Suffolk, VA, December 20, 2024 — Long-time Suffolkians may remember Herb’s Bar-B-Q, the beloved restaurant on Carolina Road, run by the Brinkley family, which served the community for over 50 years until its closure in 2007. A year ago, Robert (“Bert”) Brinkley gave the Suffolk Foundation a charitable endowment gift, which has just awarded its first grants — ensuring that the Brinkley name will be remembered by Suffolkians for generations to come.
During its early years, Herb and Mildred Brinkley ran the restaurant, with the help of their four children: Cynthia, Melinda, Betsy, and Bert. This restaurant was conveniently located next to their home, making it an important part of their lives. It was especially famous for its “succulent” pork barbecue; Herb smoked his pigs out back.
The oldest of the siblings, Bert Brinkley, was known for his dedication and caring nature — qualities that were developed through his work in the family business. These traits would lead him to future success and enduring legacy within the Suffolk community.
Bert spent his childhood in Suffolk before attending Virginia Tech, where he would graduate a year early. He then obtained a law degree from Valparaiso University in Indiana. Following his graduation from law school, Bert came back to Suffolk and served as the Assistant City Attorney for eight years. Later, he moved with his wife, Cindy, to Hickory, North Carolina. There, he worked at Plastic Packaging, where he would work all the way up to President, prior to retirement.
Bert’s sisters, Cynthia and Melinda, recall that his “strong work ethic and generosity were of essence to him,” noting his many efforts to support his communities. They fondly remember his outgoing personality, as he never met a stranger. Bert embraced these opportunities to give back to the communities, wherever he was living. He served on the United Way Charity Board. He also was a dedicated blood and platelets donor, until his health no longer allowed it.
In addition to his charitable work, Bert enjoyed travelling, with a particularly memorable trip to Europe. He was also an animal lover, specifically cats, and cared for many throughout his lifetime. Although he was well-travelled, Suffolk remained his beloved hometown, and he returned to Suffolk in 2020, where family resided, before passing in 2022.
In his last will and testament, Bert remembered not just family members but also his hometown community through a gift to the Suffolk Foundation. Although his bequest came with no instructions for its use, the board of the Suffolk Foundation used the gift to start an endowment in Bert’s name for grants to the community. This means his bequest is invested as a perpetual charitable fund and will financially support local nonprofits for generations to come. This year the Suffolk Foundation used the endowment earnings to award grants to the Foodbank, Meals on Wheels, and the Western Tidewater Free Clinic, as part of the Foundation’s Community Impact Grants program.
The Suffolk Foundation gives community members the opportunity to support the causes and organizations that matter the most to them — whether it’s a gift to a specific nonprofit, or to the community in general, as Bert did with his gift. Through this generous bequest, Bert’s legacy of kindness, philanthropy, and community service will live on and continue to impact the lives of many.
The Suffolk Foundation is a 501c3 community foundation, whose mission is to benefit the people of Suffolk and Western Tidewater by facilitating and developing philanthropy and awarding grants and scholarships to meet a broad range of local community needs. Since the Suffolk Foundation was formed in 2006, it has awarded over $9.5 million locally in grants and scholarships.
Anyone can make a gift to the Robert F. Brinkley III Fund in Bert’s memory, or to any fund within the Suffolk Foundation. To learn more your giving options, including information on leaving a bequest or establishing a fund of your own, visit www.suffolkfoundation.org, or call the office at 757-923-9090.
