Linton Deck, originally from East Point, Georgia, grew up during the Second World War, before coming to Davidson in 1946, as a freshman member of the class of 1950. While at Davidson, Deck participated in the ROTC, and was commissioned in 1950, and assigned to the 81st Infantry Division, based in Atlanta. Deck concurrently worked as a science teacher and assistant football coach in a suburban high school. In 1956, Deck became an assistant principal, and by 1964, had served as a high school principal for four years. In addition he served as a captain in the ROTC for 14 years. In April 1964, Deck was admitted to a doctoral program at Harvard University, for which he transplanted his family to Boston the following summer. After completing his doctorate, Deck returned to the South, as the school superintendend of the Orange County, FL school system, before moving once again to the Fairfax County, Virginia school system in January 1980.