Remembering When
by
Jerry Person
Huntington Beach City Historian
Dedicated to the people of Huntington Beach
Lets Remember Dr. Bernard Mason
One of the most important parts of our lives is keeping in good health. From the day we are born there is someone looking after our wellbeing, from our parents, the government and finally our family doctor and this week we will remember one of our downtown doctors.
For 46 years Dr. Bernard Mason practiced medicine from his office at the corner of Third Street and Walnut Avenue.
But “Doc” was not a native of Huntington Beach but instead was born in New York on February 20, 1911. His family moved across the river to New Jersey where Mason received his early education in that state. After his graduation from high school he would continue his studies at Penn State where in 1931 he received his BS degree and a year later received his MS degree. Upon completion of his education at Penn State, Mason would do an 18-month graduate work at New York Medical College and at the Flower-Fifth Avenue hospital in New York City.
By 1936 Mason would earn the title of “Doctor” when he received his MD at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA. He would do his internship there and later at Gorgas Hospital in the U.S. Canal Zone in Panama and while in Panama he treated several cases of malaria and the knowledge he gained would come in handy for one of our residents’ years later.
Mason left Panama and became a resident surgeon at the Swedish Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota and would attend the Cook County graduate school in Chicago and for one year he was a ship’s surgeon on the Grace Steamship Lines
.In 1939 he opened his our practice in Middletown, New York and it was there that he would practice in that city for the next three years.
When America was plunged into World War II, Mason joined the U.S. Army where he served in the Army Air Corps in 1942. In 1943 he would coach the Corps football team’s backfield at Brookley Field in Mobile, Ala., and served as the team’s doctor.
Now an Air Force Major, Mason would remain in the service after the war ended and before he left the service would spend the last six months of 1946 in Australia.
Mason married and in 1945 he and his wife Elsie became the parents of a son Jeffrey.
After his discharge from the military in 1946 the family came to California to live and in no time they were to settle in Huntington Beach where he had a two-story office and apartment constructed at Third and Walnut.
On October 30, 1947 Doc opened his office to tend to the medical needs of our community and in 1948 he began a 40-year career as physician for the Orange Coast College’s football team. For that dedication the college named a field for him and inducted him into their Hall of Fame.
The Masons built their dream house on Main Street were they would live for many years.
Many years ago Huntington Beach resident Ray Walker,who was a neighbor of the Masons, told me that when he [Walker] worked for the Fluor Company many years ago, came home sick and when Dr. Mason took a look at him diagnosed the symptoms as malaria. Walker also told me that Mason charged $3.50 for an office visit and $5.00 if he made a house call.
When Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach opened its doors in September of 1952, Mason was one of its original staff physicians and from 1957-1958 he served as chief of staff at the hospital and Walker told me that in one of the hospital’s hallways are pictures of every chief of staff including Dr. Mason.
The Masons were very supportive of our library’s many projects and could be counted on if needed and was held in high regard as a library supporter.
The city honored Mason for his long-term service to his community by naming him Community Grand Marshal in our 1994 Fourth of July parade and I watched him as he rode down Main Street that year.
Orange Coast College in 1978 named him their Outstanding Citizen of the Year and also named their “Most Valuable Player” trophy after him.
You could also find Mason on Wednesdays playing golf at the SeaCliff Country Club.
As for me, Mason continued to remind me to lay off salt and cut down on coffee and I have at least followed one of his suggestions, but popcorn without salt I just couldn’t give up.
I can still remember seeing Dr. Mason and his good friend Merritt Nevins walking together on Main Street on his way to this office nearly every weekday.
On the last day of the year of 1993 that Mason retired and locked his office door for the last time.
Mason lost his wife Elsie in 1994 and on January 11, 2005 we lost a great man, a great friend and a great doctor.