Getting to Know our Neighbors: Linda and Ken Felter

 Continuing our series "Getting to Know Our Neighbors,” we want to introduce you to Linda Felter and her husband Ken.  Ken and Linda met in the fall of 1991. (More about that later.) Many years prior to that, Ken completed Harvard Law School and was living in an apartment on Walden Street that his friends kidded was still “student housing." So, he began to look for “adult housing.” “The years 1989 and 1990 saw a glut of condos in the Greater Boston area and several developers were holding auctions to stimulate sales.” He did his homework, attended a few auctions, and focused on an upcoming auction of Esplanade units. He had a list of criteria -- condo living on the river, high up in the building, outdoor space, not close to the Longfellow Bridge T, and convenient to his work on State Street. He narrowed his top choices to six Esplanade units that satisfied his criteria. Ken went to the auction at the Royal Sonesta and, in 1991, purchased the unit in the East Tower that they live in now. He notes that this was fortunate timing for, in just five years, their condo “had regained fair market value.” And, he remembers, with a smile, that, for some reason, many of his friends showed up on his first Fourth of July to help him celebrate with the fireworks on the Charles and the Boston Pops across the River! The Fourth of July celebrations continued for many years.

During this time, Linda was the office manager “at a small law firm at Marina Bay and living at the old Baker Chocolate Factory in Dorchester.” After their first meeting, Ken surprised Linda by sending her Grateful Dead tickets; she was a fan and thrilled with the gift. Later he sent her tickets to the ballet and she was impressed “that they were front row center.” We joked that Ken was courting Linda with tickets! It worked and Linda moved in with Ken in 1994. For the next few years, Linda worked part-time at a small law firm located in the Davenport Building in East Cambridge while finishing her degree in economics at UMass Boston. She left the job in Cambridge and then worked at another law firm on State Street. She “got them automated, straightened out the books, and generally kept them organized.” Linda stayed with them until Covid.

After law school, Ken was a trial lawyer for many years. He worked at Goodwin Procter for many years and then at Ropes and Gray for nine years specializing in intellectual property litigation. He is now of counsel at Ropes & Gray.  In 2016-17, Ken was a Fellow and Senior Fellow at Harvard’s unique Advanced Leadership Initiative, a program that invites professionals in “the ‘3rd stage —the first being academic, the second income producing, and the third contributing to making world changes.” The goal for each Fellow is to develop “a plan to change the world.” Ken had been a member of the Board of Directors at the Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS), the oldest and largest legal services organization in New England for decades. He served as President of the GBLS 2017-2018. He developed an automated intake system making it more efficient and better able to service their low-income clients more quickly; there are 10,000 requests a month. He also restructured the organization financially -- creating a more sustainable program. Ken now teaches both at Harvard Law School and to undergraduates in the Economics Department. He also teaches at Boston College.

Ken and Linda mentioned that they came from very different backgrounds. Ken’s dad was in the military and Ken lived in 12 different places growing up, including a few years in Germany. Linda, on the other hand, lived in Hingham until she left home for school; in fact, her parents, married in 1955, lived in the same house their entire lives together.  And, although Ken was a Yankees fan when he arrived in Boston for his undergraduate studies at BC, he soon switched alliances to the Red Sox and has had season tickets since 1978!  Ken and Linda love life at the Esplanade and they lead very full lives, taking advantage of what Boston and Camridge have to offer. In addition to the Red Sox, they share season tickets with friends to the Patriots, the Bruins, and the Celtics. Not to neglect science and the arts, they are also season-ticket holders to the Ballet, the Symphony, and members of the MFA, the Museum of Science, and the New England Aquarium. They both love music -- live performances in particular.

Every couple of years, they take a sailing trip, usually with Ken’s sister and her husband. On these special trips, they rent a catamaran and have sailed in the United States and British Virgin Islands, the Maldives, the Grenadines, the Seychelles, and French Polynesia where they celebrated Ken’s 60th birthday. Linda especially enjoys her walks from the Esplanade. She is fond of the North Point Park and where it leads from there -- the Constitution; several Charlestown restaurants; Mt. Auburn Cemetery; down Charles Street to the Boston Garden; and the Arnold Arboretum. Linda is an active member of one of the women’s book clubs in the Esplanade. I will add here that Linda’s deck garden is gorgeous. (See photo)

Both feel that the Esplanade is well-run and well-maintained and are happy that it’s managed by an in-house staff. They caution about taking things for granted and hope that others are looking out for the building and its residents. When asked what suggestions they have, Ken and Linda had a few great ideas: ECG to sponsor more activities, with guest speakers, including residents in our building. They also recommended a survey of the residents to discover what activities they would like and what they’re interested in generally and how they would improve life at the Esplanade. They noted that one event could be celebrating the opening of Triangle Park when that happens—good idea!  Ken and Linda are an active, interesting, and fun couple with full lives so when you see them, say ‘Hi”!