Robert Frank Dalton Jr. ’69

Frank died June 9, 2023, in his hometown of High Point, N.C. His life was shaped by a passion for history, architecture, and automobiles.

Frank came to Princeton from Woodberry Forest, where he was active on the literary magazine and played football. At Princeton, he was vice chairman of Orange Key and ate at Quadrangle. Reflecting his main interests, his thesis topic for the English department was “Symbolic Architecture in Henry James.”

After receiving a master’s degree in architecture from North Carolina State, Frank practiced architecture in Denver and Vail, Colo., before returning to High Point to join the family business, the Alma Desk Co. Along the way, he built a sizable collection of exotic sports cars, including a vintage Corvette similar to one he drove while at Princeton.

In our 35th-reunion yearbook, Frank proudly wrote of founding Carousel 1, a company that from 1998 to 2009 produced high-quality die-cast 1/18th-scale model cars, especially historic Indianapolis 500 race cars. His attention to detail and commitment to preserving racing history captivated collectors and enthusiasts alike. He shared his passion for cars with a number of classmates and enjoyed sending them his scale models. His beautiful Christmas cards were reproductions of drawings he did on his frequent trips to Europe.

We will remember this jovial, multi-talented Southerner, friend to many, beloved by his family. We send our condolences to his sister, Lucinda Dalton Macdonald and her husband Taylor; and to Frank’s Macdonald nieces and nephews, Margaret, Dalton, Worth, and Eliza.