Jean Singlehurst Mason, advocate for the disabled, dead at 76
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
Jean Singlehurst Mason contracted polio when she was 27, but she didn't let that stop her from raising a family and becoming a leading advocate for people with disabilities.
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Mason, who was active in the community despite being in a wheelchair for most of her adult life, died Monday after a brief illness. She was 76.
Jean Singlehurst Mason survived polio and gave birth to two daughters during her rehabilitation.
Longtime friend Alice Guild said Mason lived life to its fullest.
"For 50 years she lived life and viewed life from a wheelchair, but in all of the years that I knew her she never missed anything because of being confined to a wheelchair," Guild said. "She worked hard most of her life and she certainly threw herself into causes for the physically handicapped."
Lynn Mason Haia said her mother "was a rare woman who took on the challenges of adversity and created a remarkable life."
Mason, a Punahou alumna, received a degree in psychology at Stanford University, where she met her husband, Carl Mason.
The couple moved to Honolulu where Carl Mason began his internship at The Queen's Hospital. In 1954, just a year after their son was born, Jean Mason was diagnosed with paralytic polio.
Mason spent eight days in an iron lung. She survived the polio and gave birth to two daughters during her rehabilitation.
In 1956, she was recognized as the Hawai'i Polio Mother of the Year for her "remarkable courage against overwhelming odds."
"She went from almost total paralysis to the point where she was driving a car and taking care of her children and having a family. But it didn't happen overnight," Guild said.
Mason worked as personnel administrator in her family's Carol & Mary store. In 1970, she served as chairwoman of the Committee on Architectural Barriers for Abilities Unlimited, which researched and reviewed provisions that would help the new Aloha Stadium meet the needs of disabled people.
Mason also lobbied for parking stalls, curbs, ramps and smooth sidewalks to accommodate disabilities.
In 1976 the Masons moved to California, where Jean Mason worked for Hewlett Packard. Since her retirement, she served as a patient advocate for Stanford Hospital.
After her husband died in 2000, Mason returned to Hawai'i.
"I don't think she felt that she had been cheated in any way. She honestly felt that life had been good to her," Guild said. "She had a great sense of humor, never felt sorry for herself and really was a wonderful example to people to really be grateful for what they have and to maximize their opportunities."
Mason is survived by her daughters, Jeanne Mason Chasey and Lynn Haia; son, Michael; six grandchildren; and sister, Gay Singlehurst Fraser. Private service have been held.
Donations may be made to the March of Dimes, 1451 S. King St., Honolulu, HI 96814.
