hawaiian coffee was served. This was the gift sent by their grandson, Lieut. F.J. Pinkerton, who is serving his country in Hawaii.

ABOUT ONE LOWELL MAN FROM ANOTHER

We have received a letter from Robert Fuller, who is now at Compton, Calif., which is self-explanatory and which is as follows:

Lowell Tribune
Lowell, Indiana
Gentlemen:

You have published articles about the fine work of Dr. Forrest J. Pinkerton and what he has done for the Blood Bank. I would like to send you a portion of the script of a radio program that was sponsored by the Los Angeles Bar Association in cooperation with the Los Angeles City Defense Council and Citizens Defense Corps, broadcast over station KFAC in Los Angeles, Monday, Feb. 8, 1943, at 7:30-7:45 p.m.

I wrote to KFAC and they in return sent me the complete script of the program telling of his fine work in Honolulu. The following is taken from the script immediately after a discussion on the Blood Bank and Plasma:

"Tell us -- when was the discovery first used by our armed forces?

"December 7th at Pearl Harbor -- thanks to the foresight of Dr. Forrest Pinkerton, who had been so impressed with the possibilities of plasma that he had enough quantities on hand to care for 700 cases on that day.

"Do you mean that this Dr. Pinkerton did this all on his own?

"Not exactly -- but he made such a nuisance of himself that the merchants finally helped raise a fund, to which he was one of the largest contributors, but it was his own idea and energy that was responsible.

"Fate! The right man at the right place, at the right time.

"Yes -- I guess that's right -- but he not only had the foresight to see a need for this in the Islands, he foresaw the possibility of a bombing and had the plasma stored in ten different places in order to protect it as much as possible."

I think we can all be very proud of Dr. Pinkerton and praise him for his fine work.

Sincerely,
R. D. Fuller

Dr. Forrest J. Pinkerton of Honolulu, Hawaii, his daughter, Mrs. Joy Lucas of California and son David of Culver have been visiting his mother, Mrs. C.D. Pinkerton, and other relatives here. He attended the graduation exercises at Culver Military Academy last Tuesday, where David was a student the past year. Accompanied by his son and daughter, Dr. Pinkerton left for a short vacation in Montana before returning to Honolulu. He reported that Dr. Ogden Pinkerton, his brother, who is stationed in the islands, is well and hoping to get home for a visit soon.

DR. F.J. PINKERTON NARRATOR ON PROGRAM

Dr. F.J. Pinkerton, of Honolulu, T.H., former Lowell resident, appeared on a Shrine radio program in that city recetly as narrator, according to the following clipping from the Honolulu Advertiser sent to Dr. J.A. Dinwiddie by his son, Maj. G.A. Dinwiddie, of Honolulu.

"A tour of the Shriners' hospital for crippled Children on Punahou St. will highlight a special Shrine radio program from KGMB at 5 Sunday afternoon as a preface to the big Shrine benefit football game at the Honolulu Stadium on Dec. 7 between the University of Hawaii and the University of Nevada.

" Dr. F.J. Pinkerton, past potentate of Aloha Temple, and chairman of the Shrine football committee, will be the narrator. A feature of the program will be singing in the main ward. Various departments will be visited, and the staff members will be introduced by Dr. Pinkerton and will explain their duties."

Dr. Forrest Pinkerton of Honolulu visited his mother, Mrs. Minnie Pinkerton, last week. Dr. Pinkerton flew here to attend the American Medical Association Convention in Chicago. The trip from Honolulu to Chicago via plane was made in only 17 hours.

Forrest J. Pinkerton, age 82 years, died December 29, 1974 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

He was born in Lowell, the son of Cass and Minnie Trump Pinkerton, and attended the local schools, graduating from Lowell High School. He then attended Rush Medical School in Chicago.

After graduation from Medical School he opened his first office in Wanatah, Ind., where he practiced medicine until the outbreak of World War I.

He was sent to Hawaii, as a Lieutenant in the Army Medical Corp.

After the war he opened an office for private practice in Honolulu and became one of Hawaii's best known Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat specialists.

His brother Ogden, also a physician, joined his brother in practice there, where he is still an active physician.

Dr. Forrest Pinkerton was the founder of Hawaii's Blood Bank, the first in the nation. This was before Pearl Harbor. He was a director there for many years.

In 1928 he organized the Pan-Pacific Surgical Association. He served as secretary-treasurer from 1928-1948, when he became president. Later, he became secretary-general and from 1951-1963 was director-general.

He continued his medical studies doing post graduate work in New York, Chicago, Boston, New Orleans and Vienna.

Dr. Pinkerton was Chief of Staff of the Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Division of Queen Hospital in Honolulu, staff member of Kaukini St. Francis Hospital and the Shriners Children's Hospital, and also a consultant for Tripler and Hawaii State Hospital.

He retired from active practice in 1964.

He received personal citations from Presidents Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Johnson and Nixon.

Survivors are his wife Florie, two sons, Robert of California and David of Portland, Ore.; four grandchildren; two brothers, Dr. Ogden Pinkerton of Honolulu and Atty. Cordell Pinkerton of Hammond; two sisters, Miss Leoti Pinkerton of Lowell and Mrs. Delta (James) Bales of Lutz, Fla. A daughter, Joy, passed away two years ago and a son James, was killed in World War II.

Private funeral services were held December 31, 1974 at St. Clements Episcopal Church in Honolulu, where he was a long time member.