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

Sat Jun 7 16:21:29 PDT 2025

Thank you, Marilyn.  Such wondrous people we have known!!
Jim Wiegel  

Theunknown is what is.  And to be frightened of it is what sends everybodyscurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, allthat.  Unknown is what is.  Accept that it's unknown, and it's plainsailing.    John Lennon

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    On Saturday, June 7, 2025 at 01:20:08 PM MST, Marilyn Oyler via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:  

 Remembering the gift that Linda Alton has been to the ToP Community of Trainers and FacilitatorsThough 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 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 andprofound respect 

Linda Alton along with colleagues inMinneapolis inspired us and many others to develop creative ways to train andapply the ToP Methods. She consistently guided people who applied the ToP coreunderstandings and methods in various sectors of society including the governmentofficials. Linda and her colleagues built robust mentoring programs whereparticipants developed exemplary facilitation skills embracing generative engagement.

As a ‘wise woman’ of integrity and creativityin facilitation, she encouraged us to take the ToP Methods to the UnitedNations. When the door opened at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)and the World Food Program (WFP) in Rome, we successfully trained many UNofficers and innovators in the methods of productive and meaningfulparticipation. This ripple of impact reflects the global scope of Linda’s amazinglife’s work.

Linda, we are grateful for your creativepersistence and abiding presence in our midst. Everything about you is atestimony to the power of our past, and a reminder of what is possible on theroad 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 iPhoneDavid Marshallwww.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. AltonICA Global FundUnited Methodist Net ZeroT: 773.344.7172richard.alton at gmail.comMake Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2
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-- 
Richard H. T. AltonICA Global FundUnited Methodist Net ZeroT: 773.344.7172richard.alton at gmail.comMake Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2
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-- 
Marilyn OylerPartners in ParticipationPhoenix, AZmarilyn.oyler at gmail.comwww.partnersinparticipation.com602 468 0605 or 602 460 8843 (mobile)Purchase a sticky wall on www.partnersinparticipation.com
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