Paul Mason ’77 returned to campus on Sunday to retell tales of majoring in Classics, advancing from Wesleyan to waiting on tables, and eventually establishing himself as one of the first African-American members of ABC News, and on to his current position as Senior Vice President.
Mason’s discussion was the first in the series “Unconventional Wisdom: Legacies of Success,” which aims to provide students with alumni’s inside perspective on their work and advice on how to convert a Wesleyan degree into a meaningful career.
After chatting personally with student attendees, whose majors ranged from English and psychology to film studies, Mason addressed the audience about his circuitous path to success.
“This all could be very serendipitous for you,” he said.
Mason described how his “accidental major” in Classics led him to consider law school, yet he instead opted for waitering at a seafood restaurant. During his stint as a substitute teacher at a Quaker school on Long Island, Mason listened to radio news programs while driving to work, stimulating his first intrigue in the journalism field.
He soon left teaching to attend the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, with a dream of writing for the New York Times. Following the suggestion of his advisor, however, Mason shifted his focus to television news and, shortly after graduating, landed a job at ABC.
Although Mason stressed the fortuitousness of his trek toward a top position at ABC News, he also offered colorful anecdotes that encapsulated the principles that guided him toward success.
He noted, for example, that his cross-country coverage of a 16-year-old golfer named Tiger Woods in 1991 taught him the value of Woods’ zen-like mindset.
“Tiger’s not thinking about what he did five minutes ago, and he’s not thinking about what he’s going to do in five minutes—just the present,” Mason said. “I’m also thinking only about what I’m doing right now.”
Mason addressed encounters that he has had with diversity and race during his career path. He noted his unawareness of the “tsunami of race” while at Wesleyan and discussed the transformation of diversity that he has watched develop at ABC News.
“[It was] one of the whitest places in America,” Mason said of the network he joined in the early 1980’s
In one instance, Mason lost the position of Executive Producer of Peter Jennings’ program to another candidate. He felt that his rejection had been motivated by racial prejudice. He met with a top lawyer from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and intended to sue. However, Mason said, with guidance from his lawyer, he chose to put the possibly discriminatory act behind him and to maintain his resolve for success.
“Denial has been a very effective tool for me,” he said.
With this tool, Mason explained, he was able to collaborate in efforts to recruit a diverse pool of prospective employees, effectively improving the racial climate at ABC. He was also able to achieve his own promotions and, in 2004, to reach his current position as Senior Vice President.
Addressing student attendees considering a career in journalism, Mason stressed the ability to be aggressive without being overly self-promotional and the importance of seizing opportunities.
Students found Mason’s talk insightful and inspiring.
“I liked how he stressed the power we each have to convert opportunities, if we just pay attention to them,” said Emma Drew ’10. “Plus, how great is it to be able to network with a vice president of one of the largest news corporations in the world?”
“I thought Paul was a very friendly guy, easily approachable, and the story of his life was pretty wild,” said Alex Footman ’09. “It was nice to have an alum in a position of power come back and give his time.”
“Unconventional Wisdom” is sponsored by the Alumni of Color (AOC) Network and the Career Resource Center (CRC).
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