Ray Mason 1918-2011

Raymond H. Ray" Mason, 93, who founded Morton's first law office, passed away on Jan. 13 at Apostolic Christian Restmor in Morton. He received his bachelor's degree, in marketing, in 1942 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where, during the big band era, he played drums for four years with the Johnny Bruce Orchestra. A World War II and Korean War Army veteran, he served from 1942 to 1946 and from 1951 to 1952, graduating from Officer Candidate School and the Command and General Staff School, where he prepared for the anticipated invasion of Japan. He attained the rank of Captain. He served in the Army Reserve from 1946 to 1951. A lifetime member, former president and 50-year honoree of the Tazewell County Bar Association, he also was a lifetime member of the American and Illinois State Bar Associations and a past member of the Illinois State Bar Association's Committee on Judicial Advisory Polls. The ISBA named him a Senior Counsellor in 1999. Click here to read the full obituary