Thomas J. Mason, former Notre Dame vice president for business affairs, passed away Nov. 24 in Naples, Fla. at the age of 82, according to a University press release.
"During his 20-year tenure, Mason exercised overall control of Notre Dame’s fiscal affairs and oversaw a nearly tenfold expansion of the University’s endowment, more than 30 major construction projects, the renovation of the Main Building and the expansion of Notre Dame Stadium," the press release stated.
Mason, who took the position in 1976, came to the Notre Dame after working at the University of Michigan for 10 years. In 1993, the Notre Dame Alumni Association named him an honorary alumnus, and the facilities services building on campus bears his name.
“Much of higher education in recent years has been characterized by fiscal crisis and retrenchment," University president emeritus Fr. Edward A. "Monk" Malloy said upon Mason's retirement in 1996, according to the press release. "The fact that this has never been the case at Notre Dame is due in large measure to the financial and managerial acumen of Tom Mason. His legacy to the University is a fiscal planning and budget making model that should ensure our financial strength for years to come.”
Mason earned a bachelor's degree and a master's of business administration from the University of Detroit in 1959 and 1963, respectively, and served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, according to the press release.
A visitation will take place at 8:30 a.m., Saturday in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. A funeral Mass will follow at 9:30 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requested that donations be made in Mason’s memory to the University of Detroit Mercy at 4001 W. McNichols Road, Detroit, MI 48221-3038; or to St. Agnes Parish, 7775 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Naples, FL 34120.
