Alton M. Chapman Sr. ’76

Alton M. Chapman Sr. ’76 passed away on August 30, 2017, in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Alton devoted his life to helping young people in all manner of ways and circumstances. In February 2017, approximately 500 people, including members of nonprofit organizations, civic leaders and Chattanooga officials, honored him at an event called “Celebrating a Legacy of Service: Honoring Alton Chapman Sr.” Alton was director of the nonprofit City Ministries in the 1980s and 1990s, the first director of Chattanooga’s office of faith-based and community partnerships in the mid-2000s and later head of its human resources department. He cofounded and served as president of Front Door Alliance and was the first black chairman of the Community Foundation of Chattanooga. Alton also worked for The World Needs a Father, a program that brought more than 500 fathers into inner-city schools as mentors. Alton believed in giving back to his community and that he had to help others as so many people helped him. In addition to his parents, to whom he attributed his dedication to helping others, he was mentored during his time at Dartmouth by the late Scott Probasco ’50, who hired Alton after his graduation from Dartmouth. Alton is survived by his mother Callie Sue, wife Elvira, son Ace, daughters Melissa and Ashley, four grandchildren and nine brothers and sisters and their spouses and children.