Dr. Walter S. Mason Jr., (October 4, 1920 - June 1, 2007)[1] a Clinton, Oklahoma rural veterinarian turned U.S. Route 66 hotelier, was a former head of the Best Western hotel chain.
[2] In 1955, governor-elect Raymond Gary named Dr. Mason (Col '45) as vice-chairman of the State Board of Affairs;[3] he served seven years (1970–76) as an appointed member of the Oklahoma Industrial Development and Park Commission.
[4] As owner of the Tradewinds Courtyard Inn from 1963 until 2003,[5] he hosted Elvis Presley[6] during his travels from Memphis to Las Vegas and Hollywood[7] and was one of many Route 66 businesspeople interviewed in 2001 by Pixar as research for the 2006 animated film Cars.
[9] A close friend of Route 66 historian and author Michael Wallis (who brought Pixar's John Lasseter, Jonas Rivera, Joe Ranft, Matthew Lo and Kevin Reher to town), he served on the Friends of Oklahoma Route 66 Museum board and donated land for construction of the 1995 museum.
[10] Under Mason's ownership, the two-story, 76-room hotel was a member of Best Western and provided room service, a restaurant and a swimming pool.