Maynard Chester Dahlstrom was born in Red Wing MN on Christmas Day 1920. His parents, Charles and Margaret were prevented from getting to the hospital by a blizzard. His mother died when he was 12 and his father remarried several years later. He graduated from Central High School in Minneapolis, ca. 1937 and served in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) until he was 21. The CCC provided training in photography and mechanics. He was a mechanic for Northwest Airlines when World War II began.

Maynard Dahlstrom was classified 4-F by his draft board but he wanted to support the war effort. The U.S. Army Air Force offered him the opportunity to serve as a civilian aircraft mechanic in either Alaska or Hawaii. He chose Alaska and was sent to Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, ca. 1942. He stayed in this position for about 30 years and lived in the Anchorage area until the 1970s.

Dahlstrom’s great interest was photography. He was a member of the Alaskan Trails Club, a hiking and photography group. He took photos of everything in his world including World War II vintage aircraft at Elmendorf Air Force Base, street scenes, wildlife and flowers and outdoor scenics. Images of McKinley Park and other interior locations were taken while on excursions with the Alaskan Trails Club of which he was a charter member. He gave slide shows around the Anchorage area with other members of the club and also for the Alaskan Prospectors Society. He told friends of a whale-walrus-seal hunt on the Bering Sea. The trip was particularly memorable because a defector stole a boat from their hunting party and crossed to Russia. He also attended an oil painting class at Anchorage Community College.

Maynard Dahlstrom took early retirement from the U.S. Air Force in 1975 and soon thereafter moved back to Red Wing MN. He was a member of the Red Wing Camera Club. In his later years he regaled friends and acquaintances with stories and slide shows of his adventures in Alaska. He died June 2000 in Red Wing.