[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 115 (Thursday, July 28, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S5015]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       REMEMBERING DR. DON LINKER

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
honoring the memory of Dr. Donald Linker of Marin County, who passed 
away on June 16, 2011. Dr. Linker dedicated his personal and 
professional life to helping others and was passionate about living his 
life to the fullest.
  Donald Linker was born and raised in Louisville, KY. He graduated 
from the University of Michigan and received his doctor of medicine 
from the University of Kentucky, School of Medicine.
  Don served honorably in the U.S. Navy as a doctor treating marines in 
Vietnam. After his service, he moved to San Francisco, married, and had 
three children. He opened his own medical practice and after many years 
of practicing medicine, returned to school and received his master's in 
public health from UC Berkeley.
  Don Linker was an activist and philanthropist who was committed to 
bettering his community. He was a founding member of the Foundation for 
Reed Schools in Tiburon and also served a number of other 
organizations, including the Jewish Community Federation, the American 
Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Marin Community Federation, the 
Bernard Osher Foundation, and the Buck Center for Research and Aging.
  Don was an adventurous man with a fiery demeanor and an infectious 
spirit who loved travel and extreme sports. One of his passions was 
pushing himself to the limit physically. He loved windsurfing, skiing, 
and mountain biking, and some of his greatest personal accomplishments 
involved those activities.
  Don was a friend who will be greatly missed by all those whose lives 
he touched.
  I send my heartfelt sympathies to his family, including his son Kevin 
Linker, daughters Jodi Linker and Dana Linker, son-in-law Richard 
Steele, brother Stephen Linker and his grandchildren Lauren and Sarah 
Steele.

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