William R. Mason, 1957
B.A., Denison University
M.Ed., Kent State University
Post-Graduate Work, The Ohio State University, 1971-1976
Educator, Athlete, and Volunteer
Granville, Ohio
Citation awarded June, 2003
While earning his Masters in Education from Kent State University, William R. Mason began a lifelong career as an educator. He was a science and physical education teacher, coach, principal, and for 22 years, assistant superintendent of the Newark (Ohio) City Schools. In 1989, he was awarded the Richard Demuth Outstanding Educator Award presented by the Licking County Council for Exceptional Children.
Bill currently serves as Vice President of SchoolMatch, an educational research and consulting firm that matches children with appropriate schools nationwide. In this capacity, he is often called as an expert witness for attorneys who litigate school-related issues.
In athletics, Bill has been an avid basketball and lacrosse player, coach, and official. In his senior season at Denison, he was captain, MVP, and a member of the All-Midwest Lacrosse Team. His 1957 record for 38 consecutive controlled face-offs still stands. In June 1996, he was inducted into the Ohio Lacrosse Hall of Fame and is the only person to be honored in all four Hall-of-Fame categories—player, coach (varsity coach of Denison lacrosse team), official, and “Pioneer” (a significant contributor to the game of lacrosse). He co-founded the Columbus Lacrosse Club and continues a 45-year career officiating college lacrosse. Over the years, Bill has received 18 NCAA lacrosse tournament assignments, including the NCAA Division I Final Four in 1989 and 1994. In September 1997, Bill was inducted into his high school’s Hall of Fame. The very next month he was inducted into Denison University’s Varsity D Association Athletic Hall of Fame. Along the way, he also taught classes in basketball officiating at Ohio State University.
Bill also has a long history of community service: the Newark Chamber of Commerce, Jaycees, Lions Club, the Licking County YMCA Board of Trustees, the Licking Alcohol Prevention Program, and the Granville Volunteer Fire Department. His Denison service includes involvement with DART, the Career Network, a term as an Alumni Council Member-at-Large (1980-82), and President of the Alumni D Association/Representative to Alumni Council (1982-96). Bill is also a member of the Alumni Inter-Fraternity Council and works tirelessly in support of his fraternity, Sigma Chi.
