Danny Mason
Encyclopedia
Danny Raymond Mason was a golf
coach and physical education
professor
who was affiliated with Texas Tech University
in Lubbock
for more than three decades.
Under Mason's leadership, the Tech team qualified for four NCAA
tournaments. In 2002, Mason was inducted into the Texas Tech Athletic Hall of Honor and was awarded the title Associate Professor Emeritus
. Mason, a kidney
transplant recipient, won five Texas Transplant Games golf tournaments and participated in the National Kidney Foundation
golf tournament on three occasions.
Mason was born in Monahans, Texas
, as one of five children to Charlie Everett Mason and Trudie Mae Mason. Upon graduation from Monahans High School in 1957, he attended Odessa College
on a golf scholarship. In June 1958, he married Betty Ann Mason née Pickett (born 1939) and then transferred on a golf scholarship to Lamar University
in Beaumont, Texas
. He was a member of the 1960 NAIA
championship team. He earned his bachelor of science
degree in physical education
, with a minor in biology
, from Lamar University in 1961.
Mason next took summer graduate courses at Stephen F. Austin State University
in Nacogdoches, Texas
, and accepted thereafter a teaching fellowship from Texas A&M University
in College Station
. He completed his master's degree
in education and obtained a Texas guidance counselor's certificate in 1962. He coached and taught at Texas A&M for two years before moving on to Texas Tech. However, his Tech service was interrupted by a stint at the University of Arkansas
in Fayetteville
, where he obtained his doctorate in education and again coached golf.
In 1969, he returned to Texas Tech, where he remained for thirty-one years in coaching and/or academic positions. He coached the golf team until 1979 and was an associate professor of physical education until his retirement in 2000. Mason's associations included Phi Delta Kappa
educational fraternity
, faculty sponsor for Phi Epsilon Kappa, and service on the National Golf Foundation
Board of Educators and the National Kidney Foundation Board for Region II. He was the founder and director of the Junior Golf Academy for fifteen years and the Coaches Golf Academy through the Texas Tech Continuing Education Division at Junction
.
Mason was voted "Father of the Year" in 1968 at Springdale Baptist Church in Springdale, Arkansas
, and again in 1978 at the Melonie Park Baptist Church, an Independent Baptist
congregation in Lubbock. He served as a deacon
in various Baptist churches for more than four decades. He was on the Mission Board at the Melonie Park Church. Services were held at his church. In addition to his wife, Mason was survived by three children, Rodney Mason of Lake Jackson
, Michele Mason Henderson of Waco
, and Kent Mason of Lubbock; a sister, Lena Davis of Mesa, Arizona
, and six grandchildren. He is interred at Resthaven Memorial Park off Frankford Avenue in Lubbock.
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
coach and physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
who was affiliated with Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
in Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
for more than three decades.
Under Mason's leadership, the Tech team qualified for four NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
tournaments. In 2002, Mason was inducted into the Texas Tech Athletic Hall of Honor and was awarded the title Associate Professor Emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
. Mason, a kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
transplant recipient, won five Texas Transplant Games golf tournaments and participated in the National Kidney Foundation
National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation, Inc. is a major voluntary health organization in the United States, headquartered in New York City...
golf tournament on three occasions.
Mason was born in Monahans, Texas
Monahans, Texas
Monahans is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, Texas, United States. A very small portion of the city extends into Winkler County. The population was 6,821 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, as one of five children to Charlie Everett Mason and Trudie Mae Mason. Upon graduation from Monahans High School in 1957, he attended Odessa College
Odessa College
Odessa College is a public two-year junior college based in Odessa, Texas, USA serving the people of Ector County and the Permian Basin. It opened in 1952 and currently enrolls about 5,000 annually in its university-parallel and occupational/technical courses, and 11,000 students annually in its...
on a golf scholarship. In June 1958, he married Betty Ann Mason née Pickett (born 1939) and then transferred on a golf scholarship to Lamar University
Lamar University
Lamar University, often referred to as Lamar or LU, is a comprehensive coeducational public research university located in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Lamar confers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees and is classified as a Doctoral Research University by the Carnegie Commission on Higher...
in Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
. He was a member of the 1960 NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
championship team. He earned his bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
, with a minor in biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, from Lamar University in 1961.
Mason next took summer graduate courses at Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University is a public university located in Nacogdoches, Texas, United States. Founded as a teachers' college in 1923, the university was named after one of Texas' founding fathers, Stephen F. Austin. Its campus resides on part of the homestead of another Texas founding...
in Nacogdoches, Texas
Nacogdoches, Texas
Nacogdoches is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the city's population to be 32,996. It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of Natchitoches, Louisiana.Nacogdoches is the home of...
, and accepted thereafter a teaching fellowship from Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in College Station
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
. He completed his master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in education and obtained a Texas guidance counselor's certificate in 1962. He coached and taught at Texas A&M for two years before moving on to Texas Tech. However, his Tech service was interrupted by a stint at the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
in Fayetteville
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
, where he obtained his doctorate in education and again coached golf.
In 1969, he returned to Texas Tech, where he remained for thirty-one years in coaching and/or academic positions. He coached the golf team until 1979 and was an associate professor of physical education until his retirement in 2000. Mason's associations included Phi Delta Kappa
Phi Delta Kappa
Phi Delta Kappa is an US professional organization for educators. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. It was founded on 24 January 1906. Phi Delta Kappa also had a youth organization, called Xinos, girls, and Kudos, guys.-Membership:Currently, membership consists of students,...
educational fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
, faculty sponsor for Phi Epsilon Kappa, and service on the National Golf Foundation
National Golf Foundation
The National Golf Foundation provides golf-business research and consulting services. Founded in 1936 by golf writer Herb Graffis and his brother Joe, who nearly went bankrupt in the process, its original mission was to publish authoritative research useful to investors developing the game of...
Board of Educators and the National Kidney Foundation Board for Region II. He was the founder and director of the Junior Golf Academy for fifteen years and the Coaches Golf Academy through the Texas Tech Continuing Education Division at Junction
Junction, Texas
Junction is a city in and the county seat of Kimble County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,618 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
.
Mason was voted "Father of the Year" in 1968 at Springdale Baptist Church in Springdale, Arkansas
Springdale, Arkansas
As of the census of 2010, there were 69,797 people, 22,805 households, and 16,640 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 64.7% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 5.7% Pacific Islander, 22% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more...
, and again in 1978 at the Melonie Park Baptist Church, an Independent Baptist
Independent Baptist
Independent Baptist churches are Christian churches generally holding to conservative Baptist beliefs. They are characterized by being independent from the authority of denominations or similar bodies. Members of such churches comprised three percent of the United States adult population according...
congregation in Lubbock. He served as a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
in various Baptist churches for more than four decades. He was on the Mission Board at the Melonie Park Church. Services were held at his church. In addition to his wife, Mason was survived by three children, Rodney Mason of Lake Jackson
Lake Jackson, Texas
Lake Jackson is a city in Brazoria County, Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of a 2006 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city population was 27,614....
, Michele Mason Henderson of Waco
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
, and Kent Mason of Lubbock; a sister, Lena Davis of Mesa, Arizona
Mesa, Arizona
According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
, and six grandchildren. He is interred at Resthaven Memorial Park off Frankford Avenue in Lubbock.