‘She was our queen, and just not in radio’: Loved ones, local figures mourn loss of Philly’s own Mary Mason

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Dozens, including loved ones and local figures, gathered at the Sharon Baptist Church in Wynnefield Heights Friday for talk radio pioneer Mary Mason’s funeral service.

Mayor Cherelle Parker was one of the first to take the podium and talk of Mason’s profound impact.

“She was our queen, and just not in radio,” Parker said.

Mason died Thursday, July 25, at age 94. Parker shared fond memories of growing up and hearing Mason on the radio, and even noted how her family compared her to Mason at an early age because of her speaking talent.

"When they’d hear me talking, they would say, 'Look at little Mary Mason go.’”

But Mason’s influence did not stop there.

Mason began her career in 1958 as a disc jockey on WHAT-1340 AM before hosting her own show, “Mornings With Mary,” in 1970.

Her popularity grew as the Civil Rights Movement ignited, and she never shied away from taking a strong stand against racial segregation.

Mason interviewed presidents, activists and celebrities, including Barack Obama and Lyndon B. Johnson, Martin Luther King Jr., Oprah Winfrey, and Muhammad Ali.

Parker said her show helped local African Americans looking for a chance on air.

“When we couldn't afford to maybe, you know, put an ad on a radio show, you knew how many people would hear you and Miss Mary Mason gave you an opportunity to be interviewed, giving you access into many living rooms where other people were listening to her,” Parker said.

Senator Anthony Williams also paid tribute to Mason’s career and legacy.

"People listened to Mary not because she was brash, not because of her personality. They listened to Mary because, as [Former Representative Chaka Fattah] said, she was authentic. She spoke the language of the streets and the neighborhood,” Williams said.