Portion of Highway 74 will be named Dalton

The Rutherford County Government, North Carolina Board of Commissioners honored Isothermal Community College President Walter Dalton on Tuesday evening by naming a portion of U.S. 74 after him. Dalton has spent a lifetime in public service. He was a six-term state senator, representing Rutherford and Cleveland counties. From 2008 until 2012, he was North Carolina's lieutenant governor. In 2012, he was the Democratic nominee in the state's gubernatorial race. He has been the president of Isothermal Community College since May 2013. He is retiring in February 2021. The portion of the highway that will carry Dalton's name runs from U.S. 221 to the Polk County line. After the unanimous vote, all of the commissioners individually shared stories about interactions with Dalton and thanked him for his service. Shown in the photo (left to right) are Commissioner Board Chair Bryan King, Dalton, with commissioners Eddie Holland, Mike Benefield and Alan Toney.