by Neil Richard
Introduction
The basic idea behind this interview series is to interview local leaders that live, work, or have an important impact on King George County. We have asked various citizens for recommendations on who they see as a local leader. Additionally, we feel that everyone has a story and it deserves to be told. So we want to know their story. As you can see with the questions below, we want to share their story with the rest of the citizens in King George County. If you have somebody you would like to nominate for a future interview, please contact us.
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| Vic Mason sitting in front of a portrait of his late son, SGT Nick Mason. |
Editor's Note:
Mr. Mason was hesitant to be interviewed. I think this was partly because he didn't know me but also because, as he readily admitted, he didn't see himself as someone worthy enough. During the interview, it became apparent why his name was mentioned by Sheriff Dempsey and others. Mason is a leader in the community and gives back not only in his role as Clerk of the Court but in other ways. His interview was by far the most emotional one so far. Listening to him talk about how his son's death impacted his life was moving in the moment and even more so as I began transcribing his answers. [I would encourage you to consider participating in the upcoming Some Gave All Ride event on June 2, 2019.]
Basic Biographical Information
I graduated King George High School in 1973. I took college classes at Rappahannock Community College but I was not necessarily, at that point in time of my life, focused on academics to say the least. But I took some classes. Took some in law enforcement and other things. And not a whole lot of formal schooling or education after that. I've taken and taught classes through the Clerk's Association. But that's about it for the academic side of it.
No, I don't need any special certifications to be Clerk, anybody can run for it. It's not like the Commonwealth's Attorney where you have to be an attorney. But that's the only certification for that job, to have a bar license. Nothing really special to be Clerk. It's a very interesting, challenging job though because there are so many different things. We handle all of the land records, which King George has back to 1720, 1721. A lot of localities don't because during the Civil War the Union troops came through and burned the records. One of the Clerks, his last name was Brown, took all the records and stored them in his attic. That's why they were saved so when the troops came through there wasn't a whole lot to burn.
So we keep records, land records, marriage licenses, we don't have them that far back because Vital Records takes care of that now. We handle criminal and civil cases. All the felonies come through the Circuit Court. Anything over, I want to say $25,000 now, has to be a Circuit Court case. It's the only court in Virginia that has juries. We also take care of, which is probably the most satisfying job and probably the most interesting, is probate where we handle people's estates. You get to help people. You leave the office at the end of the day and you feel like you've helped somebody. That's what makes it all worth it. States like Maryland have three separate offices for what we do here. They have a probate judge that handles nothing but probate. They have a land record office and then a separate courts office. Virginia Circuit Court does all three so you never know what's coming through the door and that's what makes it interesting.
So I do a lot of talking and don't really answer the question you asked me.
No military experience. I was President of the Clerk's Association in 2010. Technology Fund, or TTF, Committee Chair. In the Clerk's Association I've served on a number of different panels and committees. Hunter Education Instructor in the area. Then of course the two foundations, the scholarship foundation. I'm a Director on that. And the Some Gave All Foundation, I'm a Director on that. Both of those are very rewarding. In the end you get to help somebody. You get a good feeling at the end of the day when you get to do that. With the memorial scholarship I think we've given out in excess of $125,000 in scholarships to King George graduates. That is very eye opening because a lot of times what I see through the court system is not the most focused or dedicated of people. But what you get with some of the applications, you wonder how they do what they do in 24 hours. So that's very good. Then of course with the Frazier-Mason Foundation we assist a lot of disabled veterans that have fallen on hard times for whatever reason. A lot of them deal with PTSD making it difficult for them to deal with certain things and to be able to take a little of the pressure off, like if they haven't been able to pay their mortgage or rent or car payment, it has worked out well. I guess the most important part of both of them is they've both become very big community events. We set up the foundation but the community supplies the support, especially financially. That's been a good feeling just to see how caring a lot of the people in King George are.
Personal Questions
What do you remember about your grandparents?
I remember both my grandmothers very well. My mother's father died before I was born and if you look at the picture hanging behind you, he worked for the railroad but he also hunted and trapped on the side for a little extra income. So that's a picture of my mother and him back about 1940. My father's father, he died in 1960 so I was a little bit over five years old so I don't remember but so much about him. But both my grandmothers lived and grew up here in King George. In fact one lived across the road from us and the other was down by Sue Williams' office. King George was really a small community back then. Both of them were very caring and loving. Completely different people but very caring and loving people.
My mom's mom, I remember more than anything she had a little fish pond outside. Used to love to watch the goldfish. And sitting in her kitchen in a little nook drinking coffee and eating toast. Dipping the toast in the coffee when I was five, six, seven years old. And like anything, you see them grow older and start to struggle with memory and not being able to do things themselves. That I guess gives you a different perspective. At that point in time your parents are 30 or 40 years old and you're 10 to 20 or 30 or somewhere in that range. It gives you a different perspective on things in the cycle of life.
My dad's mom, she was a very religious, very caring, very personable woman. I would see her just about on a daily basis. Probably why I remember her a little bit clearer. She lived to be like 97 or so. But she would get out and work on her flower beds, her garden, every day. She could run that grubbing hoe all day long. She was a little teeny woman and it still amazes me how she could do that.
What historical events influenced your life the most?
Probably the one I remember the most was when Kennedy was assassinated. I think he was a very popular and dynamic person and I was probably 8 or 9 years old. And then of course 9/11.
I think the Kennedy assassination just sort of, I guess, burst the bubble where everything was good and kind and people are really nice and then you see that. The planes going into the Twin Towers, you realize everybody is subject to somebody else's' hatred. At any moment in time to take so many lives so needlessly. Shortly after that my son went and enlisted. He was 17 so we had to sign but we knew what he was going to do. It was either sign when he was 17 or wait for him to be 18 and he would sign it by himself. It was something he really wanted to do.
When he was killed, it was probably the biggest impact that anything has ever had on my life. But the wonderful thing was how the community came together. You don't get that in all communities. Probably as communities grow, people know less of their neighbors because there are so many. But it is still small enough now that when something like that happens, everybody comes and lets you know they are there. That of course led to us being able to give back through the two foundations, the scholarship to high school students and the other for disabled veterans. Something good comes from everything. If you want it to.
Outside of work and home, what is your favorite place in King George?
Generally outside. I love to duck hunt. And it doesn't matter, we talked earlier about standing in the rain in the 30s, never had a bad day duck hunting. A lot of days we've gone out and gotten wet or fallen in the water. The boat hadn't started. Forgotten to put the plug in. But it's always been enjoyable. Also, the Some Gave All Ride. Outside doing things. This past weekend I was outside working in the beautiful weather. Even when it was windy and blowing. The outdoors. There's so many things you can enjoy. And King George is still rural enough, I don't know if there's anywhere you can go where you can't hear a car, but there are a lot of places where you can go and it's peaceful. And I love solitude.
What person, place, or thing do you think is the most underappreciated in King George County?
That's going to be tough because you're trying to ask me for a singular answer. I think the fact that we're between two rivers. There's so many places you don't get to see and all the wildlife. The power that Mother Nature can have.
But then there's so many people. And that list could go on for miles. Teachers in the schools. Community leaders who did something almost every day, every week, and never looked anywhere for any recognition. They did it because they wanted to and it was the right thing to do. There's so many people it's hard to bring that into focus into a single answer.
But the warmth of the community. The ruralness of it, even though that's changed a lot, especially since I grew up. We used to sit in my grandmother's porch on Sunday and would count cars that came down Route 3 right here through the middle of town. And sometimes it would be 10 or 15 minutes before we see a car. Now if you can go 10 seconds without seeing one. So that's a change I've been able to see. The good, bad, and ugly.
Professional Questions
Who is your inspiration or mentor?
I guess my father and grandfather. I never truly understood the importance of this job to the community. I didn't know my grandfather that well but he was here for 43 years, from 1917 to 1960. I always hear things from people who knew both of them. I don't hear that much from people who knew my grandfather anymore but 25 years ago when I first came into the office I did. I was a whole lot smarter in my teens and twenties than I am now. Because at that point in time I Was much smarter than my father. I guess maybe I've gotten dumber every year because I realize there's less and less that I actually know. And he did tell me one time that I was the smartest teenager he ever met. And i kinda took that as a compliment when he said it but looking back on it I'm not so sure there wasn't a little bit of sarcasm and cynicism in that.
So I guess understanding the importance of this office to the community and the effect it has on everybody's lives. So I would probably have to go with them.
What is your ideal vision for King George County in the future?
My ideal vision would be to slow the growth but it's hard to draw the line between property rights and the rights of people. If you have a farm with 200 acres and all you're doing is paying taxes on it, it's hard to tell that person no, you can't develop that. Somebody worked hard to get that property in that family and just because I want to see it stay agriculture, doesn't mean that they do. So that's a very difficult balancing act, to slow growth while still allowing people who own the property to do what they can to make it profitable.
So I would like to see King George County slow up as far as the growth but it's not going to happen. It's going to speed up when they bring that other bridge and there's an increase in traffic. Which will bring an increase in good but also the bad. You know, people like to go to Walmart but if you look in the General District Court case loads, it's like they have a sign up in every other aisle in Walmart that says steal me. And it's going to bring more transient traffic. More pressure on the Fire and Rescue. More pressure on the Sheriff's Department. More pressure on the court system.
So, controlling the growth but I don't have the answer on how to do it.
What do you feel are the top 3 issues to address in King George?
The top three issues are infrastructure, like roads and water and sewer, controlling the growth, and for the County to have the best plan they can have in place to accommodate growth. Schools, courts, infrastructure, things like that. And then being able to adjust that plan on an annual or semi-annual basis.
What do you feel are the top 3 successes in King George?
Definitely the community as a whole and its caring. You see so many people do so many things, charities. Considering the rapid growth and the changing dynamic of the County, I think the administration, the Board, overall has done a good job over the past 20 to 25 years in dealing with it. Certainly you can look back and say things that could have been done better but anybody can do that. I think overall they've done a good job. I think the services provided overall, certainly you can improve on anything but that should be the goal no matter how good a job you do. But I think the schools, the courts, Fire and Rescue, Sheriff, those services provided by the County during this big period of change, I think they've done a pretty good job. I've seen in a lot of places where they've done a lot worse.
What person, place, or thing do you think we lack in King George?
Again, this is a me me me answer. I would like to see a good steak house where I can go and get a nice steak dinner. It doesn't have to be a gourmet one but there's so many places you can get subs, pizza, burgers. There's no where you can sit down and get steak. You can sit down and get a nice meal but I'm a beef eater. That's what I would like to see as far as a service coming to King George. For self interest it would be a steak house.
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