JEREMY PINKERTON, 1987-2010: His generosity lives on

In his last act of generosity, Jeremy Pinkerton, 22, donated his heart, lungs, liver and a kidney to patients in need throughout the Mid-Atlantic, saving four lives. Those who knew him said for Pinkerton, that was par for the course.

Pinkerton, a senior computer science major, died after a tractor trailer crashed into his car. He was taken to the University of Virginia Hospital after the collision, but family members said doctors told them his head injuries were too severe. After three days in the hospital, Pinkerton died Aug. 15.

"Most people would say he has a smile that could light up a room," his mother, JoAnn Pinkerton, said. "But he also had a big heart and was warm and generous. When we were in the ICU, all his family and friends, we like to say that he left a Jeremy-size hole in our hearts."

On Aug. 12, Pinkerton was driving along Route 66, just east of Front Royal, Va., on his way to Capon Springs, W.Va., for a family vacation, when a massive rainstorm materialized, family members said.

His blue Nissan Xterra hydroplaned and skidded across the highway median before an oncoming tractor trailer crashed into it on the passenger side. Emergency responders airlifted Pinkerton to Winchester Medical Center, where he was stabilized. The next day, he was moved to UVA Hospital.

Family and friends gathered around Pinkerton's room in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit to pray for his recovery, but the Charlottesville, Va., native died there three days later.

Pinkerton was scheduled to graduate in December and was an active member of the university's sailing team. Raised in a family of boaters, Pinkerton felt at home on the water.

"He was always up for fun," university graduate Abby Turner, one of Pinkerton's close friends and teammates, said. "The first time we went out sailing he said he'd been on boats before. But it slowly became clear that he didn't know what he was doing. But he just really tried hard and was just really proactive about getting better. "

Transferring after his freshman year from Longwood University in Virginia, Pinkerton adjusted well to a new school.

"He seemed to take off and do well socially and pretty well academically," said Brandi Adams, one of Pinkerton's advisers in the computer sciences college. "I think he was really bright, very hard-working, and he seemed to be a very good collaborative worker. When it was time for students to study, he would rally people and make sure they learned the material. He was definitely not one of those students who was out for himself."

Friends and family were quick to recall memories of Pinkerton's love of adventure and mischievous pranks. On an April Fool's Day morning when Pinkerton was in elementary school, he and his family arrived at church to find no one there. Jeremy had set the family's clocks and alarms back an hour.

"He had managed to keep a straight face the entire time, and we bought it," said JoAnn Pinkerton.

She said laughter tended to outweigh the tears as family and friends in the ICU shared memories. The sailing team was there as well, rushing to Charlottesville after hearing the news.

"That was a rough time for everyone involved," sailing team Commodore Andrew Rybczynski said. "I know we would have been definitely worse off if we didn't get to say goodbye."

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