The Mesa resident fought a courageous, decades-long guerrilla war against the Salt River Project utility company.
MESA, Ariz. — Carl Jenkins, 68, a retired logistics manager who viewed the household thermostat as a measure of moral fortitude, died Tuesday of heat exhaustion after refusing to lower his air conditioning below 84 degrees during a record-breaking heatwave. Throughout his life, Jenkins waged an unyielding campaign against ambient cooling, holding the regional record for the fastest sprint to shut off an unoccupied hallway lamp. Friends recalled a man of unshakeable principle who once sat through a July dinner party in complete darkness rather than authorize the use of a 60-watt patio bulb before dusk.
He was a man of iron conviction who would rather slip into a mild coma than pay an extra four dollars during peak usage hours.
Jenkins is survived by his wife, three heavily perspiring children, and an immaculate, untouched $14.50 credit on his final billing statement. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that mourners please shut the front door behind them, as they are not air-conditioning the entire neighborhood.