The Viterbo community extends heartfelt condolences to the friends and family of Viterbo alumna Linda Balgord Fenton ’82, who passed away at age 64. Balgord earned her BA in Theatre at Viterbo.
She enjoyed a successful Broadway career, performing in many Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals including Cats, as the final Grizabella. Balgord played Norma Desmond in the original U.S. tour of Sunset Boulevard, and Madame Giry in Phantom of the Opera. She met stage manager Andy Fenton when they were working on Aspects of Love and they married.
Balgord is a two-time Helen Hayes Award recipient and was nominated for a Drama Desk award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Queen Elizabeth I in The Pirate Queen.
At Viterbo, Balgord performed major roles in The Importance of Being Earnest, Miss Julie, Fiddler On the Roof, She Loves Me, My Fair Lady, You Can't Take It With You, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story and Ah, Wilderness.
She received the Young Alumna Award in 1990. In 2012, Balgord returned to campus, where she offered advice during a Viterbo student rehearsal of Cats.
Take a moment to read the special tributes to Linda Balgord Fenton and enjoy the walk down memory lane.
Marsha (Paulson) Rubinelli ’82
Marsha and Linda were roommates and friends. Their paths after college took them in different directions, but they always remained in touch.
Marsha had great memories with Linda during their time together at Viterbo and shared, "We started college together, and we were both from small towns in Wisconsin. I was a character actor and Linda had this incredible voice. In our junior year we moved off campus to an apartment. Some of the best memories I have are us sitting around the kitchen table together with our roommate Jeanne Graner. We would study and talk and eat cookie dough.
Linda had a trundle bed, and sometimes we would end up sharing that bed, talking and talking all night. She dated my best friend from my hometown of Clayton, Wis. for one-and-a-half years.
Saturdays were for cleaning our apartment, and Linda loved Neil Diamond. She would crank the tunes and away we cleaned.
There was no doubt from the very beginning where she was going with that voice. But she always stayed in touch and she was always kind. The day after my husband (Tony Rubinelli ‘84) passed away, Linda called me."
Rev. Geoffrey Ward ’82
Geoff Ward ’82 and Linda performed together in 11 Viterbo productions from 1978-1982.
He shared, "Linda's passing is a tremendous sorrow. During our four years together as Theatre Majors at Viterbo College, from 1978-1982, Linda and I were in 11 theatrical productions at The Fine Arts Center.
"Sharing the stage with Linda was an honor, and we learned an immeasurable amount together. She was a joy to work with, as she was as kind as she was talented. I am so grateful for that time and for her outstanding contribution to the Theatre. I pray for her peaceful repose."
Theresa (Messerschmidt) Smerud, ’80
Campus activities and other connections brought Theresa, an art major, close to Linda and other theatre students. She reflected on how Linda never forgot her roots and made it a point to share her time and talent on campus and in her hometown.
Theresa shared about her, "Linda returned to Viterbo for the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Fine Arts Center in 2011, which included a performance of The Sound of Music. She played the role of Mother Superior, and she shared that role with a theatre student. To me, sharing the role said a lot about Linda’s character.
Linda also was behind the camera backstage that evening, taking photos for people wishing to commemorate the special anniversary. She understood that was a special evening for Sister Marie Leon La Croix. Sr. Marie’s mentorship had a positive impact on her students, including Linda, and Linda lived out many of those lessons.
Linda always remembered her roots. She moved back to her hometown with her husband and generously supported the New Lisbon Memorial Library and programming for children."
John Rice ’83
John and Linda met on the set of She Loves Me in the LaCroix Black Box Theatre the summer before he started college. They were classmates and friends for 44 years.
John said about Linda "I knew then she was a remarkable talent. Linda and I studied and worked together on stage at Viterbo and then in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Working opposite her was always a powerful experience, and I was a better actor for each moment I spent with her. As a mutual friend said, “She was an actress of another time. Bold, theatrical, and absolutely authentic.
And she was the same as a person. Passionate and caring, socially responsible, and an active member of her community. Linda was sweet. And she was wickedly funny.
That she was as successful as she became was no surprise to me. She belonged on stage. She belonged on Broadway. But I think her heart was in her hometown of New Lisbon, Wis. where she returned to do many more good things. Driving through New Lisbon with my daughter a couple of years ago, I told her of my long friendship with Linda and all of her accomplishments. Then I said, "In fact, I think she lives right there, next to the park." And then, there she was! In her front yard with her husband, Andy. Linda and Andy and their joyous spirits poured into my daughter's life as well, a rare treat and privilege for anyone.
I will miss knowing Linda is on this earth. Her death was too soon for us. God sometimes works in strange ways. Her spirit lives on in all of us, and for that I am grateful."
Jody Steinke, studied at Viterbo from ’78 to ’82
Jody recalled how she and Linda remained good friends even though they competed for roles. They performed together in a variety of Viterbo productions from Romeo and Juliet to She Loves Me, West Side Story, and Fiddler on the Roof.
Jody shared, "In the fall of 1978 as freshmen in the Viterbo Theatre Department, we had our first auditions. Linda was cast as Cecily for The Importance of Being Earnest. She was the only freshman cast in a major role for a main stage production. It was very apparent that she was the one to watch. She excelled early and was cast often. She seemed to have a certain confidence, poise, and emerging talent that set her apart.
Musical Theatre was where her heart lived and her voice soared. It was a great pleasure to know and perform with her. I am so very happy that she was able to grace so many stages and entertain so very many audiences in her lifetime. She is remembered by so many in our class, as well as her other Viterbo friends. She most definitely had a song in her heart, and we were most fortunate to have heard her sing it."