Dalmas Hildor Nelson

Dalmas Hildor Nelson, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend, and professor, aged 96, died peacefully on Feb. 4, 2022, of causes incident to old age. He was born Sept. 5, 1925, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, to Arthur Louis and Magdalena Stucki Nelson.

Dalmas grew up as the son of a potato farmer in the small community of Coltman, northeast of Idaho Falls. He was the fifth child in a family of eight and developed the strong work ethic and family team spirit required by that upbringing. While on the farm, he had three close shaves with death: dealing with a runaway team of horses, nearly drowning in the Idaho Canal, and being struck by lightning. He emerged unscathed and stronger each time.

Dalmas met and courted the love of his life, JoAnn Barlow, at the University of Utah. They were married by Elder David O. McKay on March 21, 1949, in the Salt Lake Temple. After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Utah, he obtained a Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard. His dissertation won the coveted Toppan prize and earned him a fellowship at the Brookings Institution. He initially taught at the University of Nebraska and Duke University.

In 1960, Dalmas moved to California with JoAnn and their three sons—Mark, Brent, and Daniel—to pursue an academic career in teaching and research at San Fernando Valley State College (which later became California State University, Northridge). He was a professor, and an activist and innovator in the field of Public Administration, winning an Excellence in Teaching Award. He and JoAnn organized a Play Reading group among friends and family that lasted 14 years in California.

Apart from meeting JoAnn, he considered that his greatest miracle occurred in 1975, when the University of Utah recruited him as a professor in the Political Science Department, to continue his teaching, research, and writing. He cofounded the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program with Dr. Robert Huffner and served as a member of the Utah Personnel Review Board. His teaching, research, and writing focused, among on others, on public administration, administrative law, ethics in administration and on tort liability in government. He developed the criminal justice system track for the MPA program. The Dalmas Nelson Lecture Series on Law and Ethics endures at the University of Utah.

Wherever Dalmas taught, he implemented a strategy that helped his students learn to think and write well, which he knew was key to their later success. He would carefully and constructively critique his students’ papers, and then allow them to rewrite their papers and resubmit them for a better grade. Although this strategy effectively doubled his workload in this aspect of teaching—he had to read and grade each paper twice—his students were able to improve their professional skills significantly. The Garth N. Jones & Dalmas H. Nelson Writing Award continues to inspire MPA students in this regard.

Dalmas was considered a challenging but very effective teacher because he would expect students to come to class prepared to discuss the material. He would call on students by name and expect them to actively participate in the class. In this way, he brought out their best efforts and built relationships with them. Each term, he would invite his students to his home for a meal to get to know them better. The JoAnn Barlow and Dalmas Hildor Nelson Scholarship for MPA students expands this tradition.

Dalmas was a great lover of the arts and for many years had season tickets to the Utah Symphony, the Opera, Pioneer Memorial Theater, Ballet West, and Hale Theater. After retirement, he and JoAnn developed an epic graduate course for the University of Utah on Public Administration and the Arts, which he taught for one semester.

Not incidentally, returning to the University of Utah also enabled Dalmas to live near his and JoAnn’s beloved extended family. He and JoAnn organized a Family Literary Group which met monthly for 45 years, reading great plays and poetry together. Dalmas and JoAnn curated the literature and rounded up the copies. Participating couples took turns hosting the events and serving soup and salad. In addition to the educational and cultural content, the Family Literary Group strengthened extended family relationships across multiple generations.

While Mark, Brent, and Dan were growing up, Dalmas and JoAnn organized backpacking trips with family and friends to the Sierra Nevadas, the Uintas, the Tetons, and many areas in the red-rock country of Southern Utah. These were a highlight, often several times per year.

Dalmas and JoAnn were both devoted and active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving in many Ward and Stake callings, in leadership, administration, and teaching. As a result, their children were raised on a steady diet of service projects. Dalmas and JoAnn served together as Temple Workers for years. Service to others was his hallmark.

After retiring from active teaching at 70, Dalmas spent 22 years writing a book about growing up in Coltman from the 1920s through the 1940s. JoAnn’s final words to him before she died in 1913, were “Finish the book!” Many family members contributed to the book, which includes family histories, farming practices, culture, and the impact of national and world events on the community. The day before his death, he was able to hold the first printed copy of his two-volume saga while lying in his hospital bed. He was a teacher to the end.

We are deeply grateful to Del’s caregivers over the years: Ana, Mary, Britt, Pat, and Bonnie for their outstanding service and support, as well as to the Rocky Mountain Palliative Care Team ad the excellent staff at University of Utah Hospital and the Madsen Geriatrics Center. Your dedicated and loving care made a huge difference!

Dalmas is survived by his sons Mark and Brent (Ada), his daughter-in-law Therese (Bob), his grandchildren Caroline (Indy), Allen, Scott (Christine), Emily (Joe), and his great-grandchildren Claire, Max, Kate, and Isaac. He was preceded in death by his wife, all his siblings, and his son Dan.

A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, at the Yalecrest 2^nd Ward, 1035 South 1800 East, Salt Lake City, Utah where a viewing will take place at 9:00 a.m. prior to the funeral. Interment will be at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations go to the Utah Food Bank.

If you decide to attend the funeral in person, we encourage you to practice social distancing and wear a mask.

The following is a link to Dalmas’ funeral video: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Z3fld21KehU2K0u7aRHmo5oHlfOWqFm-

And a link to his photo slideshow: https://www.familysearch.org/photos/gallery/album/751704?playSlideshow