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

Sat Jun 7 13:19:41 PDT 2025

*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
<https://www.facebook.com/groups/117010510211/user/1019464018/?__cft__[0]=AZXrC9Ycfgld38fS-9IQ8KvxZDaz-38HaLsFkTZEjnPc_r-KVKxH6_c_4SMYLqkMnySam5TRts_ZQPPwuz3-5VBPVq__av0-YTMm8xqMV0neK__6LxRVRHflbSwsfiGGGLS9DdpN6Ro9XM_5NYt8IGUiKh7J3q1Y-lwAvgQTJobnxrfMdb0S6_jD1tEJi4ijTD6ePCLBGlo7EjhIBnRm3Vjl&__tn__=-]K-R>
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.

On Sat, Jun 7, 2025 at 11:55 AM Eunice Shankland via OE <
oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:

> *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
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> OE mailing list
>>> 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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-- 
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Partners in Participation
Phoenix, AZ
marilyn.oyler at gmail.com
www.partnersinparticipation.com
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