Elmo Dalbert dies at age 90

When they arrived by freight train in 1934, Elmo Dalbert and Jim Chase had no idea what the future would hold in Spokane.

The young Texans had never been here before. They simply consulted a map and, based solely on a friend’s advice, they headed north with hopes of finding jobs.

The childhood buddies ended up becoming business partners and prominent members of the community. While Chase eventually pursued a career in politics – first as a member of the Spokane City Council then as the city’s first and only African American mayor – Dalbert worked behind the scenes. He not only offered advice to his best friend, but also continued to operate Chase and Dalbert, an auto body-repair shop in north Spokane.

“Grandpa wasn’t the kind of guy who sought the spotlight,” recalled his granddaughter, Francell Daubert. “He preferred working in the background.”

Dalbert, a prominent businessman and civic leader in Spokane, died Monday of a heart attack. He was 90 years old.

His death – along with the recent passing of Clarence Freeman, Sylvester Lake, Wally Hagin and others – marks the end of an illustrious generation in Spokane. These men and their wives, who remained friends throughout their lives, were considered the “pioneers” among the city’s African American community.

“Their success before 1960 was pretty unprecedented, especially in this area,” said Daubert, who is working on a documentary about her grandfather and other black leaders in Spokane. “They were giants in our community. … Spokane wasn’t and isn’t built on white shoulders; the African American influence has been here for over a century.”

Dalbert was 19 and fresh out of the Civilian Conservation Corps when he and Chase rode the rails to Spokane. The two had grown up together in Ballard, Texas. It was tough to leave home, but “Grandpa always said Spokane was better than where they were,” Daubert said.

They had no prospects when they arrived, but they soon landed jobs by asking around. Both worked as porters and shoe shiners – Chase at the Spokane Hotel Barber Shop and Dalbert at the Desert Hotel.

They each made only $5 a month during those early years.

In 1946, the two joined forces and became known for their auto work, Chase and Dalbert Body and Fender Shop, located on West Indiana Avenue.

“We’ve made a lot of friends,” Dalbert told The Spokesman-Review in 1961. “We’re happy to be able to say that some of them are people whose shoes we were shining 27 years ago.”

Throughout his life, Dalbert always imparted the importance of a work ethic to those around him, said Daubert. He wasn’t above shining shoes, she said. He realized that these humble jobs were merely stepping stones to something bigger, and that all the hard work would someday bear fruit.

“He was the best role model that anyone could ever have,” said Daubert, 28. “He was my hero.”

Dalbert also emphasized the importance of giving back to the community. He and Chase were members of several civic organizations including the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary and the Inland Empire Masonic Lodge.

They also shared many hobbies including fishing, golfing and bowling. Each stood as best man for the other’s wedding. They also played in an ensemble called Freddie Fields’ Black Cats – Chase on saxophone and Dalbert on trumpet.

When Chase died in 1987 after a long battle with cancer, Dalbert mourned. “Spokane has lost a great citizen, and I have lost a great friend,” he said during the funeral.

Like Chase and the other African American pioneers of Spokane, Dalbert’s contributions will never be forgotten, said Roland Chase, the late mayor’s son.

“He was a fine, fine man,” he said. “He was like a second father to me.”

Dalbert was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Alta Dalbert, who died in 2003; and his son, Dennis, who died of cancer in 2000. He is survived by Daubert and her 1 1/2-year-old son, Gable.

Dalbert’s memorial service will take place at 11 a.m. June 10 at Bethel AME Church, 645 S. Richard Allen Court.