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

Sat Jun 7 11:55:03 PDT 2025

*A Tribute to Linda Alton*

*From a place of deep gratitude and profound respect *

Linda Alton along with colleagues in Minneapolis inspired us and many
others to develop creative ways to train and apply the ToP Methods. She
consistently guided people who applied the ToP core understandings and
methods in various sectors of society including the government officials.
Linda and her colleagues built robust mentoring programs where participants
developed exemplary facilitation skills embracing generative engagement.

As a ‘wise woman’ of integrity and creativity in facilitation, she
encouraged us to take the ToP Methods to the United Nations. When the door
opened at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food
Program (WFP) in Rome, we successfully trained many UN officers and
innovators in the methods of productive and meaningful participation. This
ripple of impact reflects the global scope of Linda’s amazing life’s work.

Linda, we are grateful for your creative persistence and abiding presence
in our midst. Everything about you is a testimony to the power of our past,
and a reminder of what is possible on the road ahead.

Journey on, dear friend, journey on…and thank you!

Eunice and Sherwood Shankland

On Sat, Jun 7, 2025 at 2:15 PM Bill Parker via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
wrote:

> I remember Linda fondly in Chicago and in Kenya. She seemed to handle
> chaos with Grace.
>
> Bill Parker
>
>
> On Jun 7, 2025, at 10:58 AM, Richard Alton via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
> wrote:
>
> 
> 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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>>>
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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
>> http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net
>>
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>> OE at lists.wedgeblade.net
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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
> http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net
>
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