*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(a)gmail.com
Make Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2
Won't you be my neighbor?
