Richard thank you for the note. Seva mentioned it to us Sunday or Monday just as I was arriving from Cambodia. Linda was always an ally, we worked together for five great years in Kenya and then off and on while she was in Brussels. Our last real connection was 10 years ago co-assessing a Ukrainian facilitator. She in Minnesota and Larry first in Taipei and then in Kyiv. Her energy and joy at the opportunity to connect with them and me was joyful Linda was always present with positive energy even when she was describing a challenge. A quick recognition of reality or a question that allowed it to be explored. Evelyn and I will miss her and stay in deep appreciation for her spirit and care. With love and respect Larry and Evelyn Philbrook
From: Richard Alton <richard.alton@gmail.com <mailto:richard.alton@gmail.com>> Subject: [Oe List ...] In Loving Memory of Linda Alton Date: June 2, 2025 at 18:56:46 GMT-5 To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe@lists.wedgeblade.net <mailto:oe@lists.wedgeblade.net>>, Colleague Dialogue <dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net <mailto:dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net>>
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@gmail.com <mailto:richard.alton@gmail.com> Make Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2 Won't you be my neighbor?