James Edward Dalton

General James E. Dalton, USAF (Ret.) departed this life peacefully at the age of 93 at his home in Rolling Hills Estates on August 4th. Born on October 17th, 1930 in Manhattan, New York to Irish-Catholic parents, Jim was the only surviving child of Edward Dalton and Marion Conway Dalton and spent his formative years in Flatbush, Brooklyn. He passed a competitive entrance examination and gained admission to Brooklyn Technical High School, graduating in 1949. Jim sought an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, but was the 3rd alternate from his district. Denied admission, he enrolled in the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn for a year.

In 1950 Jim secured a primary appointment to West Point and entered as a plebe with the class of 1954, with the stated intent to study engineering and enter the newly independent Air Force upon graduation. Four years later Jim achieved both goals and was off to pilot training as a commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in U.S. Air Force. After completing pilot training in 1955, Jim was assigned to the 76th Air Transport Squadron at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, serving as a C-121C Super Constellation aircraft commander.

In 1958, he entered the University of Michigan where he received Master of Science degrees in aeronautical and astronautical engineering, and instrumentation engineering in 1960. While at Michigan, he met Betty Jane Irwin, a stewardess for Capitol Air Lines, while on a business trip. Ten months later, Jim and Betty were married and moved to California. Jim was assigned to Los Angeles Air Force Station, where he was a project officer responsible for the development of operational targeting programs for inertially guided intercontinental ballistic missiles.

In 1964, Jim and Betty moved to Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, where Jim attend the Air Command and Staff College and became a distinguished graduate in 1965. Following graduation, Jim was requalified to fly the C-130 Hercules and assigned to the 374th Tactical Airlift Wing, Naha Air Base, Okinawa. While stationed in Okinawa for the next 3 years, Jim spent over 200 days per year flying combat and combat support missions in Southeast Asia as an operations officer and deputy commander of C-130 forward operating locations.

From May 1968 to July 1972, Jim and Betty lived in Washington, D.C. Jim was assigned as the program element monitor for the Advanced Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Technology Program in Air Force Research and Development. He was a distinguished graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF) in June 1970. After graduation from ICAF, Jim was an adviser to the principal U.S. military delegate in the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT) with the Soviet Union.

In August 1972, Jim became Vice Commander of the 438th Military Airlift Wing, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, until May 1973, when he took command of the 39th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. As wing commander, Jim was responsible for the rescue operations of seven squadrons and 14 detachments located in Europe, Iceland, Greenland, Alaska, Panama and the United States. In February 1975 he become commander of the Air Reserve Personnel Center in Denver.

In November 1976 Jim and Betty returned to Washington D.C. where they lived until July 1983. Jim moved up through the General Officer ranks while serving in numerous roles of increasing responsibility on the broad range of national security issues. He served on the Air Staff, was vice director of the Joint Staff, commandant of ICAF, and finally director of the Joint Staff. In August 1983, Jim was promoted to his fourth star and assumed the duties of Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Mons, Belgium.

Following a two-year tour of duty at SHAPE, Jim retired from the Air Force in July 1985 after 31 years of service to our nation. He was a command pilot with more than 5,400 flying hours. His military decorations included the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and six Air Medals.

Following Jim’s retirement from the Air Force in 1985, he and Betty relocated to Los Angeles, California and Jim began his second career as a Vice President of Logicon Inc. and President of its wholly owned subsidiary, Logicon RDA. He was the General Manager of Logicon’s Defense Technology Group comprising four companies, over 2,100 employees, and sales in excess of $200 million annually. In 1997, Logicon was merged with Northrop Grumman Corporation and Jim served as a vice president for Northrop Grumman until his retirement from industry in 1998.

Jim resided in Rolling Hills Estates for 39 years and was a longtime member of St. John Fisher Catholic Church and the Rolling Hills Country Club. He served for 21 years as the President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association. He was a trustee of the Falcon Foundation of the USAF Academy, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Pacific Council on International Policy, the Air Force Association, and the Order of Daedalians.

Jim was predeceased by his wife Betty Irwin Dalton. He is survived by his children Christopher Dalton of San Diego, California, Stephanie Dalton Reed of Palos Verdes Peninsula, California, and Todd Dalton of Wheaton, Illinois; seven grandchildren, Dalton Reed, Henry Reed, Jake Dalton, Samuel Reed, Drew Dalton, Josh Dalton, and Annabelle Dalton; and great grandson Tenoch Reed.