*Note: In January, 2004, Dr. Theodore Mason died in Shaker Hts., Ohio.

Dr. Theodore Mason, a guest at AAGS's February Black History Month Dinner, is a prime example of 'living history'. During World War II, he was a "Tuskegee Airman" serving as a Second Lieutenant in the 477 bombardment group. Under the command of Colonel Benjamin 0. Davis (later U.S. Air Force's first black General), Tuskegee Airmen became America's first African American military aviators, overcoming segregation and racism to prove their flight and combat abilities. Their remarkable accomplishments, with ground crew support, paved the way for an integrated U.S. military.

Born in 1922 in rural Harrison County (Cadiz) Ohio, Theodore Mason encountered economic, educational, and military barriers, which did not deter him. Resourceful in his youth, he earned money doing odd jobs. He also played football and basketball during high school, which led to a scholarship at Western Reserve University in 1940. Called to service in 1943, he completed Aviation Cadet training in Tuskegee, Alabama, becoming a pilot. His military career ended upon leaving the service in 1946, and his medical career began.

Now a retired dentist, Dr. Mason can trace his paternal family history to 1843, when his great-great-great grandmother, a slave, migrated to Ohio. He would be interested in finding out more on his maternal family, which he believes moved from Pennsylvania to Canada in the mid-1800s. When asked what he would offer to the youth of today, Dr. Mason's prescription for success is to "Set high goals and work hard."