| In Tribute To Judge Mary Thomasine Grayson Mason |
May 18, 2012 |
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Joe Wilson, R-SC
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"Summerton, SC.—Judge Mary Thomasine Grayson Mason, widow of Edgar Fleming Mason, died Friday, May 4, 2012, at her homeplace in Summerton, South Carolina. Born November 7, 1917, in the St. Paul community near Summerton, she was the daughter of James Fulton Grayson and Anne Gentry Grayson. She graduated Summerton High School and attended the University of South Carolina. She completed her undergraduate degree in three years, graduating with honors from the University of South Carolina in 1938. Because her father did not consider the study of law a proper career for a young lady, Judge Mason taught school in West Columbia for one year. In 1940, she enrolled in law school at the University of South Carolina, one of the first two women to attend. With war having broken out in Europe and fearing she may not get to finish law school, Judge Mason sat for and passed the bar exam during her junior year of law school. She was admitted to the South Carolina Bar on June 12, 1941, and graduated from law school June 1, 1942. During World War II, she worked as a Civil Service Representative assigned in Atlanta, Athens, and Charleston. After the war and with her father’s health failing, she returned to Summerton and worked with her brother operating the family farm, cotton gin, seed processing, and grain elevator. She continued her studies at North Carolina State College earning a degree in Cotton Classing and leading to her work as a cotton merchant. She later practiced law in Manning and served as a trial attorney with the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice in Washington, DC. Judge Mason was elected to the South Carolina Senate in 1966 representing Clarendon and Sumter Counties. She was the second woman to serve in the South Carolina Senate, and on February 22, 1967, she was called to preside over a session of the Senate becoming the first woman to preside in that body. In 1960, she served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles and attended the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City in 1968. She served the Clarendon County Democratic Party as a party precinct secretary for more than a decade. In 1971, she was appointed as a Federal Administrative Law Judge for the Social Security Administration’s Office of Disability Adjudication and Review. During her tenure, she was the first Administrative Law Judge to sit on the Appeals Council as an Acting Member of the Council, and she served as Hearing Office Chief Administrative Law Judge for 17 years. A proud South Carolinian she has served her state and community in numerous volunteer positions, including the Board of Trustees of Clarendon Memorial Hospital for 16 years, the South Carolina State Mother of the Year Search Committee, the Alumni Council of the University of South Carolina Alumni Association, and the American Red Cross as an Area Director for Clarendon County. She was a member of Summerton Baptist Church, the Daughters of the American Revolution, several garden clubs, and Alpha Delta Pi sorority. A member of the American Legion Auxiliary for over 60 years, she worked with Palmetto Girls State, serving as director for more than ten years and as a counselor, committee member, or legislative leader for more than 40 years. In her professional life, Judge Mason was a member of the South Carolina Bar Association, the Richland County Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Federal Executive Council. In 2008 in recognition of her distinguished career as a public servant and community leader, Judge Mason was awarded the Order of the Palmetto by Governor Mark Sanford. Active in sports and recreational activities throughout her life, Judge Mason loved the outdoors and enjoyed spending time on Lake Marion. At the age of 79, she decided she could no longer continue to water ski, so she learned to drive a jet ski. She is survived by loving and devoted nieces, MaryAnne Grayson Moore and her husband Nebraska Edward Moore, II, of Summerton and Cora Gene “Cookie” Grayson Culbertson of Lawrenceville, Georgia; great nephews, Nebraska Edward Moore III and his wife Stephanie Faltus Moore of Summerville, Mason Palmer Bethea Moore and his wife Jodi Woods Moore of Belgrade, Montana, and James Fulton Grayson, IV and his wife Susan Walton Grayson of Grayson, Georgia; a great niece, Elisabeth Grayson Mills and her husband Alan Mills of Gainesville, Georgia; and several great, great nieces and nephews. Judge Mason was preceded in death by her brother, James Fulton Grayson, Jr.; and her nephew, James Fulton Grayson, III. The family extends grateful appreciation and acknowledgment to caregivers Roberta, Tee, Willene and Maggie and to Southern Care of Florence, SC. Graveside services will be held on Sunday, May 6, 2012, at 3:00 p.m. at the Summerton Evergreen Cemetery with the Rev. Brent Hutsell and Rev. Bob Ashba officiating. Pallbearers are Thomas H. Gentry, Alton Truesdale, Nebraska Edward Moore III, James Fulton Grayson, IV, Eugene A. Failmezger and R.P. Felder, Jr. Following the services, the family will receive visitors at the home located at 1664 Jack Touchberry Road, Summerton. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Summerton Evergreen Cemetery, c/o Ellen Ardis, PO Box 366, Summerton, SC 29148. Stephens Funeral Home & Crematory, 304 N. Church St., Manning, is in charge of arrangements, (803) 435 2179. . Visit our guestbook at .www.stephensfuneralhome.orgwww.legacy.com/obituaries/charleston"
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