Charles E. Dalton
The Clemson Alumni Association has recognized Charles E. Dalton of Greenville as one of four recipients of the 2014 Distinguished Service Award, the association’s highest honor.
Distinguished Service Award honorees demonstrate a dedication to enhancing the value of the university for future generations, professional and public service and personal accomplishments that serve as a model for present and future Clemson students.
Dalton graduated from Clemson in 1964. He has served as president and CEO of Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative Inc. since 1982. Since 1992, he has also served as president and CEO of Blue Ridge Security Solutions. Prior to that, he and his brother, Allison Dalton, owned and operated Dalton’s Incorporated in Pickens, a high-end furniture store that once provided the décor for portions of both the Clemson House and the Clemson president’s home.
Dalton served on the Clemson Alumni Association board as well as the Clemson University Foundation board of directors. He has been an annual donor to the Clemson Fund for more than 35 years, and gave a major gift to the WestZone project as part of The Will to Lead capital campaign.
Dalton recently completed serving a two-year term as the president of IPTAY, of which he has been a member for more than 40 years. He previously served IPTAY as its treasurer, secretary and president-elect.
Dalton is serving or has recently served on the boards of directors for many Upstate agencies, including the Upstate Alliance of South Carolina, Cannon Memorial Hospital, the Greenville chapter of the American Red Cross, the Palmetto Conservation Foundation, Innovate Anderson and the Peace Center. He has also served many years on the South Carolina Department of Transportation Commission.
Because of his efforts to bring jobs to Pickens County, he was named a South Carolina Development Ally in 2005. He received the Outstanding Community Service Award from the Better Business Bureau and Individual Initiative Award from the governor of South Carolina.
Dalton and his wife, Libby, have three children, all Clemson alumni.
