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Students For Liberty is saddened to learn about the passing of Linda Whetstone, a dear friend of liberty and an esteemed member of the Students For Liberty’s Board of Advisors. Linda Whetstone passed away during the morning of December 15 surrounded by friends and family.
Linda Whetstone was a chairman of Atlas Network, an association of free market think tanks, Network for a Free Society, and British Dressage. A daughter of Sir Anthony Fisher, cofounder of the Institute of Economic Affairs, Linda Whetstone served as a member of the IEA’s board as well as on that of the Islam and Liberty Network. She was also a board member of the Mont Pelerin Society and chairman of the International Policy Network.
Throughout her life, Linda Whetstone worked on translating books on the ideas of freedom into multiple languages, helping to spread free market ideas across the world. Together with Nouh el Harmouzi, in 2016 she co-edited Islamic Foundations of a Free Society, a book that was published by the Institute of Economic Affairs in Dari, Indonesian, Arabic, French, and Farsi, among others.
With Network for a Free Society, she developed a CD called Ideas for a Free Society to provide university students with access to texts relating to freedom that were otherwise inaccessible in many countries. Over 150,000 copies were distributed in more than 60 countries. Linda’s work inspired many organizations and individuals who, despite challenging circumstances, worked towards changing the world by changing hearts and minds through the ideas of freedom.
“In 2010, when I came across the ideas of liberty, the Ideas for a Free Society CD produced by Linda Whetstone was one of the first few resources that helped me better understand the importance of a truly free society. She was one of SFL’s biggest advocates, supporting many student projects as well as supporting think tanks established by SFL alumni with resources through the Network for a Free Society,” said Olumayowa Okediran, Students For Liberty’s director of student programs.
Linda Whetstone will be deeply missed by all of us at Students For Liberty. She joined Students For Liberty’s Board of Advisors during the organization’s early days and consistently helped us grow to become better advocates for freedom.
Students For Liberty’s CEO Dr. Wolf von Laer said, “Linda Whetstone’s lifework was dedicated to spreading freedom in places which lacked it most. She was a true champion and will be dearly missed. I am proud to have known her for so many years.”
Linda Whetstone was a lifelong supporter of the creative power of free societies and was committed to spreading these ideas where they were little known and much needed. Her work will be forever remembered by generations of liberty advocates across the world.
