Dr. Walter S. Mason Jr., (October 4, 1920 - June 1, 2007) a

Clinton, Oklahoma Clinton is a city in Custer and Washita counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 8,521 at the time of the 2020 census. History The community began in 1899 when two men, J.L. Avant and E.E. Blake, decided to locate a town i ...

rural

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet) or veterinary surgeon is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, veterinarians also play a role in animal r ...

turned

U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

hotelier, was a former head of the

Best Western Best Western International, Inc. owns the Best Western Hotels & Resorts brand, which it licenses to over 4,700 hotels worldwide. The franchise, with its corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, includes more than 2,000 hotels in North America. ...

hotel chain. In 1955, governor-elect Raymond Gary named Dr. Mason (Col '45) as vice-chairman of the State Board of Affairs; he served seven years (1970–76) as an appointed member of the Oklahoma Industrial Development and Park Commission. He became president of Best Western International in 1984. As owner of the Tradewinds Courtyard Inn from 1963 until 2003, he hosted

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

during his travels from

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

and

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

and was one of many Route 66 businesspeople interviewed in 2001 by

Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...

as research for the 2006

animated film Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

Cars A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

''. When

Interstate 40 in Oklahoma Interstate 40 (I-40) is an Interstate Highway in Oklahoma that runs across the state from Texas to Arkansas. West of Oklahoma City, it parallels and replaces old U.S. Highway 66 (US-66), and, east of Oklahoma City, it parallels US ...

was proposed as a bypass to

route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

, "Doc" Mason advocated the new road follow a route close to the town, preventing Clinton from becoming a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

like many other bypassed communities on US 66. A close friend of Route 66 historian and author

Michael Wallis Michael Wallis (born October 7, 1945) is an American journalist, popular historian, author and speaker. He has written seventeen books,Danna Sue Walker"Award-winning author speaks to library backers" ''Tulsa World'', March 7, 2010. including ''R ...

(who brought Pixar's

John Lasseter John Alan Lasseter ( ; born January 12, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and animator. He was previously the chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Disneytoon Studios, a ...

Jonas Rivera Jonas H. Rivera (born May 2, 1971) is an American film producer. As of September 2022, he is the executive vice president for film production at Pixar Animation Studios, overseeing operational issues (as distinguished from creative issues) for ...

Joe Ranft Joseph Henry Ranft (March 13, 1960 – August 16, 2005) was an American animator, screenwriter, and voice actor. He worked for Pixar Animation Studios and Disney at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney Television Animation. His younger broth ...

, Matthew Lo and Kevin Reher to town), he served on the Friends of

Oklahoma Route 66 Museum A Route 66 museum is a museum devoted primarily to the history of U.S. Route 66, a U.S. Highway which served the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois, in the United States from 1926 until it w ...

board and donated land for construction of the 1995 museum. Under Mason's ownership, the two-story, 76-room hotel was a member of

and provided room service, a restaurant and a swimming pool. Suite 215 was furnished in the 1960s style to match the Elvis Presley era. "Doc" was always quick to tell a story and offer fresh red apples to every guest. A member of Clinton's local

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

since 1949, "Doc" Mason sold the Tradewinds Courtyard in 2003 and died in June 2007 after a long illness with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. After his demise the Tradewinds went into a steep decline, losing its

membership and receiving many highly negative reviews. In 2011, Oklahoma's state legislature designated a one-mile section of

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west transcontinental Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States, southeastern and Southwestern United States, southwestern portions of the United States. At a leng ...

in Clinton as the Dr. Walter S. Mason Jr. Memorial Highway in his memory.

References

External links

Oklahoma Route 66 Museum
Oklahoma Historical Society, Clinton OK {{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Walter S. People from Clinton, Oklahoma U.S. Route 66 in Oklahoma 2007 deaths 1920 births