Linda McNeil

1943 - 2021

McNeil, Linda McSpadden

HOUSTON, Texas/CALF CANYON, N.M. - Linda McSpadden McNeil, of Houston, Texas, and Calf Canyon, N.M., died April 1, 2021, of complications of brain cancer. She was at home, at peace, and surrounded by love.

Linda was born Dec. 4, 1943, in Fairfield, Calif., to Thomas Willard and Oleta Kelley McSpadden. The geography of her childhood followed her dad's path as a young petroleum engineer to such places as Hobbs, N.M., and Texas production sites like Sundown, Levelland, Notrees, Midland Farms (three houses surrounded by caliche and the strong smell of sulfur), and Odessa, finally moving to Tulsa, where she graduated from Central High.

The family's spiritual home and her favorite place in the world is the cabin in Calf Canyon in northern New Mexico, where they have spent many summers hiking, fishing, hosting friends, thrilling at meteor showers, and – a favorite of Linda's – listening to the rain on the tin roof. Truly a magical place.

She majored in English and Spanish at Texas Tech, where she was a Pi Phi, and received a master's degree at Baylor University. She married Kenneth McNeil and began her teaching career in Nashville, Tenn., during the desegregation of public schools and opposition to the U.S. war in Vietnam. Her commitment to peace and racial justice inspired her to embrace the Quaker tradition.

Questions about students' access to knowledge led her to the University of Wisconsin at Madison to study with brilliant curriculum theorists who supported the scholarly work of women students who also valued being moms. It was in Madison that Kathryn and Carrie were born and where the family made many lifelong friendships. She earned her Ph.D. there, and in 2003 she was recognized as the Outstanding Alumna of the University of Wisconsin School of Education.

Linda was a powerhouse in education nationally, and pursued equity as she fought standardization in the teaching of underserved students of color, especially the curricular losses associated with the overuse of standardized testing.

She is the author of two classic volumes in the field of education.

Her scholarly writings, her books, articles, and book chapters have been regularly cited in scholarly publications ranging across such fields as school organization and administration, urban schooling, social theory, teachers and teaching, and cultural studies. She was regularly consulted by legislators, educators, community groups, and the media for her analysis of educational issues.

Linda taught at Rice University for over 35 years, and in her writing and activism she has been a strong advocate for the public schools.

During her teaching career, Linda was generous with her time and talents.

She genuinely loved teaching and inspiring future secondary-school teachers. In addition, during her career, she served as Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Washington-Seattle. She taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and was a visiting scholar at Stanford University. In 1988, along with Dr. Ron Sass, Linda founded the Center for Education at Rice to support research and research-based teacher enhancement programs which would address the persistent problems of inequity in urban schools. She retired from Rice University as Professor Emeritus in 2020.

Linda was preceded in death by her parents and grandparents; and her dear friends, Judy and Richard Schoenherr, Margie Sass, and Gena Odell Still. She is survived by her extraordinary daughters, Kathryn and Carrie; her grandson, Luke, the sunshine of her life; her brother, Thomas Kelley McSpadden and his wife, Sal; nieces, Kelley McSpadden and Anna McSpadden Holland and husband, Cuatro Holland, and their sons, Gus and Riley Holland; her cousins, Eva Hobbs and Carolyn Goyer and their families; numerous friends; and her sweet dog, Seeger. She was so thankful for the love and support of her friends across the country. We are forever grateful for the dedication and care of her doctors, especially Dr. Ann Radcliffe, Dr. Jay Zhu, Bri Moreno, Dr. Tandon, Dr. Blanco, Dr. Gutierrez, Dr. Apostolidou, Dr. Schiess, the staff and doctors at Memorial Hermann. We especially thank our amazing caregivers, and her assistant, Pearl Baron. We give special thanks to Lori and Dan Wolterman and Tom Flanagan, and David Ahlquist, as well as Todd Genitempo.

Linda was always thoughtful and generous with her time and energy and always willing to help and support those around her in every way. She never forgot a birthday and was known for sharing her famous braided bread. She was an amazing mother and grandmother and a loving friend and neighbor to more people than we can name here. By her example, Linda taught us that we are stronger than we know and braver than we could imagine. Brain cancer did not defeat her spirit, nor her joy, and she inspired us to celebrate life every moment. And so, she won.

Her light shines on through those whose lives she touched, and she would wish for each of us to look after those whose voices may not be heard and to reach out to one another with love and open hearts. We will always be Team Linda.

Look for her when you see a butterfly.

Those wishing to follow Linda's spirit of giving and service may wish to contribute to organizations committed to justice and peace: American Friends Service Committee, ACLU, No Mas Muertes/No More Deaths, Planned Parenthood, People for the American Way, Women's Protective Services Lubbock, Texas, and UT Health-Neuroscience (Dr. Zhu/ Dr. Tandon in honor of Linda McSpadden McNeil).

A memorial service will be held in Houston at in the coming months.

For those wishing to leave a memorial or a story about Linda (she loved stories), please visit https://www.forevermissed.com/linda-mcspadden-mcneil/about.