Feb. 14, 2001

South Dakota Track and Field will holst the John Dalton Memorial Meet on Saturday, Feb. 17 at the DakotaDome. Events will begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 3:45 p.m. The John Dalton Memorial Track and Field Meet is held in honor of USD alumnus John Dalton, who passed away June 26, 2000.

ABOUT JOHN DALTON: A native of Sioux City, Iowa, Dalton graduated from Akron (Iowa) High School and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. Dalton, who transferred to USD after attending Morningside College for one semester, received a business degree from USD in 1954, as well as his officer's commission in the United States Army. Dalton played football for the Coyotes until a serious neck injury in 1952 put him on the sidelines. However, Dalton continued to compete with the Track and Field team, running the 880 and the mile relays. He was also a member of the ROTC Scabbard and Blade, as well as an active member of the Lambda Chi Fraternity.

After graduating from USD, Dalton was hired at Artesian (S.D.) High School, where he taught and coached boys and girls basketball and football. Later, Dalton earned a master's degree in education. During that time, he was married to Kathleen Gunderson of Centerville, S.D., also a graduate of USD (1957). The Daltons moved to Walnut Creek, Calif., where John taught and coached for several years at Park Mead Elementary School. Later, he switched gears and was hired as a salesman for AH Robins Pharmaceuticals where he ranked in the top ten salesman of his district for over 20 years until his retirement. He also retired from the United States Army as a Colonel with over 30 years of service. After retirement, Dalton moved back to Vermillion in the early 1990s. Then, he took on the responsibility of advisor for the Lambda Chi fraternity for seven years. He was a member of the Greek Advisory Council and an active supporter of theUSD athletic department. He utilized his salesman experience in raising funds, which provided support for South Dakota to hire a permanent fund raising position forTthe University of South Dakota Athletic Department. He attended all of the USD football games, home and away, and also volunteered his time at the USD track meets and helped expand the Track and Field program.