In Memory of Linda Eaton On August 18, the world of textile scholarship lost one of its brightest stars and most vocal advocates. McGraw Director of Collections died after courageously battling a long-term illness. Linda was many things to many people, and she impacted hundreds of lives both professionally and personally.
To me, Linda was a friend, a mentor, a collaborator, a problem solver, and an outrageously fun dinner companion. Her support of the Sampler Archive Project samplerarchive.
She was eager for the Winterthur Museum to be one of the project's first pilot sites, instantly lending credibility from one of the pre-eminent museums in early American decorative arts and providing ties to the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture. When our first grant proposal to the NEH was not awarded funding, she was quick to understand the reviewers' concerns and even quicker at suggesting how to address those concerns.
She knew how to expand our audience, how to increase attention to diversity, and who to go to when the project needed a better academic home. Her unwavering support and creative thinking were critical to making our case and convincing funders this was an important initiative. Linda's advocacy was long, strong, and effective.
On the lighter side, Linda knew all the best restaurants and was eager to share them. Our collaboration led to many dinner adventures in Delaware and nearby Pennsylvania.
