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

Sat Jun 7 08:58:15 PDT 2025

Thanks, Ellen,
Dick

On Sat, Jun 7, 2025 at 9:33 AM RICHARD HOWIE via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
wrote:

> Dear Dick, Lynne, Christina Kay and all the family,
> Linda changed my life as she modeled commitment for our family when O:EAs
> interns in The Philadelphia House in 1975-1977.
> God’s Grace and Peace for all of us,
> Ellen
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Jun 3, 2025, at 8:38 AM, Richard Alton via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
> wrote:
>
> 
> Thanks, David- I am waiting with great expectation for your new book. The
> tunnel was awesome with the silverware.
> Dick
>
> On Mon, Jun 2, 2025 at 10:09 PM David Marshall via OE <
> oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
>
>> Dick,
>>
>> I remember you and Linda were second priors at the Denver Religious House
>> in 1971-72, when Tim and Kay Lush were the first priors; and you found the
>> tunnel the Order kids had dug out from our basement dorm, our own Steve
>> McQueen Great Escape.
>>
>> Linda was a kind and loving soul, and more more patient and forgiving
>> than we rambunctious teenagers deserved for all our shenanigans. The Denver
>> RH was my best growth year during my 6-year Youth Deployment period, in
>> large part because of the strong and steady leadership of the priors. What
>> a beautiful tribute you gave her. ❤️
>>
>> David
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> David Marshall
>> www.marshallbooks.net
>>
>>
>> On Jun 2, 2025, at 8:37 PM, Susan Fertig via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>> 
>>
>> Oh, my—news I wasn’t expecting and wouldn’t have wanted, but with which I
>> rejoice with you, Dick, in celebrating Linda’s life.
>>
>>
>>
>> She was always such an inspiration to me when I was working in Croatia
>> and Bosnia. I remember very fondly when she came to help us with a
>> 50-person facilitation training (and our skinny dipping at midnight in the
>> hotel pool!). She was always ready to try anything and she always had such
>> wise counsel for us. Likewise, when I (frequently) drove to Belgium and
>> participated in your training sessions there and other meetings, I always
>> looked to Linda for sage analysis of whatever situation presented. I hadn’t
>> seen her in years, but I’ll miss her!
>>
>>
>>
>> *Susan*
>>
>>
>>
>> Susan Fertig-Dykes
>>
>>
>>
>> *And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in
>> drought .  Isaiah 58:11*
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* OE <oe-bounces at lists.wedgeblade.net> *On Behalf Of *Richard
>> Alton via OE
>> *Sent:* Monday, June 02, 2025 7:57 PM
>> *To:* Order Ecumenical Community <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>; Colleague
>> Dialogue <dialogue at lists.wedgeblade.net>
>> *Cc:* Richard Alton <richard.alton at gmail.com>
>> *Subject:* [Oe List ...] In Loving Memory of Linda Alton
>>
>>
>>
>> *In Loving Memory of Linda Alton *
>>
>> Linda Alton’s life was one of courage, conviction, and compassionate
>> service. From her early days at the University of California,
>> Berkeley—where she earned both her B.A. and M.A. between 1963 and
>> 1970—Linda was a powerful force for change. As editor of the *Berkeley
>> Yearbook* and an active voice in the Free Speech Movement and the
>> anti-Vietnam War resistance, she stood firmly for justice and truth, even
>> when it wasn’t easy.
>>
>> While still a student, Linda journeyed to Harlem to work in storefront
>> schools, helping high school students who had dropped out find their way
>> back to education and hope. It was there she encountered the Ecumenical
>> Institute, whose mission of global community service would soon become her
>> own. In 1970, she joined the Institute’s staff in San Francisco, beginning
>> a lifelong commitment to international development and human dignity.
>>
>> In 1976, with her young daughter Christina by her side, Linda moved to
>> the Philippines to co-direct a USAID-funded community development project
>> with the newly formed Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA). There, she led
>> efforts to support women’s small businesses, empowering families and
>> transforming communities from the ground up.
>>
>> Her journey continued to Kenya, where Linda and her growing
>> family—including her second daughter, Kay, born in Nairobi—devoted
>> themselves to uplifting lives in both urban slums and rural villages.
>> Together with a local staff of 150, she helped shape development
>> initiatives that reached thousands of communities across the country.
>>
>> Later, in Brussels, Belgium, Linda served as Program Director at ICA’s
>> global headquarters, bringing her deep wisdom, compassion, and leadership
>> to an international stage.
>>
>> She moved to Minnesota with her partner Lynne Larsen to create a home for
>> themselves in Minneapolis. She was a lead technical trainer/convenor
>> with Minnesota Technology of Participation up until she retired.
>>
>> Linda’s legacy is not just found in the places she lived or the programs
>> she led—but in the countless lives she touched, the justice she stood for,
>> and the love she gave so freely. Her spirit lives on in the communities she
>> served and in the hearts of all who knew and loved her. (Daughters:
>> Christina & Katherine Alton, Grandson: Wyatt Wren, Wife: Lynne Larsen)
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Richard H. T. Alton
>>
>> ICA Global Fund
>>
>> United Methodist Net Zero
>>
>> T: 773.344.7172
>>
>> richard.alton at gmail.com
>>
>> Make Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2
>>
>> Won't you be my neighbor?
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>
>
> --
> Richard H. T. Alton
> ICA Global Fund
> United Methodist Net Zero
> T: 773.344.7172
> richard.alton at gmail.com
> Make Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2
> Won't you be my neighbor?
> _______________________________________________
> OE mailing list
> OE at lists.wedgeblade.net
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>
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-- 
Richard H. T. Alton
ICA Global Fund
United Methodist Net Zero
T: 773.344.7172
richard.alton at gmail.com
Make Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2
Won't you be my neighbor?
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