Sherwood INKLEY

Sherwood William Inkley, died peacefully on Sunday, April 29, 2012. Husband to Bebe Canales Inkley, Father to Kim Inkley Richards and Elise Inkley Reckling and Teacher, Headmaster, Disciplinarian, Mentor, Confidant and Friend to so many throughout South Texas and the World. This very private, quiet, unassuming man would want this testament to his life to end with simply the date of his passing....but oh what a man he was, and those closest to him believe it is important to share some of the moments in his life. Sherwood was born in Houston Texas on August 10, 1934 to Sylvia Dahl and Luther Inkley. As a very young man he attended Allen Military Academy in Bryan, Texas, the oldest and most renowned military academy in Texas at that time. His time at Allen would later impact his life in a huge way. He was so young and could never have known that his future would be rooted in those few years away from home. For it was in Bryan, Texas that Sherwood Inkley would develop an understanding of a young person away at school. This rite of passage for so many of his cultural group was the basis for his future students respect and love today. Sherwood had a fondness for his boarding students, because he understood what it was like to be at school away from home. He returned to Houston and attended Mirabeau B. Lamar High School. At 15, he would ride his bike to a small airfield on "the prairie" to take flying lessons and at 16 he received his Pilot's License. He was an accomplished football player. While in high school, Sherwood was recruited in his junior year of high school by Del Mar Junior College in Corpus Christi, Texas. He moved down there living in the dorm with the other players while attending W. B. Ray High School. That season Del Mar won their division and Sherwood traveled with the team to Florida to play in the "Little Rose Bowl" . The following year he was back at Lamar HS in Houston but because of technicalities with the rules of eligibility he was unable to join the team. Sherwood, along with other ineligible athletes formed the "Bel Aire Yellow Jackets". A rouge band of players that would play any team they could, including Rice University. Sherwood remained in Houston and began his college career at University of Houston. As he pursued a degree in Radio Broadcasting with Dan Rather as a classmate, Sherwood began to re-think his decision on his future line of work. Continuing his love of flying he earned his commercial pilot license. Sherwood answered an ad to ferry WW2 fighter planes from Tulsa to Chicago. While on a test flight, an engine malfunction occurred and he crashed. This cut short his commercial flying career but he later earned his commercial glider license as his love flying never waned. Sherwood's resume is long and filled with accomplishments. He received an undergraduate degree in Secondary Education from the University of Texas at Austin, his master's degree in government from Texas A and I University, Kingsville (Texas A and M), he attended The American Political Science Seminar in southeast Asia, completed graduate work in Texas history at the University of Texas at Austin, and Economics at Texas A and M University at college Station. His dedicated belief in the necessity of Texas becoming a 2 party state that led to his leadership in establishing a Republican precinct and a position on the research staff of George H. W. Bush's campaign for U. S. Senator in 1964. Sherwood accepted a teaching position in San Antonio Texas at Saint Mary's Hall to teach government and history and was was chairman of the Social Studies Dept in 1966. Three years later, when the campus was moved to Starcrest, he became the Head of The Upper School never relinquishing his position in the classroom. The class of 1972 had the honor of receiving their diplomas signed by their new Headmaster - the man they had dedicated the La Reata (the annual) to - Sherwood Inkley. Sherwood continued to enrich young peoples lives well past the millennium, at SMH, TMI and Keystone. He especially treasured the honor of being the first male to graduate from Saint Mary's Hall, when the senior class of 1976 made him an Honorary member. The students at TMI voted him Outstanding Teacher in 1990 and 1991 and the students at Faith Outreach Christian Academy also bestowed that honor on him after 1 year in 1998. Sherwood was honored with membership in the Cum Laude Society in 1972 and the Jamie Bennett Award for Teaching Excellence at Saint Mary's Hall in 1973. Sherwood's interest in photography started in his early years, photographing and processing photos in his small home Dark Room. Sherwood even turned his honeymoon into a photographic safari through the island of Jamaica. With the birth of his daughter Kim , Sherwood had a built in subject to begin expressing his artistic skills. During his teaching career at Saint Mary's Hall he began doing portraits of students and would slip into classrooms to catch candid views of the students. During the summers he attended The new york institutee of Photography earning a degree in Portraituree, The school of Modern Photography earning a degree in General photography, and The Winona School ofProfessionall Photography earning a degree in Fashion Photography. In 1976 Sherwood opened his studio, Photography by Sherwood Inkley. His creativity and use of light in his compositions defined his unique style. Drawn to the history and landscape of Texas his photographs of the outdoors became his passion. Among his photographiccccccc accomplishments were the publication Cook'm Horns and Cook'm Horns: The Quick Book, both published by the Ex-Students Association The University of Texas Austin, and It's All in the Game cookbook, published by Bebe Canales Inkley and Mary Canales Jary.
Those that thought that they knew him would be surprised to know that he loved playing the game RISK, that he liked to fish and go crabbing, that in his younger days to impress the girls he would not just take them out to dinner her would pilot the plane and fly them to dinner in Galveston and New Orleans, that he LOVED dogs, that while he was headmaster at SMH he always slept with his pants on - never knowing when he would have an issue with a border on campus. On one particular evening, as Headmaster, he positioned himself on the cliff with a colleague. Equipped with walkies-talkies and dressed as if they were on a secret mission - Sherwood was convinced he could foil the elaborate plan of some "rascals" attempting to scale the cliffs and invade the dorms. He and his colleague laid in wait, whispering into the walkie talkies, and then they heard a noise - this was it - but alas it was a possum! They retreated convinced they had overreacted to
false information!
Throughout his life Sherwood was a gentle wonderful man. So many were blessed to have known him and to have learned from him. So many treasure the fact that they are able to call him friend. Sherwood was preceded death by his parents Luther Murdon inkley and his wife Silvia Dahl and his son Sherwood. He is survived by his wife of 53 yrs Bebe (Canales), his daughter Kim and her husband Don Richards, their daughters Elizabeth and Katherine, daughter Elise and her husband James Reckling, their children, Sterling, Lauren, Christiana, and Elizabeth, and his faithful companion Daisy - his Yellow lab. The family wishes to thank, Dr Heberto Garza, Dr Stephanie Jones, Gay Richmond, Silvia Perez, Teresa de la O, Manuel Arvizu, The Staff at the Forum, The Staff at Colonial Gardens and Peaches Hall, Christus Sainta Rosa Hospice, for their kind and loving care during Sherwood's illness.
A memorial Service will be held on Thursday, May 3rd at 2:00 PM at St. David's Episcopal Church , 1300 Wiltshire Drive, San Antonio, TX . All are invited to a reception honoring Sherwood immediately following the service at The San Antonio Country Club. A graveside service will take place on Saturday, May 5th at 11:00 AM at Forest Lawn Westheimer Cemetery, 12800 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX 77024. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sherwood W. and Bebe Canales Inkley Endowed Scholarship in the honors College, UTSA, 1 UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78229, The San Antonio Humane Society, 4804 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, TX 78229 or a charity of choice. We invite you to share your thoughts and fond memories with our family at www.earthmanhunterscreek.com