Otis Alphonso Mason, first Black superintendent of St. Johns schools, dies at 95

Otis Alphonso Mason, a well-respected educator who was the first Black superintendent of the St. Johns County School District, died earlier this month. He was 95.

Born Sept. 1, 1928, in Lincolnville, Mason attended Excelsior High School — the first public Black high school in St. Johns County — followed by Florida A&M University and New York City University, where he earned a master’s degree. In 2022, he was bestowed an honorary Doctorate of Education by Florida A&M University.

A beloved husband and father, Mason also was a United States Army veteran of the Korean War and a community leader. He was the founder and president of the Board of the Friends of Excelsior Inc., today known as the Friends of Lincolnville.

Mason served on the UF Health St. Johns board of trustees; the St. Johns River Water Management District board; the Buckingham Smith Benevolent Association; the Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Celebration Committee; the Fort Mose Historical Society; the Venetian Club; and the St. Johns County Welfare Federation. He also was a lifelong member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the Beta Xi Boule Society.

St. Augustine's Otis A. Mason Elementary School is named in his honor.

In 2018, he and his wife, Myrtis, were honored as Living Legends by the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center.

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A public wake service will be held on Friday, Jan. 26, at Lincolnville’s St. Paul AME Church. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Anastasia Baptist Church located on Anastasia Island.

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This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: Otis Mason, longtime St. Augustine educator and superintendent, dies