[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11227]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING DR. DONALD LINKER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 14, 2011

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise with sadness today to honor my 
friend, Dr. Donald Linker of Tiburon, CA, who passed away unexpectedly 
on June 16, 2011, after a fall. He was a spirited activist and colorful 
community character who livened up the many causes he took on.
  Born and raised in Kentucky, Don Linker moved to northern California 
after completing medical school. He served as a physician in the 
Marines before settling for a number of years in San Francisco where he 
had a urology practice. He later earned a Masters in Public Health from 
UC Berkeley. Throughout his career, he was known as a compassionate 
physician and advocate for research on important public health issues 
like prostate cancer.
  Don was married during his time in San Francisco and had three 
children, Kevin, Jodi, and Dana. He later moved to Tiburon and became 
active in Marin County. He was a founder of the local schools 
foundation and served on the boards of the Buck Center for Research in 
Aging, the Jewish Community Federation, AIPAC, and the Marin Community 
Foundation. He also found time to become a painter and had a show of 
abstract art in the works when he died.
  Perhaps best known for his extreme athletic feats, Don Linker had his 
share of close calls whether windsurfing (where he was swept out to 
sea), mountain biking (where he garnered several speeding tickets) or 
skiing (including spending a freezing night on a chairlift because of 
his attempt to get in one last run).
  He is survived by his three children as well as his brother Stephen, 
his son-in-law Richard Steele, and his two grandchildren, Lauren and 
Sarah Steele.
  Mr. Speaker, I will miss Dr. Don Linker's bright wit and colorful 
sweaters and bow ties. But mostly I will miss his warm friendship and 
compassionate spirit. Please join me, his community, his family, and 
his many friends in mourning his passing.

                          ____________________