W.E. Dalby Legacy
Walter Dalby was a certified public accountant and the founder of Dalby, Wendland & Co. in western Colorado and was a resident of Grand Junction from 1946 until his death in 1988.
He was born Aug. 1, 1910, in Cheraw to Walter E. and Kathryn Barbee Dalby. He spent his childhood in northeastern Colorado and graduated from Wellington High School in 1927. He earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Colorado, and later taught accounting at the university. He was a member of the Kappa Kappa Psi and Beta Alpha Psi honorary fraternities.
He married Gertrude Irene Overholt Feb. 8, 1935, in Boulder.
Mr. Dalby received his certified public accountant certificate in 1937 and held several accounting positions in the Denver area before joining the national firm of Ernst & Ernst, with which he became the supervisory accountant for western Colorado. He moved his family to Grand Junction in 1946. In 1948, Mr. Dalby formed his own public accounting firm in Grand Junction, which grew to include several partners and employed more than 100 people. Although he retired in 1972, Dalby Wendland & Co. continues with offices in Grand Junction, Montrose, Glenwood Springs and Denver.
In his professional career, Mr. Dalby was an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants. He was involved in the uranium exploration during the 1950s and created many of the accounting procedures then used industry-wide. He served on panels for the University of Denver Tax Institute, the Colorado and New Mexico Societies of Certified Public Accountants, and the Utah Accounting Society. Mr. Dalby served on the Tax Committee of the Colorado Mining Association for several years, and represented the association at congressional hearings in Washington, D.C. He has had several speeches and papers published.
Mr. Dalby was a member and past president (1952-53) of the Grand Junction Rotary Club, a Shriner, a 32nd degree Mason (Scottish Rite) and a past member of the University Club of Denver. He had served on the board of directors for the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce, St. Mary’s Hospital and the Clyde Biggs Foundation.
He enjoyed fishing and boating. His interest in golf led him to become a founding member of the Bookcliff Country Club.
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