Career
He became president of Best Western International in 1984. As owner of the Tradewinds Courtyard Inn from 1963 until 2003, he hosted Elvis Presley during his travels from Memphis to Las Vegas and Hollywood and was one of many Route 66 businesspeople interviewed in 2001 by Pixar as research for 2006 animated film Cars. When Interstate 40 in Oklahoma was proposed as a bypass to route 66, "Doc" Mason advocated the new road follow a route close to the town, preventing Clinton from becoming a ghost town like many other bypassed communities on US 66.
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. After his demise the Tradewinds went into a steep decline, losing its Best Western membership and receiving many highly negative reviews.
In 2011, Oklahoma's state legislature designated a one-mile section of Interstate 40 in Clinton as the Dr. Mason, Jr. Memorial Highway in his memory.
