St. Ambrose parishioner Linda Itami inducted into Salt Lake Council of Women Hall of Fame

Intermountain Catholic

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Linda Itami (left) signs the Salt Lake Council of Women Hall of Fame scroll with SLCW president Janet Geyser. The SLCW Hall of Fame began in 1934. IC photo/Christine Young

SALT LAKE CITY — Linda Itami was inducted with six other candidates into the 2013 Salt Lake Council of Women Hall of Fame at a dinner Feb. 23.

Candidates for the SLCW Hall of Fame must have given 25 years or more of community or civic voluntary service in Wasatch Front communities and have been active in community affairs during the 10 years prior to their nomination.

Itami is a member of Saint Ambrose Parish, and a member of the Catholic Woman’s League, a member organization of the SLCW. She currently serves as a delegate to the Women’s State Legislative Council for the SLCW and also has served as a delegate from the Italian American Civic League. Delegates to the council come from individual women’s organizations in the Salt Lake area, and subscribe to the goals of SLCW.

The SLCW has been a force for civic improvement through its many member organizations since 1912. The purpose of the council is to take an active interest in community affairs and to promote the general welfare of communities along the Wasatch Front.

Itami has served in many positions in the SLCW: as the flag custodian, the vice chair of the Hall of Fame committee, chair of the conservation and public safety committee, the cultural arts committee and served as chaplain.

"Linda has managed her career and was able to raise two daughters and volunteer at the same time," said Janet Geyser, SLCW president and member of Saint Vincent de Paul Parish.

Itami incorporated her roles as a mother, a wife, her career and volunteer service as "a way of life," said Melanie Bowen, SLCW Hall of Fame chairwoman. "Itami moved to Utah from Connecticut in 1967 and over the next 45 years, changed her career from teacher to real estate agent, and her club affiliations have grown in numbers. Her involvement in the community spans local, national and international borders and from the arts to fundraising, Girl Scouts, Parent/Teacher Association, exchange program host family, member and volunteer in the Assistance League, editor of the Marriage Encounter newsletter, various church positions, numerous real estate committees and councils and she has helped her husband in his charitable endeavors, including the Knights of Columbus."

Itami has been honored several times by Prudential Real Estate, where she is employed, with Prudential Cares Volunteer grants in recognition of her volunteer work in the community and for being an inspiration to her colleagues. She also has been recognized with the Distinguished Service Award of the Salt Lake Board of Realtors, which recognizes industry, dedication, participation, professionalism, education and service.

Itami grew up in Norwalk, Conn., where she majored in German at the University of Connecticut and studied abroad in Germany.

"Half of my heritage is German and I think it’s important to understand where you come from," Itami said, adding that she finished her degree at the University of Utah to teach German. "But I got a job at a real estate company and this year will mark 40 years as an active Realtor in the Salt Lake Board of Realtors," she said.

Being trained as a teacher has helped Itami in her real estate career because she is thorough in explaining obligations to a buyer or seller, she said. "Real estate also has given me flexible time to volunteer and I’m not dependant on my career for my satisfaction in life," she said.

Itami’s parents influenced her desire for community service, she said. "My mother was active in the Red Cross and in the Catholic Women’s Guild, and my father grew up in an orphanage during the Depression, where he learned to be resourceful. He also was the president of his labor union, a volunteer job. They were always serving other people and taught me to give back. I belonged to the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a teen and learned church tasks such as counting money as well as rolling bandages for the hospital."