Thomas “Tom” W. Dalton Jr. was the 506th initiate of the Lambda Chapter at the University of Georgia in the spring of 1961. Because of his love of Pi Kappa Phi, Brother Dalton joined the National Fraternity Staff after graduation, where he worked for two years as the Director of Alumni Relations.
After his time on staff, Brother Dalton went on to take a position as the Director of College Relations at North Georgia College and State University. It was in this role that he became the driving force that began Pi Kappa Phi’s Delta Beta Chapter there.
Brother Dalton hand-picked many of the Founding Fathers who started the chapter and having just left the National Staff, he had a great relationship with then Executive Director of Pi Kappa Phi, Durward Owen. These two things helped to get the chapter off the ground. Furthermore, both his brother Don Dalton (a fellow Lambda Chapter member as well) and he served as Delta Beta’s chartering officers.
As time went on, Brother Dalton continued to remain involved with Pi Kappa Phi. His son Kevin joined the Lambda Chapter in 1991, and the following year, he was honored for his service to the Fraternity when he received a Merit Citation, the second-highest volunteer honor in the fraternity, from the 43rd Supreme Chapter. Sadly, in 2008, Brother Dalton passed to Chapter Eternal. However, his legacy lives on today through the Delta Beta Chapter, which he served for so many years.
Criteria
Each fall, the Thomas W. Dalton Jr. Memorial Scholarship recognizes one member of the Delta Beta (North Georgia) Chapter with a $1,000 grant.
To be eligible, an applicant must:
- Be an initiated member of the Delta Beta Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity
- Be enrolled as a full-time student at North Georgia College and State University
- Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Complete the entire application