Bill Hinkley

I was honored to be able to help draft and deliver a resolution honoring Bill Hinkley yesterday at a memorial event held in his honor. It was a great gathering with wonderful music and an outpouring of community. Clearly he was well loved by many.

Here is the resolution the Council Passed in Honor of his Life:

Resolution Honoring the Life of Bill Hinkley

By Gordon, Reich, Hofstede, Johnson, Samuels, Lilligren, Goodman, Glidden, Schiff, Tuthill, Quincy, Colvin Roy and Hodges.

Whereas, Bill Hinkley was an invaluable cultural asset of the State of Minnesota, the City of Minneapolis and the world; and,

Whereas, for four decades Bill Hinkley personified the rich musical spirit and culture of the West Bank; and,

Whereas, Bill Hinkley shared his talent and passion for music with thousands and thousands of people in the Twin Cities area; and,

Whereas, Bill Hinkley and his longtime partner Judy Larson were the first musicians featured on A Prairie Home Companion in the opening days of that iconic Minnesota radio show; and,
Whereas, Bill Hinkley was the longest tenured and most beloved teacher of fiddle and mandolin music in the history of West Bank School of Music, teaching generations of students to play a variety of musical instruments and sharing his wealth of musical knowledge with students young and old without ever becoming pedantic; and,

Whereas, Bill Hinkley always made time for young musicians, whether mentoring, encouraging, giving a tip or showing a chord, with patience, grace and charm; and,

Whereas, Bill Hinkley exuded the joy of non-pretentious and soulful music making, and by example and direct communication encouraged the talents of others; and,

Whereas, Bill Hinkley was a Founding Father of the annual Minneapolis Battle of the Jug Bands; and,

Whereas, Bill Hinkley was respected by every musician he ever met, obscure or celebrated, regardless of the culture that musician came from or represented, for his command of the guitar, fiddle and mandolin; and,

Whereas, Bill Hinkley cheerfully lived most of his life in a state of genteel poverty; and,

Whereas, Bill Hinkley maintained an unshakeable patriotism though he was often troubled by his beloved country's leadership; and,

Whereas, Bill Hinkley mastered the basic styles and repertoires of this country (Blues, Ragtime, Old Time, Jug Band, Bluegrass, Hot Jazz, Cool Jazz) as well as the styles and repertoires of many other countries; and,

Whereas, Bill Hinkley was an outstanding example of living by the Golden Rule, prior to and apart from being a professional musician, who enjoyed his position within his community without ever once taking advantage of it; and,

Whereas, Bill Hinkley passed away on Tuesday, May 25, 2010; and,

Whereas, since the Facebook page “Friends of Bill Hinkley and Judy Larson” was created on May 21, more than 550 members have joined and hundreds of people have shared stories of how Bill touched their lives; and,

Whereas Bill Hinkley maintained a teacherly demeanor until the day of his death and even beyond it by donating his body to the U of M Medical School; and,

Whereas, Bill’s friends and family have organized a Memorial Celebration of the life of Bill Hinkley on Wednesday, July 7th at 5:00PM at the Nicollet Island Pavilion in Minneapolis,

Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved by the City Council of the City of Minneapolis

That the City of Minneapolis honors Bill Hinkley for a lifetime of sharing and teaching music in Minneapolis.