Hope Linton

Hope Linton (1918-2023) was born in Meadville, MO. She graduated from Chillicothe High School in 1936 and received her BS degree in music education from Northeast Missouri State College. Her early teaching career included positions in Memphis, MO and Fredonia, NY. After coming to Oshkosh in 1952, Hope Linton held positions as conductor of the First Presbyterian Church Choir, director of the Oshkosh Cecelian Singers, conductor of the Women’s Chorus of UW Oshkosh, instructor of voice and music education courses at UW Oshkosh (1958-1964), and instructor of music theory at the UW Center-Fond du Lac. She started taking piano lessons at the age of 6 and performed as a church organist, vocal soloist, and orchestra timpanist. Hope married Stanley Linton in 1946 and they had three children: Lynelle, Patrick, and Mark. She established the Stanley Linton Memorial Scholarship in General and Choral Music Education in 1993, in memory of her husband.

Stanley Linton (1919-1992) had a teaching career that spanned 45 years, from his first job in 1940 as a public school music teacher in Rich Hill, Missouri, to his retirement in 1984 as professor emeritus of music from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. After moving to Oshkosh, Dr. Linton served as conductor of the University choir from 1952 to 1964 and as coordinator of music education from 1964 to 1978. From 1978 to 1984, he focused on producing multimedia instructional materials and authoring two college textbooks. He also as conductor of choirs of three Oshkosh churches from 1952 to 1972. Dr. Linton was a lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve, serving in the African-European and Pacific theaters from 1942 to 1946. He received his bachelor’s degree from Central Missouri State University in 1940, his master’s degree from Northwestern University in 1942, and his doctorate degree from the Teachers College of Columbia University in 1952.