Herman "Skip" Mason, Jr. National Alumni Brother of the Year 1989 The Atlanta Tribune Feb '98 The Southern Region History Published in 1995

Reverend Herman "Skip" Mason, Jr. is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, where he received his Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications and History from Morris Brown College. He went on to receive Masters Degrees in African-American Studies and Library and Information Science from Clark Atlanta University in 1989. That same year, he was also awarded his certification in Archival Studies from the Archives Institute of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. Reverend Mason began his career in 1983 working with the Herndon Home Museum, Atlanta Georgia, where he interpreted the history of the Herndon Family and the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. In 1986, he worked for the US Department of Interior interpreting the historical significance of the Martin Luther King family with the King Center Library and Archives. From 1987 to 1992, Reverend Mason worked for the Atlanta Fulton Public Library as the Black Studies Librarian and Archivist for the Special Collections Department. His work with the library involved developing strategies for identification and procurement of archival collections on African-Americans in Atlanta, the state of Georgia and the Southeast region. He is also Founder and President of Digging it Up, Incorporated, a nationally recognized African-American Research and Consulting firm in addition, he is the National Archivist for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and Morris Brown College. Reverend Mason has authored several books and produced various videos including: Going Against the Wind: A History of African Americans in Atlanta; Black Atlanta in the Roaring Twenties; African-American Life in Jacksonville, Florida; The History of Black Entertainment in Atlanta; and History of African-American in DeKalb County, all published by Arcadia press. For the past eleven years, Reverend Mason has served as a consultant on numerous projects and exhibits including "The Life of Blues Singer Blind Willie McTell"; "Climbing Jacob's Ladder: The Rise of Black Churches in Eastern American Cities, 1740-1877"; and currently "Music Masters" at the Apex Museum in Atlanta. Most recently, twenty million viewers saw Reverend Mason's work as he served as the Historian and on set Technical Advisor for the successful CBS television mini-series based on Alex Haley's final story "Mama Flora's Family" starring Cicely Tyson, Blair Underwood, Mario Van Peebles and Queen Latifah. Reverend Mason was initiated into Iota Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha  Fraternity, Incorporated on April 4, 1982 (the anniversary of the death of Dr. King), at Morris Brown College.  A life member of the fraternity, he made history in 1989 when at age 27, he became the youngest member to receive the coveted honor of National Alumni Brother of the Year In spite all his accomplishments, Reverend Mason's greatest joy comes in pastoring the St. James C.M.E. Church in Washington, Georgia.

YSB, Feb '94 DeKalb Extra Feb '98 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Feb '98 The Atlanta Metro Feb '92 Alpha in Atlanta... '87