[Oe List ...] In Loving Memory of Linda Alton

[Marilyn Oyler]

*Remembering the gift that Linda Alton has been to the ToP Community of
Trainers and Facilitators*
Though Parkinson's disease may have dimmed Linda's light in recent years,
the brilliance of who she was—and the love she poured into building our ToP
community—will shine on forever in each of us she touched.
When Linda Alton
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left
the full-time ICA staff and made Minneapolis her home, she didn't just
relocate—she planted seeds that would grow into something beautiful. She
became the heart of our training and facilitation family, and I was blessed
to be her partner in this work. Together, we poured ourselves into creating
something meaningful: more than 15 Mastering the Technology of
Participation trainings, countless facilitation events, continuing to
develop advanced courses and a network that became so much more than the
sum of its parts.
Linda had this extraordinary gift—she could see potential in everyone she
met. I used to joke that she could recruit anyone to our cause. Put her in
an elevator with a stranger on the eighth floor, and by the ground floor,
they'd be signed up for a course! But it wasn't just her persuasive
charm—it was her genuine belief in people and her infectious passion for
what we were building together. She was a really dynamic facilitator who
always had her groups laughing.
She was our anchor when storms hit. When the ICA community faced its
darkest hour and the training staff was dismissed, Linda didn't retreat—she
opened her arms wider. She organized meetings to help us find our way
forward. When new trainers and facilitators needed a chance, Linda became
their champion, sharing not just her connections and expertise, but her
generous heart.
How many times did Linda welcome not just me but so many of us into her
home for trainings and meetings? Her table was always set with good food,
great humor, and even better conversation. Those evenings weren't just
about work—they were about friendship, about sharing our dreams and
dilemmas with someone who truly understood. Linda had this way of making
you feel seen, supported, and never alone in the work.
Linda was more than a colleague or ToP Network co-founder (among many) —she
was a mentor to many of those who Mentor today. She was a cheerleader and a
friend who believed in the power of bringing people together. And she
contained so many multitudes the Network had to invent a new title - the
ToP Network 'Animator' when it hired her to bring life to it's early years.
Her legacy lives on in every facilitator she guided, every trainer she
encouraged, and every life touched by the community she helped nurture.
We will carry her spirit forward—that generous, innovative, unstoppable
force for good that was uniquely Linda. She is deeply missed and will be
forever cherished.


-- 
Marilyn Oyler
Partners in Participation
Phoenix, AZ
marilyn.oyler at gmail.com
www.partnersinparticipation.com
602 468 0605 or 602 460 8843 (mobile)
Purchase a sticky wall on www.partnersinparticipation.com
Visit our airbnb https://bit.ly/37HPqqq
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