William Mason, a chemist, physician, professor, and medical scientist/researcher, died peacefully Oct. 30, 2014. He was 94.
In 1942 he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester, and in 1946, a Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton while also working as a chemist for the Manhattan Project. In 1950, he earned a medical degree from Rochester, where he was a faculty member from 1952 until 1970, rising to associate professor of biochemistry, medicine, and pathology at the School of Medicine and Dentistry.
In 1968, Mason became chief medical scientist in medical diagnostics at the Xerox Corp. Two years later, Bio-Science Laboratories (the world’s largest clinical-reference laboratory) made him director of its Affiliated Clinical Laboratories. In 1986, he retired from Bio-Science as vice president of new ventures, after it had merged with Smithkline.
Mason also served in the U.S. Atomic Energy Project from 1946 to 1958 and was founding president of the National Registry in Clinical Chemistry from 1967 to 1970, president of the Association of Clinical Chemistry in 1968, and director of the American Board of Clinical Chemistry from 1968 to 1974.
Colleagues, friends, and family continuously sought his thoroughly researched advice on personal health-care issues and business expertise.
He is survived by his wife, Madeline; four children; eight grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.