Nominations for the Grand Island Senior High School Hall of Honor are accepted throughout each year. The Hall of Honor Committee will review all submitted nominations and honor inductees every other year. We are excited to announce the Hall of Honor Banquet & Celebration will be held again on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
The Hall of Honor, inaugurated in 1983, recognizes Grand Island Senior High School alumni who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the betterment of society. Nominees must have graduated more than 20 years ago from the high school.
John R. Linton
Class of 1964
Hall of Honor 2011
Following graduation from Grand Island High School, John Linton earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering at Iowa State (1968), a Master of Science in Engineering Science degree from Arizona State University (1971) and a Juris Doctor degree from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State (1972).
Linton began his private practice of law as a patent lawyer in Chicago with Kirkland & Ellis, one of the nation's top ten law firms, where he became a member of that firm's proprietary rights and technology litigation group. Linton took pride in defending and representing big-name clients including the NHL, the Chicago Bears, NFL Properties and RCA. However, his greater personal satisfaction came from his private advocacy work for women in the professions and from representing individuals, small businesses and professional associations.
In 1976, Linton left Kirkland to embark on a new career path as the founding chief legal officer and an executive management team member, first for the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and next for RE/MAX International, Inc. (RII). NAR, the world's largest association of professionals, is an organization Linton helped double in membership size and build affiliate relationships in six foreign countries. RII is a real estate brokerage organization Linton helped grow to become the world's market share leader with over $200B in annual residential sales under the RE/MAX brand and some 114,400 agents in 42 countries. At both stops, Linton pioneered in-house legal departments, managed the vast litigation challenges and diverse legislative and legal service needs of his client-employers and advocated greater opportunities for women and other minorities. He received their highest commendations for his national continuing education seminars and for instilling positive equal treatment and fair housing practices that have reduced all forms of discrimination in American home buying.
On his own time during his employment at NAR and RII, Linton privately pursued a solution to one of the most pressing twentieth century needs of the real estate industry ─ a conflict-free, clear path to comprehensive home buyer representation. In 1992, he unveiled his answer and by royalty-free copyright license to NAR, Linton made his breakthrough buyer representation solution available in every state to all agents for the benefit of the five-million to ten-million American home buyers annually.
In 2005, Linton left RII to build a new interstate private law practice focused on federal law issues. He also committed to help rebuild the Colorado Chapter of ACC ─ the state bar association that serves more than 800 in-house lawyers from more than 120 leading Colorado businesses. In 2006, he was elected president of that organization and he promptly encouraged its commitment to new pro bono legal representation programs to serve Colorado non-profits and charities, battered women rescue groups and Denver's homeless community. The Colorado Chapter won ACC's "Chapter of the Year" award in 2008.
John Linton and his wife Laurie live in Highlands Ranch, CO., where Linton maintains his federal law private practice and they jointly pursue other business ventures, enjoy mountain biking and look forward to family visits from their four children and grandchildren.
