MGM MIRAGE, Press Release
PRNewswire-FirstCall
Oct 7 2005
In Memoriam: George Mason, Longtime Member of the MGM MIRAGE Board of
Directors and Senior Managing Director of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc.,
1930-2005
Friday October 7, 6:03 pm ET
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — George Mason, a longtime
member of the MGM MIRAGE Board of Directors and a highly respected
member of the financial community as Senior Managing Director of
Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., Los Angeles, passed away October 5, 2005.
He was 74.
“We are deeply saddened at George’s passing,” said Terry Lanni,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MGM MIRAGE. “He was an
incredibly influential figure in the gaming and finance industries.
With his remarkable business instincts and extraordinary intellect,
he made valuable contributions to our Board of Directors for many
years. Personally, he had a warm and generous spirit and he will be
missed by the MGM MIRAGE family and so many others whose lives he
touched.”
Mr. Mason previously served as a member of the Board of Directors for
Mirage Resorts from 1973 to 2000, and was a member of the Board of
Directors of MGM MIRAGE from 2000 to present. He was a member of the
Audit, Stock Option and Bonus committees of Mirage Resorts from 1973
to 2000, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of
Directors of MGM MIRAGE from 2002 to present.
>From 1973 until his passing, Mr. Mason was Senior Managing Director
at the Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. Los Angeles office.
“George was not only highly gifted in his understanding of the world
of finance, but he was also a warm and compassionate person who was
loved and respected by all who knew him,” said Renee Fourcade, Bear,
Stearns Managing Director who, for the past 18 years was Mr. Mason’s
close business partner. “Every client was family to George and
nothing was more important to him than earning the confidence and
satisfaction of all those who entrusted him.”
Mr. Mason founded the first English-written Armenian newspaper called
the California Courier in Fresno in 1958 and served as editor of the
newspaper until 1970.
“I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that George’s California
Courier was and will be remembered as a journal of Armenian life in
Calfornia,” said Vartan Oskanian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
Republic of Armenia. “It reflected his pride in his identity and his
heritage at a time when it was not fashionable to do so. George Mason
was a man of great integrity and sincerity. He will indeed be
missed.”
At Bear, Stearns, Mr. Mason created a newsletter for clients that he
looked forward to writing each month. Some of the top “Masonisms”
published by the prolific writer included:
“Borrow from pessimists — they don’t expect it back.”
“If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”
“Here it is. In 2004, the market will go down dramatically. But it
could also continue to go up dramatically. The final possibility is
that it will just go up or down a little bit or stay about the
same. That is my opinion and I’m sticking to it!”
Mr. Mason also worked as an executive for Kirk Kerkorian’s Tracinda
Investment Company from 1970-1973.
Born in Los Angeles on Nov. 9, 1930, he was raised there and lived
his adult life in L.A. and Fresno. He served in the U.S. Air Force as
a Staff Sergeant from 1951 to 1954.
Mr. Mason is survived by his wife of 52 years, Sally, and their six
daughters, Cassandra Goehner, Melanie Goodman, Teresa Mason, George
Ann Mason, Dina Chakalian, and Mary Mason; and by his sister, Shirley
Rakoobian.
Memorial services will be held on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 11 a.m. at St.
James Armenian Church, 4950 West Slauson Ave., Los Angeles. A
reception will immediately follow at The Fairmont Miramar Hotel, 101
Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90401.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in memory of
George John Mason be made to: Nevada Cancer Institute, Continued
Research in the Field of Bladder Cancer, 10000 W. Charleston
Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89135. Attention: Ms. Jennifer Haley, phone
(702) 821-0018.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress