Caroline Emily Brinkmeyer was born on April 16, 1901, in the new house on the corner of W. Gurley Street and Park Avenue, the daughter of Henry and Ina (Muzik) Brinkmeyer. Caroline, who was named for her father's German mother, was the youngest of the Brinkmeyer children. Her older brother was Henry Jr., and her older sister, Marcella. She attended Washington School, Lincoln School, and Prescott High School, graduating in 1918. She received a B.A. degree and a certificate in secondary education from the University of California at Berkeley in May 1923. While in college, Caroline stayed in a club called Norroena that later became Delta Zeta. Before returning to Prescott, Caroline taught in Simi Valley High School in Ventura, California, for four years. Then the superintendent of Prescott schools, Mr. Martin, notified her of a vacancy to teach English. Caroline returned to her alma mater Prescott High School and taught there until 1941, when she retired to take care of her father. Caroline tutored a young immigrant from Austria, using the Sears catalog to help him learn English and was rewarded when that young man, Dr. Henry Koffler, became the president of the University of Arizona in Tucson. Dr. Koffler credited his "eventual accomplishments" to "her generous help and personal attention and encouragement." Caroline was active in her retirement as a member of the Prescott United Methodist Church and the Golden Rule Chapter No. 1, Order of Eastern Star. She loved caring for her garden and canning fruit from it. She gave many scholarships to further the education of the young people in Prescott. She lived alone in the lovely two-story home after the death of her sister, Marcella, and distained using a housekeeper or a gardener. She did use a power mower, however. The house contains much of the original furniture placed there by her father, a prominent hotel owner and baker, who arrived in the Arizona Territory in 1887. Caroline's birthplace, 605 W. Gurley Street, is included in the National Register of Historic Places. Caroline's Nash Rambler, more than twenty years old, was kept in the garage behind the house. She traveled to Australia, Africa, South America, Europe and Alaska on separate occasions and in 1966 took a three-month trip around the world. Caroline died at age 95, on February 5, 1997, and was interred at Mountain View Mausoleum. Caroline’s mother, Ina A. (Muzik) Brinkmeyer, sister, Marcella Brinkmeyer, aunt Emily (Muzik) Brinkmeyer and sister-in-law, Louise Marie (Lebsch) Brinkmeyer, are also represented in the Territorial Women’s Memorial Rose Garden. Donor: Sharlot Hall Historical Association Board of Trustees, 1997 Photo Located:PB-148, F-14, I-9 – Virginia Rice Collection Updated: 5/12/2015 D. Sue Kissel
