[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7465]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            IN TRIBUTE TO JUDGE MARY THOMASINE GRAYSON MASON

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                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 18, 2012

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, South Carolinans are 
grateful to pay tribute to Judge Mary Thomasine Grayson Mason who is an 
inspiration for achieving the distinction of being the Southern Lady 
who makes a difference. Her extraordinary talents were recognized by 
her dear friend, U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond, who recommended her 
appointment in 1971 by President Richard M. Nixon as Federal 
Administrative Law Judge. Over the years during her residency in West 
Columbia she became a beloved friend of the Wilson family.
  Upon her death this month the following obituary was published in the 
Post and Courier of Charleston, South Carolina.

                         Judge Thomasine Mason

       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. 
     www.stephensfuneralhome.org. Visit our guestbook at 
     www.legacy.com/obituaries/charleston.

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