Brigadier General Donald Dalton, USAF, Retired, of Mayflower, Arkansas was born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 10, 1939. BG Dalton graduated from Little Rock Central High School in 1957. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the University of Arkansas (Little Rock) and a Masters in Management Development from Harvard Business School. His military education included Squadron Officer School, National Defense University, and Air War College.

General Dalton enlisted as an airman in the Arkansas Air National Guard (ANG) in 1957 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1961. He completed Undergraduate Pilot Training at Laredo AFB, Texas in 1962 and was subsequently assigned as a reconnaissance pilot in the 154th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Little Rock, flying RB-57 aircraft. During the call-up for the Pueblo Crisis in 1968, General Dalton served as air operations officer. He remained in tactical flying until the group transitioned to KC-135 aircraft in 1975, at which point he became a tanker pilot and operations staff officer. In 1978, he was appointed as an information staff officer for Headquarters, Arkansas ANG. He was selected as Deputy Commander, Arkansas ANG in December 1988, flying as an operational evaluator in the 189th Tactical Airlift Group C-130 aircraft. General Dalton was named Chief of Staff, Arkansas ANG in February 1990, Commander, Arkansas ANG in June 1991, and federally recognized as a Brigadier General on April 8, 1992. BG Dalton was a Command Pilot with over 2000 flying hours in the T-37, T-33, RB-57, RF-101, KC-135, and C-130 aircraft.

In his civilian life, Don served as Vice President and General Manager for Valmac in Russellville, Arkansas. He also retired as President of U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and was elected as Chairman in 1978. In 2010, he was honored by the American Poultry Historical Society and inducted into the Poultry Hall of Fame. From 2012-2013, he served as President of the Conway Noon Lions Club and was dedicated to honoring his country through their Patriot Project, a flag holiday observance program. In February 2015, the Lions Club renamed the project "The Don Dalton Patriot Project." He served on the Arkansas Military Veterans' Hall of Fame as Chairman of the Selection Committee from September 2011 to January 2015, developing the standards for selecting honorees for the hall of fame.

Don was also deeply involved in his community and church. He served as a Deacon of Central Baptist Church of Conway, volunteered many hours at the Central Baptist Food Pantry, and taught adult Sunday school. Don was a long-time member of the Gideon's organization and actively participated in mission trips. He readily offered assistance to those in need, particularly during the Mayflower tornado in April 2014, where he dedicated hundreds of hours to helping his neighbors recover from the disaster.