Meet Our Donor ~ Nancy Mason

When talking to Nancy Mason, you can’t help but be impressed with her sense of responsibility. She attributes this to her upbringing.

Nancy grew up in the Depression, when times were tight for so many people. Originally from Missouri, her family recognized the West Coast as the new land of opportunity. So like many others at the time, her mother and father boarded a train and brought the children to Washington.

Nancy graduated from Edmonds High School and went on to the University of Washington. In an era when few women completed college, Nancy had high aspirations. However, as World War II got underway, Nancy felt she had to do something to help the war effort. It was a difficult decision; but with only two years completed, she put her college education on hold and went to work for Boeing.

The war work turned into a career, and Nancy remained at Boeing for 34 years. Nancy saw her work there as important, both to the security of the nation and to the economic and community well-being of the Northwest.

Later, after retirement, Nancy pursued other passions – gardening, music, travel and community involvement. Her passion for community brought her to South Seattle Community College.

“I was invited up to the college by [Foundation board member] Helen Sutton around 1995,” says Nancy. “I got an appreciation for how much the college does to help others. I felt I needed do something to support this work.”

Nancy always regretted having only completed two years of college.

“Education is so important, and I so wish I could have done more,” she relates. She sees the scholarship program at South as a way she can help others get a chance for education.

“With a good education, you have so much more opportunity. You can do so much more – for yourself and for others as well,” she points out.

In 1995, Nancy established the Anna C. Mason Scholarship Endowment Fund in honor of her mother. That same year she helped design and construct the Anna C. Mason Garden at the college’s Arboretum, part of an ongoing effort to complete an Arboretum that would serve as a learning laboratory for the college’s landscape horticulture students.

Nancy also plans to help the college through a significant bequest after her life. “I am delighted that I can do something that will help students in the future,” she relates.