St. Maries boosters induct Dan Felton to hall of fame

Dan Felton, who was raised in Malden and has been the proprietor of Felton's Auto Sales in St. Maries, Idaho, for the last 20 years, was inducted into the St. Maries Lumberjack Booster Club's Hall of Fame Friday, Nov. 30.

Felton was born in Spokane and raised in Malden to be a third generation conductor for the Milwaukee Railroad.

Malden's Felton Hall, a former Catholic church turned into a community center, was named after his father, who was one of the first babies born in Malden.

"It was a good place for kids to grow up back then," Felton said about Malden.

After his first four years of school in Malden, Felton attended Pine City for the rest of grade school and then went to high school in St. John.

Going to school in St. John made a huge impact on Felton.

"It was total support," Felton declared, "They were all about the kids. It didn't matter what you did, St. John would support you and make it happen."

When he wanted to get involved in 4H and FFA the town found a way. For the kids who didn't have a place where they could raise animals and livestock at home, the town allowed them to raise animals at the St. John fairground.

"The townspeople made it happen," he commented.

While in high school, Felton participated in all available sports and received 13 letters. Of the 50 boys attending St. John High School at the time, 49 were on the football team, the other was the team's manager.

From his sophomore year on, the St. John Eagles football team went undefeated, and in 1968, his senior year, they won a state basketball championship.

Felton got his first lessons in radio sports broadcasting by taking down stats for the state tournament and working with KCLX in Colfax.

After graduating from St. John High School, Felton went to Central Washington University where he played football. He transferred to Eastern Washington University and played basketball for two years.

While in college, Felton worked weekends and holidays for the railroad to help pay for school.

Working for the Milwaukee Railroad as a conductor, Felton moved to Missoula, Mont., in 1974 when the Malden terminal closed. He ended up in St. Maries in 1977. The railroad went out of business in 1980, and Felton did what he could to make due. He earned a real estate license, did log scaling for three months a year, drove trucks and started selling cars in 1984.

Felton worked at Chase Chevrolet for 14 years, until they closed in 1999, and he started Felton's Auto Sales, which he has owned and operated now for 20 years.

In 1981, Felton was asked to broadcast for the local sports. Felton was involved with his step-kids playing sports at the time.

After training under Bob Curtis of Colfax, he remained a play-by-play broadcaster for KOFE 1240 AM until the station was sold in 2005. He covered football, boys and girls basketball and even a state volleyball tournament.

After the station closed, he started doing public address for St. Maries football games.

Felton donates advertisement proceeds to athletic programs. He makes sure the kids have something special when they go to a state tournament, whether it is a t-shirt or a nice dinner.

"All you can do for a kid is provide an opportunity," he said. At the banquet where he received his induction to the Lumberjack Booster Club Hall of Fame, he served as auctioneer following the dinner.

Despite having no more family members still living in Whitman County, Felton is a charter member of the Eagles/Wildcats Booster Club. He helps with the fundraisers and shares ideas that have worked in St. Maries to support the teams.

"Anything I can do to help that little community (St. John), I do," he said.