[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 24]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 33473-33474]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             IN CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF VERICE M. MASON

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 6, 2007

  Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I rise in celebration of the life 
of my dear friend Verice M. Mason who passed away December 2, 2007 at 
the age of 55. A native of Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, Verice resided in 
Washington, DC prior to moving to Metuchen, New Jersey 30 years ago. A 
1970 graduate of Theodore Roosevelt High School in Washington, DC, 
Verice would go on to obtain her undergraduate degree from Case Western 
Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and later her law degree from 
Rutgers School of Law in Newark.
  Verice had a long and distinguished professional career. She served 
as Senior Vice President and General Counsel for MDAdvantage Insurance 
Company, responsible for all legal and regulatory matters for the 
company. Prior to joining MDAdvantage, Verice was appointed chief of 
the Authorities unit in the Governor's Counsel Office in 2004 by 
Governor Richard J. Cody, where she represented the Governor's 
interests and served as his liaison to over 40 authorities, boards and 
commissions.
  Other positions held by Verice include Senior Vice President and 
General Counsel for the MIIX Group, Inc., partner in New Jersey's 
office of Peterson, and assistant commissioner for the office of 
Legislative and Regulatory Affairs for the New Jersey Department of 
Insurance.
  Verice was extremely involved in her community. She was previously 
active in the Metuchen-Edison Branch of the NAACP and received the 
NAACP Honorable Barbara Jordan Community Activist Award. She served as 
both treasurer and co-president of the Metuchen Parent-Teacher Council 
and treasurer of the Citizens for Quality Education. She was a trustee 
of the Metuchen Education Foundation. She was also a member of the 
Second Baptist Church of Metuchen.
  I first met Verice Mason at Case Western Reserve University in the 
early 1970's. I was a house mother and she was a student. She had a 
wonderful zest for life. We were both active in the African American 
Society and she was very instrumental in helping other black students 
adjust to life on a predominantly white college campus. She and her 
college

[[Page 33474]]

roommate Joan Brooks set a loving example of sisterhood that we all 
strived to emulate.
  On behalf of the Congress of the United States and the people of the 
11th Congressional District of Ohio, I would like to offer my sincere 
condolences to the family and friends of Verice Mason including her 
husband Mark, two sons Matthew and Mark and her father Matthew. May her 
legacy of love live on in our hearts.

                          ____________________