RIP Kenny Dalton, a great man, community leader, civil rights activist, civic champion and history advocate who did so much to improve this community.
"On behalf of the City of Reno, we are deeply saddened by the passing of Kenny Dalton, one of our city's first Black firefighters in the 1980s and a trailblazing advocate who inspired and mentored many generations," Mayor Hillary Schieve wrote earlier this week.
Dalton was a past president of the Reno chapter of the NAACP and the founder of Our Story, Inc., which sought to collect, preserve and exhibit the contributions, heritage, culture, and accomplishments of people who have not been well represented in Northern Nevada’s public image.
Artifacts and memorabilia in his possession included those of boxing legend, Jack Johnson, who had won the fight of the century in Reno in 1910, and also activist Bertha S. Woodard, who petitioned the Reno City Council in 1959 to lift a ban on minorities in local casinos.
He also helped found the Northern Nevada African American Firefighter Museum and was helping plan upcoming City of Reno Black History Month celebrations.
He was a longtime member of Reno Fire Union Local 731.
A Tacoma, Washington native, Dalton moved to the Biggest Little City in the mid 1980s, where he also coached football and track.
He had attended and played football at Washington State University from 1978-1981, and later obtained an Associate’s Degree in Fire Science from TMCC.
In an interview with Our Town Reno we had asked him how he would like to be remembered.
"I’d like to be remembered as a person that was passionate, fair and treated people the way [they] wanted to be treated. That’s pretty much me," he said.
Those are ideals we should all live up to. RIP to a great man who did so much for so many and had immeasurable positive impact.
Our Town Reno reporting, January 2025
