Attorney was longest-serving trustee in Central State University history

August 27, 1935 — March 2, 2026

 

Betty K. Pinkney, prominent attorney and civic leader, passed away quietly at home on March 2, 2026.

Born on August 27,1935 in Cleveland, Ohio, she  was the seventh of eight children born to Naomi Inez and Emmett Maceo Butts. She was raised in the Kinsman neighborhood and attended St. John AME Church as a child.

Betty grew up in a fun-loving, close-knit family. She cherished holidays and special occasions with her family and loved working with her siblings to host the Butts Family Picnic each year, which always included friends.

Betty graduated from Cleveland’s Central High School at age 16 and entered Central State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work. She served as Chair of the Board of Trustees longer than any person in Central State’s history. The University awarded her an honorary doctorate for her long service. 

Betty earned her Master of Education from Case Western Reserve University and later earned a Juris Doctor degree at Cleveland State John Marshall College of Law and a PhD in Public Affairs at the Cleveland State University Levin College of Urban Affairs. She did all this while being a devoted wife, mother and full-time professional.

In 1957 Betty married her life partner and best friend, photographer and artist Charles J. Pinkney.

Beginning her professional life as a social worker and special education teacher, Betty later worked for the Cleveland Public School System as an elementary school teacher. Throughout her life, people stopped to remind her that she had been their teacher and how she had influenced them. Betty continued to work for the school system as an attorney and played a pivotal role in the desegregation of the Cleveland Public Schools under the order of Judge Frank J. Battisti. Her work helped advance fairness and opportunity for countless students.

Her civic work didn’t end there. Having joined Delta Sigma Theta while an undergrad, Betty was tireless in supporting the sorority’s work, especially in the realm of political and social empowerment.

During her legal career Betty worked for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the law offices of Carl Character, the law offices of LaVerne Boyd and she was the lead litigator for the East Ohio Gas Company. Betty was a member of various Boards of Trustees such as the Cleveland Natural History Museum and the College of Podiatry.  She was selected by Leadership Cleveland and was recognized by Who’s Who in Cleveland. 

Betty became dear friends with her Soror, the late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. That friendship grew into a professional relationship with Betty managing Stephanie’s campaigns and later serving as her Congressional district director. In that role she worked to strengthen relationships among federal leadership, educational institutions and faith communities throughout the district.

Betty continued her dedication to public service working with the U.S. Census to ensure equitable representation, and, by serving as one of the longest seated Precinct Committee Chairpersons for Cleveland’s Ward 4.

A lover of music and dance, Betty was a real jazz enthusiast and loved the smooth voices of Johnny Hartman and Freddy Cole. She once aspired to move to New York to become a dancer.

It was often said of Betty that she never met a stranger, and her relationship with Denise McCray Scott was illustrative of that aspect of Betty’s personality. The two met when Tubbs Jones first ran for judge. Bonding over a shared interest in politics, Betty later served as a mentor as they were earning their doctorates at Cleveland State.

Scott remembers Betty as “sassy, smart, and feisty. At the same time she was also caring and giving, but she didn’t pull any punches” when offering advice, even when it was, at times, unsolicited.

Former Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Michael Nelson recalls Betty’s impact as an inspirational figure. “She motivated me to want to become a lawyer and to follow in her footsteps as a trustee at Central State. I was one of her immediate successors when she stepped down from the board. She was a Centralian through and through. She was a role model for not just the women in our community but for anyone who aspired to achievement”.

Betty was predeceased by all members of her family of origin, including all seven siblings: Emmett Butts (Katharine), Constance Morrow, Merlyn Newland, Robert Butts, Sr. (Sarah), Reginald Butts (Bobbye), D. Patricia Ezelle, and Bertram Butts (Marlene). She leaves to cherish her memory, her husband Charles J. Pinkney, daughters Jacqueline Pinkney-Royster (Ronald B.) and Rev. Pamela M. Pinkney, six grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and a host of other relatives and friends.

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 1p at the Cleveland History Center, 10825 East Boulevard [44106].

Arrangements have been entrusted to E. F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home and Crematory.

• • •• • •