How LINC, DSS revolutionized the road out of welfare

Marge Randle wasn’t expecting the welfare revolution that would soon draw President Bill Clinton to town that day she first walked into Gayle Hobbs’ LINC office some 30 years ago. Randle and Hobbs quickly knew something special was happening. The creative concept of LINC, Randle said, was “a breath of fresh air.”

‘Most fortunate man': LINC's founder at 100

To find Bert Berkley, you push a doorbell set in a ceramic rainbow trout, and the man himself, on the verge of 100, stands at the threshold, beckoning visitors into the ambiance of the life he’s lived. The civic giant — named Mr. Kansas City in 1971 — and former longtime CEO and president of the still family-owned-and-run Tension Envelope has powered on, seemingly non-stop, while LINC’s Caring Communities mission grew and evolved beyond his early imaginings.

So begins our tribute to LINC's founder, Korean War survivor, business innovator, civic giant and master fisherman as he reaches a full century of life.

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