Navarre's legacy blends classrooms, civil rights

Linda Navarre spent 26 years shaping young minds in North Idaho classrooms, but her most enduring legacy may be her decades-long fight against hate in a region once dominated by white supremacists.

Navarre will be honored as a Woman of Wisdom for many reasons: her 26 years as a passionate, inspirational Bonner County educator, her active membership in organizations such as the Pend Oreille Arts Council, Friends of Scotchman's Peak and the Idaho Conservation League — and the fact that she braves the waters of Lake Pend Oreille every day all year long.

But Navarre deserves recognition, respect and gratitude most for her decades of leadership in the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force.

Founded in 1992 amid the uprising of the Aryan Nations in North Idaho, the Task Force exists to "promote and secure mutual understanding and respect among all people" and "to affirm the American principles and ideals of the inviolable dignity and worth of each human being." Dedicated to her vision of Sandpoint as a welcoming, inclusive community, Navarre joined the Task Force shortly after it was founded and currently serves as its president.

Navarre was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the eldest of three siblings. She credits growing up near universities and having student boarders living upstairs in her family's three-story home — students of divergent backgrounds, religions and languages — with sparking her lifelong appreciation and respect for diversity.

Navarre was also exposed to music and the arts from an early age. Many of the student boarders were musicians. Her father was a landscape artist. Her grandfather was a tenor and a pianist, and Navarre was herself a budding pianist. The house was filled with music and art.

She attended college at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and at Kent State University. She married in 1977, and in 1978 her daughter Kira was born. The young family moved west, first to Coeur d'Alene and then to Vail, Colo. After Navarre and her husband divorced, she and Kira moved to Sandpoint in 1983, just as 5-year-old Kira was ready to start kindergarten.

Navarre struggled to make ends meet as a single mother. She recalls that in those days a single woman could not even qualify for a credit card. She worked as a housekeeper and at local businesses that offered flexible hours so she could be home with Kira after school.

She began cleaning for Steve Navarre, who owned Steve's Import Auto. Steve worked on and teased her about her choice of car, a Pontiac Phoenix. Romance blossomed, and in 1987 she and Steve were married by Sandpoint's favorite musician, the late, great Charlie Packard, at the Beyond Hope Resort.

Navarre volunteered regularly at Kira's schools. She discovered that she loved being at school and working with children. She made the decision to return to school herself to become a certified teacher. In 1988 that meant commuting to Coeur d'Alene four nights a week to attend classes. She carpooled with fellow students Jill Albertson, Liz Gaven and Linda Ryan, and the four women became lifelong friends.

In 1992, Navarre graduated and accepted her first position, teaching math and art at Priest River Junior High. She shared that this was one of the most memorable experiences of her life.

"It was the kids," she said. "It was the opportunity to teach art, to give them confidence, to reinforce their ideas and their dreams. To shield those less fortunate, providing them with a safe place at school, and sometimes with food and clothing. To offer an eager smile, an ear to listen and a light heart."

Navarre has remained in contact with many of her students. When that first class of seventh-graders graduated from high school, she was honored to be asked to speak at their graduation. After her first year of teaching at Priest River, she transferred to Sandpoint Middle School, where she taught for 25 years before retiring in 2018.

Following retirement, Navarre continues her work with the Task Force and other organizations, contributing to the community with the same passion and commitment that defined her career as an educator. Her many friends attest to the fact that she reads voraciously and recreates joyfully.

The gala brunch honoring Navarre and her fellow recipients will take place June 14 at the Marigold Bistro in the Umpqua Bank Building, 414 Church St. The event begins at 11 a.m. 

Tickets must be purchased in advance as seating is limited. Contact Diane Stockton at 208-290-6362 or [email protected] to reserve a spot at the celebration.