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A Brief Biography of The Ven. Robert T. Mason

Bob was born in Cleveland, Ohio on August 18, 1927, the first child of Robert T and Mary Chapin Mason. After being educated in the Lakewood, Rocky River, and Fremont Ohio school systems, he graduated from high school in Marion, Ohio. He was already a member of the United States Navy when he graduated from high school, and served in that branch of the armed forces until August, 1946 on active duty and until July 1950 in the reserve.

Bob earned a Bachelor of Arts in pre-law at Ohio State University, and attended the Ohio State Law School until disillusionment caused him to quit. He had worked for W.M.R.N., Marion, Ohio since he was 14, first as assistant janitor and then as transmitter and studio engineer until his enlistment in the Navy, and he returned to join the sales department of that radio station. He served from 1950 until 1957, rising from salesman to sales manager to sales and promotion director to station manager, the position he held when he resigned in 1957 to attend seminary. He also followed his love of sports by announcing play-by-play and color broadcasting of football, professional baseball, professional hockey, basketball, horse racing and others.

Bob earned his Bachelor of Divinity from Bexley Hall/ Kenyon College in 1960. This degree was later upgraded to a Masters of Divinity in 1972 when all of the Episcopal seminaries began to award Master's degrees.

After serving for two years as priest-in-charge of Trinity Church, Jefferson,Ohio, and assistant as St. Peter's, Ashtabula, Bob left to attend Princeton University as a Religion Fellow. He earned a M.A. in 1964. While he was a student at Princeton. Bob acted as assistant to the Chaplain of the University and as priest-associate at Trinity Parish. Also during 1964, Bob attended Oxford University in England as a "Scholar" and a " Reader at Bodleian", and was granted senior common room privileges at Mansfield College.

From 1965 to 1967 Bob served as Assistant at Christ Church, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge , New Jersey.

In 1988 Bob completed a Doctor of Ministry degree at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. In 1994 he was awarded a Doctor of Divinity, 'honoris causis' by Saint Matthias Seminary Jacksonville, Florida. He completed his educational journey in June, 1996 by earning a Ph.D. from The Minnesota Graduate School of Theology. His thesis, which ran over 200 pages was on the educational and homeletic correlation of the three year Lectionary.

During his active ministry Bob served the Diocese of Newark as an examining chaplain, as a member of the Commission on Ministry, a member of the Ecumenical Commission, a member of the Department of Missions and other special ministries.

Bob has also taught many college level courses, both on the local, Diocesan, and Community College campuses. Included in these are such courses are:

An Introduction to Philosophy
Theology
Church History
Ethics
Humanities
Comparative Religions
Science and Religion

Bob served as Vicar of Saint Dunstan's from August 1967 to January 1980, and as Rector of Saint Dunstan's from January, 1980 to June 1996. When he retired he was created an honorary Archdeacon by the Most Reverend G. Thomas Smith.