​Breaking Ceilings in Rotary and Beyond

Linda Coble broke ceilings in Rotary and beyond.  She was the 1st woman President of the Honolulu Rotary Club, the 1st woman television news reporter and anchor in Hawaii, and the 1st woman District Governor in District 5000.

 

Linda’s award winning career in television and radio news began after graduating from the University of Oregon and moving to Hawaii in 1969. A General Manager at the CBS affiliate told her to “come back, when you have had more experience and a sex change operation.” Her grandmother was so ticked, she gave her a graduation trip to Hawaii, and there, Linda was hired at Channel 4 as a Newsroom Secretary.

Linda learned, was mentored by the best, and stopped sweeping floors in no time. She was the first female television news reporter and anchor in Hawaii, working for both the ABC and CBS affiliates, and was the first female anchor on CBS affiliate KOIN TV in Portland.  Her KGMB boss Bob Sevey knew she had a point to make, when he offered her a 2-year trip to put women on the map in Oregon.  

That is where she met her husband-to-be Kirk Matthews, who joined her, when she returned to TV & KGMB in Honolulu.  Linda reported the news on the top rated morning drive radio station KSSK for ten years. She now spends her time in service to Rotary (which she joined in 1987) ,The Hawaii Family Support Institute, which is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse, and Family Programs Hawaii. Linda was married for 33 years to the late television news anchor Kirk. They enjoyed golf, movies, traveling to Rotary Institutes and Conventions around the world, and spending time with Kirk’s grown two daughters.