Echo (August 29, 1947)
Dates
- Existence: August 29, 1947
Parallel Names
- Ray, Linda Janell
Biography
Echo (Linda Janell Ray) was born in Kansas City, MO on August 29, 1947. Having a great interest in teaching blind students, she studied Elementary Education at UMKC while volunteering for the Camp Fire Groups at the Kansas School for the Blind and the Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired. Attending Graduate School at Peabody College, Echo also spent time volunteering at the Tennessee School for the Blind. Upon graduating from Peabody College she began teaching for the Shawnee Mission School District, all the while continuing her work at Summer Camps. Echo was awarded Vision Teacher of the Year at the state AER convention in 1997, partly for her work developing an after school program to encourage physical fitness for the visually impaired. After retiring in 2005, she worked for a couple years as a traveling technology teacher for the Kansas School for the Blind. Besides teaching, Echo has been active in musical organizations such as the Kansas City Women’s Chorus and Dance Brigade, and continues to serve on the CrossCurrents Board.