ARKANSAS SPORTS HALL OF FAME: 'Journey' worth leaving behind

Jesse Mason is working on a documentary. It's about himself.

The former Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal College (now University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff) basketball star is out to chronicle his life, from a childhood in Marion to years in Pine Bluff to a post-playing career that has included work in public service, education and a friendship with a U.S. president.

Mason's vision for "The Magnificent Journey" is not only to document his first 81 years on earth, but also to provide a road map for those who will come after him.

"I think young people would do well to see the story of a young boy from eastern Arkansas who left Crittenden County and went all the way to where he is now and what he accomplished along the way," Mason said. "My life story can show them there's a way."

The latest stop on Mason's journey is the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, to which the Golden Lions' third all-time leading scorer will be inducted Friday.

Mason lettered in all four years he spent at Arkansas AM&N from 1956-60 and received All-Southwestern Athletic Conference honors in each of his final three seasons.

In 2016, UAPB retired his No. 42 jersey in the rafters of the arena named after his former coach, H.O. Clemmons.

Mason's post-playing career has been as prolific, featuring ventures into academia, public service, coaching and consulting. As commissioner of the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, Mason forged a relationship with President Bill Clinton. The two share an Aug. 19 birthday, and Mason often reminds him that he was Pine Bluff's No. 42 long before Clinton became the White House's No. 42.

"To be inducted means a great deal to me," Mason said. "I'm grateful. Honored. Touched. I know I'm following in the footsteps of a lot of great athletes."

Born in Millington, Tenn., and raised in Marion, it was in nearby Memphis that Mason's love for sports ignited.

He was 8 years old when his father -- Jesse W. Mason Sr. -- took him to see Jackie Robinson play with a team of all-stars barnstorming through the South. The racist slurs and objects thrown at the future Hall of Fame second baseman left Mason dismayed, but it was Robinson's composed demeanor in the face of taunts that stuck with him -- and Mason wanted to emulate it. He later wore Robinson's No. 42 in high school and college.

"When I left that game, I said, 'Daddy, I want to be like Jackie Robinson,' " Mason said. "He told me you're going to have to work hard."

Without baseball fully available to him in Marion, Mason took to basketball.

"I heard Jackie was a good basketball player, too," he said.

He honed his game as a shooting guard at Woodstock High School, a boarding school in Tennessee, including dropping 50 points in a win over Burt High School in 1955.

Mason developed as a student at Woodstock, too, where the 2.5 GPA required to remain on the varsity team wasn't good enough for his parents. They set the bar at a 3.0 for him to remain on the team, and Mason's desire to stay on the court drove him in the classroom.

His GPA never dipped below a 3.0 in high school or college.

"It showed me that in order to be successful, you're going to have to do some things that you might not like," Mason said. "You're going to have to do some things that might not be fun. But at the end, it's going to pay off."

Mason arrived to Pine Bluff in 1956, where his scoring touch kept the Golden Lions competitive with perennial winners such as Texas Southern and Tennessee State over the course of his college career. He earned the SWAC scoring title in his senior season with 25.2 points per game, and he was inducted into the UAPB Hall of Fame in 2010 before reaching the SWAC Hall of Fame one year later.

It's been 60-plus years since his playing career ended, and Mason since has served as Little Rock's vice mayor and founded a consulting firm. He's worked at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, too, and that just scratches the surface.

At each stop, he credited basketball and mentors such as Clemmons for the discipline that has fueled his professional life.

"It's the foundation for the success I've had in life," Mason said.

It's a journey he's now formatting to a documentary. The film is in the early stages, and he's not sure when it will be completed, but his vision is clear. His story -- down to Saturday's induction -- is one of success, and he wants to leave it behind.

"Some kid in Arkansas might say that they aspire to be in the Arkansas Sports Hall of Game," Mason said. "How can they do that? Where do they start? Well, you can check Mason's documentary. It will give them some idea of how he did it."