Mason was known to have an unfaltering dedication and love for Wake Forest and the School of Law. Robert K. Walsh, Dean of the School of Law, knew Mason well.

"As Dean of the Law School, I like to think of James as the epitome of a Wake Forest lawyer in that he was sort of the sage adviser," Walsh said. "His whole life was dedicated to service, Pro Humanitate, so to speak. In his community, the whole community turned to him as a source of advice and wisdom. In the university it was the same thing. He was always a leader, and his counsel was often sought. He was a marvelous human being."

Mason, among other things, was known for his belief that the university should declare its independence from the North Carolina Baptist State Convention, long before ties were formally severed between the two organizations.

As chairman of the university's board of trustees for six terms between 1968 and 1989, Mason was instrumental in leading the university down a path of governance by the trustees instead of the Convention.

In 1979, he successfully collaborated with the convention to allow out-of-state, non-Baptist individuals to become board members. It was this that opened the door to the university's present state of self-governance.

"That was the first and major step that established the notion that we had to have independence if Wake Forest was to become a national institution," President Thomas K. Hearn Jr. said. "James had a vision for what Wake Forest could become."

Mason took on a number of roles that helped to serve the university over the years.

A graduate of the School of Law, the 1938 alumnus was a large advocate for the school.

He served a number of terms on the alumni council and helped to establish a scholarship for law students.

"No one ever loved this school more than he did," Hearn said. "Wake Forest was an essential passion in James Mason's life."

In addition to his involvement with the law school, Mason was a member of presidential selection committees for current president Hearn, as well as former university president James Ralph Scales.

As a result of his work and dedication to the university, Mason was awarded the university's highest honor in 1980, the Medallion of Merit, as well as an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1996.

Not only has Mason been recognized for his contributions to the university, but as a lawyer in his hometown of Laurinburg, NC. The owner of his own practice, Mason was a member of the Board of Governors of the North Carolina Bar Association and served as chairman of the North Carolina State Bar's membership committee.

Mason further served North Carolina as a state senator in the North Carolina State Senate. He represented the 18th district.

"Mr. Mason was a wonderful, kind and gentle person, and he loved Wake Forest and the Wake Forest law school," said Kathie Walsh, wife of the Dean of the Law School, Robert K. Walsh. "He was just a beautiful person," she said.

James Walter Mason's funeral was held Dec. 4 at the First Baptist Church in Laurinburg, where he was a lifetime member.