Robert Howe Pinckney IV

Robert Howe Pinckney IV, age 66, passed away on February 20, 2025, in Charleston, SC, from esophageal cancer. Known as Bob to most and Bobby in his younger years, he was born on Christmas Day in 1958 to Robert Howe Pinckney III and Kathleen Ethridge Weldon Pinckney of Jackson, Georgia.

Bob grew up in a loving home alongside his three siblings, enjoying a childhood filled with backyard baseball games, neighborhood bike rides, and summer swims with cousins in his grandparents’ farm pond. A devoted member of 4-H, he developed leadership skills and an adventurous spirit that would shape his life. He graduated with honors from Jackson High School in 1977 and the University of Georgia in 1982, where he was inducted into multiple honor societies, including Phi Kappa Phi, Blue Key, Gridiron, and ODK, and served as president of Mortarboard. He attended Harvard Business School, graduating with an MBA in 1986.

Summers during college were spent as a 4-H camp counselor at Camp Fortson and Rock Eagle 4-H Center, where he earned his cherished title, “Chief Bobby.”

Bob’s fascination with how businesses work began at age 12 during a 4-H field trip to a telecommunications facility. He was captivated by the inner workings of the industry. At 16, he built a laser from scratch for a state-winning 4-H electronics project. His curiosity and ingenuity allowed him to gain valuable experience with Southern Bell and the John Portman Companies before embarking on a career as a serial entrepreneur. He connected U.S. investors with opportunities in Mexico and played a pivotal role in US ventures such as Network Telco in Houston and Evoshield in Athens, Georgia.

The capstone of Bob’s professional work began ten years ago when he was invited to teach a one-semester class in the emerging academic field of entrepreneurship at the University of Georgia. The class proved the power of “practicing entrepreneurs growing promising entrepreneurs”, and within months UGA established a university-wide certificate program in Entrepreneurship. It was housed within the Terry College of Business, but open to students of any major, with Bob named as the director of the program. Bob fostered an ecosystem of innovation, bringing in coaches, mentors, and donors from all types of businesses, established two national pitch competitions, raised the program’s national profile, built an angel investment network, and grew enrollment significantly. Today, the UGA Entrepreneurship Program has one of the highest enrollments of any program on campus, and includes students from every college at the University, a point of which Bob was particularly proud.

Yet, above all his achievements, Bob was most proud of his two sons, Robert Howe Pinckney V of New York City and Maxwell Patrick Pinckney of Athens and Charleston. They were the light of his life. He was always there for them and instilled in them the values of hard work, bravery, resilience, and adventure. His legacy will live on through them and the impact they will make in the world.

Robert Howe Pinckney IV is survived by his sons, Bobby and Max, his wife Elizabeth Bradham Pinckney of Charleston, SC, a brother Ed Pinckney (Nancy) of Cincinnati, OH, sisters Kay Pinckney of Peachtree City, GA, and Ellen Pinckney Balthazar (Jim) of Austin, TX, an uncle, Alfred Gaillard Pinckney (Julianna) of Charleston, SC, as well as numerous cherished cousins, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. 

The family would like to thank the marvelously skilled teams at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) for the outstanding care Bob received over his final six weeks.

A funeral service will be held at St. Philip’s Church, 142 Church Street, Charleston SC on Thursday, February 27, at 2:00 pm. A Celebration of Life will be held at the Jackson United Methodist Church, 409 East Third Street, Jackson, Georgia, at 3:00 pm on Saturday, March 1, with visitation at the church from 2:00-3:00. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Robert and Kathleen Pinckney Memorial Scholarship through the Georgia Master 4-H Club, c/o Jim Davis, P.O.Box 1891, Statesboro, GA 30459, or to a charity of your choice.