Published: August 29, 2008 10:11 pm         

Lewisburg man gets statewide Elk honor

LEWISBURG — Samuel D. Mason, past exalted ruler of Lewisburg Lodge No. 1758, has been named West Virginia Elk of the Year.

“It’s the highest honor an Elk can receive,” said Mason, who was recognized at the annual convention of the West Virginia Elks Association at Canaan Valley Resort.

“No one in this lodge has been (state) Elk of the Year,” said Mason, who was honored on the local and Southern District levels as well as the state.

“It’s (Elks) the largest fraternal organization in the world.”

A member of the local Elks Lodge for 34 years, Mason has served as trustee and treasurer as well as exalted ruler of the fraternal organization.

“I take pride in the things I do for the Elks. I believe in the Elks creed which is service to others,” he stressed.

Mason was instrumental in founding and coaching a youth golf team based at Lewisburg Junior High School

“We practiced at the Lewisburg Elks Country Club and played all of our home matches there,” he recalled.

Longtime chairman of the Elks State Golf Committee, Mason, over a span of 23 years, has taken more than 80 young golfers to Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion, Pa., to play in the Tournament of Champions Golf Tournament.

“I’ve been in the Elks for 34 years and I’ve played in every Elks tournament,” he says.

A Marine Corps veteran who served both in World War II and the Korean War, Mason has been the Elks national veterans coordinator the past five years.

“The Elks is a patriotic organization,” he maintains.

Mason was chairman of the committee that initiated the Greenbrier Valley scholarship program for Greenbrier East, Greenbrier West, James Monroe and Pocahontas County high schools. He is chairman on the local level of the Elks National Scholarship Program.

Mason is retired, and he and his wife, Evelyn, reside in Lewisburg.