Judge Mary Thomasine GRAYSON^[1]

1917 - 2012  (94 years)

• Name	Mary Thomasine GRAYSON  [2, 3]
  Prefix	Judge
  Birth	7 Nov 1917	in the St. Paul community near Summerton, South Carolina
  Gender	Female
  HIST	Mary Thomasine Mason   |   Visit Guest Book Judge Thomasine Mason SUMMERTON 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 Ann‚ 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. stephensfuneralhome.org Published in The State on May 6, 2012 Read more here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestate/obituary.aspx?n=mary-thomasine-mason&pid=157484086&fhid=8993#storylink=cpy Thomasine Mason SUMMERTON — Judge Mary Thomasine Grayson Mason, widow of Edgar Fleming Mason, died Friday, May 4, 2012, at her homeplace in Summerton. Born Nov. 7, 1917, in the St. Paul community near Summerton, she was the daughter of James Fulton Grayson and Anné Gentry Grayson. She graduated from 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 to Atlanta, Athens, Ga., 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, D.C. 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 Feb. 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 1964. 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 10 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 Gov. 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, Ga.; 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, Mont., and James Fulton Grayson IV and his wife, Susan Walton Grayson, of Grayson, Ga.; a great-niece, Elisabeth Grayson Mills and her husband, Alan Mills, of Gainesville, Ga.; 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. Graveside services will be held today at 3 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, P.O. 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. Posted in Obituaries on Sunday, May 6, 2012 1st woman to preside over state Senate remembered as trailblazer, pioneer She was the first female attorney to practice law in Clarendon County and the first woman to preside over the state Senate. But Mary Thomasine Grayson Mason was always quick to downplay her sex throughout her career. "It's not how long you wear your hair, but how you do the job that's important," she said in 1966. "It's purely a matter of capability." Mason, widow of Edgar Fleming Mason, died Friday at her home in Summerton. Born Nov. 7, 1917, in the St. Paul community near Summerton, she was a daughter of James Fulton Grayson and Martha Anne Gentry Grayson. Though she would make a name for herself in the legal profession, Mason began her career after graduating with a degree in English from the University of South Carolina as a teacher in West Columbia. And though her father did not consider the study of law a proper career for a young lady, she enrolled in USC School of Law in 1940 as one of the first two women to attend. "She certainly was a trailblazer and pioneer for women in the legal profession," said 3rd Circuit Worthless Checks Director Bobbie Reaves, a former practicing attorney who served as the 3rd Circuit Drug Court judge for nearly two decades. But the aftermath of World War II and her father's failing health meant a career in law would have to wait as she returned to Summerton to work with her brother on the family farm, furthering her studies at North Carolina State College by earning a degree in cotton classing. "But she really had a knack for the law," said Sen. John D. Land III, D-Manning. "And that's where I think she wanted to be." Mason spent time practicing in Manning and served as a trial attorney with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. And then she became only the second woman elected to the state Senate, representing Sumter-Clarendon District 20. As she neared swearing-in in January 1966, The State wrote that her male colleagues would need to "monitor their actions" when bringing cots into the chambers during long filibuster sessions. Mason herself balked at the notion. "I don't want to be a nuisance to anyone," she said. "I think it only matters what a person does." Her actions in the Senate reflected more about her love for her home county, represented by her distribution of 72 boxes of pecans on the day she became the first woman to preside over the state Senate in February 1967. "She was just your typical Southern lady," said Land. But Mason wasn't above getting a little ruffled to get the job done. "There was a story that she had stopped on a highway in the Sumter-Clarendon District at that time, and that she had crawled across a fence in a field," Land said. "She was in a suit, a dress-type thing of course. And she handed her card to a farmer in the field. Now, you would say that story went viral. But it spread like wildfire. That kind of work won her that campaign." Five years later, Mason was again given another first as 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. "She did a lot for this community," Land said. "She was on the hospital board, she worked with Palmetto Girls State and was its director." Mason was awarded the Order of the Palmetto by Gov. Mark Sanford in 2008. Though her life was filled with firsts, she wrote former Clarendon County Archives Director Janet Meleney in 2004 to say she had long been accustomed to "seconds." "I was the second child, was always second to my best friend in high school, was second in my field of study (in undergraduate school), was second in my class in law school, was the second woman elected to the Senate and the second woman Federal Administrative Law Judge in South Carolina," Mason wrote. "My life has not been notable for any accomplishments; but it has been a wonderful life for me." Graveside services were held Sunday at Summerton Evergreen cemetery with the Rev. Brent Hutsell and the Rev. Bob Ashba officiating. -- Robert J. Baker Posted in Local news, News on Wednesday, May 9, 2012  [2, 3]
  HIST	Mary Thomasine Mason   |   Visit Guest Book Judge Thomasine Mason SUMMERTON 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 Ann‚ 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. stephensfuneralhome.org Published in The State on May 6, 2012 Read more here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestate/obituary.aspx?n=mary-thomasine-mason&pid=157484086&fhid=8993#storylink=cpy Thomasine Mason SUMMERTON — Judge Mary Thomasine Grayson Mason, widow of Edgar Fleming Mason, died Friday, May 4, 2012, at her homeplace in Summerton. Born Nov. 7, 1917, in the St. Paul community near Summerton, she was the daughter of James Fulton Grayson and Anné Gentry Grayson. She graduated from 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 to Atlanta, Athens, Ga., 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, D.C. 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 Feb. 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 1964. 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 10 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 Gov. 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, Ga.; 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, Mont., and James Fulton Grayson IV and his wife, Susan Walton Grayson, of Grayson, Ga.; a great-niece, Elisabeth Grayson Mills and her husband, Alan Mills, of Gainesville, Ga.; 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. Graveside services will be held today at 3 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, P.O. 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. Posted in Obituaries on Sunday, May 6, 2012 1st woman to preside over state Senate remembered as trailblazer, pioneer She was the first female attorney to practice law in Clarendon County and the first woman to preside over the state Senate. But Mary Thomasine Grayson Mason was always quick to downplay her sex throughout her career. "It's not how long you wear your hair, but how you do the job that's important," she said in 1966. "It's purely a matter of capability." Mason, widow of Edgar Fleming Mason, died Friday at her home in Summerton. Born Nov. 7, 1917, in the St. Paul community near Summerton, she was a daughter of James Fulton Grayson and Martha Anne Gentry Grayson. Though she would make a name for herself in the legal profession, Mason began her career after graduating with a degree in English from the University of South Carolina as a teacher in West Columbia. And though her father did not consider the study of law a proper career for a young lady, she enrolled in USC School of Law in 1940 as one of the first two women to attend. "She certainly was a trailblazer and pioneer for women in the legal profession," said 3rd Circuit Worthless Checks Director Bobbie Reaves, a former practicing attorney who served as the 3rd Circuit Drug Court judge for nearly two decades. But the aftermath of World War II and her father's failing health meant a career in law would have to wait as she returned to Summerton to work with her brother on the family farm, furthering her studies at North Carolina State College by earning a degree in cotton classing. "But she really had a knack for the law," said Sen. John D. Land III, D-Manning. "And that's where I think she wanted to be." Mason spent time practicing in Manning and served as a trial attorney with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. And then she became only the second woman elected to the state Senate, representing Sumter-Clarendon District 20. As she neared swearing-in in January 1966, The State wrote that her male colleagues would need to "monitor their actions" when bringing cots into the chambers during long filibuster sessions. Mason herself balked at the notion. "I don't want to be a nuisance to anyone," she said. "I think it only matters what a person does." Her actions in the Senate reflected more about her love for her home county, represented by her distribution of 72 boxes of pecans on the day she became the first woman to preside over the state Senate in February 1967. "She was just your typical Southern lady," said Land. But Mason wasn't above getting a little ruffled to get the job done. "There was a story that she had stopped on a highway in the Sumter-Clarendon District at that time, and that she had crawled across a fence in a field," Land said. "She was in a suit, a dress-type thing of course. And she handed her card to a farmer in the field. Now, you would say that story went viral. But it spread like wildfire. That kind of work won her that campaign." Five years later, Mason was again given another first as 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. "She did a lot for this community," Land said. "She was on the hospital board, she worked with Palmetto Girls State and was its director." Mason was awarded the Order of the Palmetto by Gov. Mark Sanford in 2008. Though her life was filled with firsts, she wrote former Clarendon County Archives Director Janet Meleney in 2004 to say she had long been accustomed to "seconds." "I was the second child, was always second to my best friend in high school, was second in my field of study (in undergraduate school), was second in my class in law school, was the second woman elected to the Senate and the second woman Federal Administrative Law Judge in South Carolina," Mason wrote. "My life has not been notable for any accomplishments; but it has been a wonderful life for me." Graveside services were held Sunday at Summerton Evergreen cemetery with the Rev. Brent Hutsell and the Rev. Bob Ashba officiating. -- Robert J. Baker Posted in Local news, News on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
  _UID	D8D59EA905DB4E9ABD8E7F226F7E94B1DACC
  _UID	D8D59EA905DB4E9ABD8E7F226F7E94B1DACC
  Death	4 May 2012	at her homeplace in Summerton, South Carolina
  Burial	6 May 2012	Summerton Evergreen Cemetery, Summerton, South Carolina   [2]
  	Stephens Funeral Home & Crematory, Manning, South Carolina Stephens Funeral Home & Crematory, Manning, South Carolina
  Person ID	I278099	Singleton and Related Families
  Last Modified	6 Jun 2017

  
  

  Father	James Fulton GRAYSON, Sr.   d. Bef 4 May 2012
  Mother	Martha Anne GENTRY   d. Bef 4 May 2012
  _UID	538659E1F35F401AB72B5D30B47DCCA8D3C2
  _UID	538659E1F35F401AB72B5D30B47DCCA8D3C2
  Family ID	F187070	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Edgar Fleming MASON   d. Bef 4 May 2012
  _UID	72E0AEE05CDA485FA45DF011D1159E70B3C8
  _UID	72E0AEE05CDA485FA45DF011D1159E70B3C8
  Family ID	F187071	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	23 Mar 2026

  
  

• Sources

  [S25165] Mason B. Moore. [S17943] Judge Thomasine Mason. [S17966] 1st woman to preside over state Senate remembered as trailblazer, pioneer.