Philadelphia Radio Icon Mary Mason of WHAT Radio Has Been Left Destitute by Grandson

Mary Mason with President Bill Clinton and former Philly Mayor John Street in 2003

 Mary Mason was on the radio in Philadelphia for over 60 years, from 1956, to 2008. 40 of those were spent hosting morning drive on WHAT. Except for a short stint on WWDB-am & WCAU, she spent most of her career on 1340 WHAT as first a gospel music host and then transitioning into a controversial talk show host from the 1960's. Folks either loved her or hated her, but she was never boring. Mason has had $843,000 reportedly stolen from her savings.

FROM THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS By Jenice Armstrong You didn't mess with Mary Mason. The sharp-tongued former radio host, whose real name is Beatrice E. Turner, was known for being tough on Philly politicians and anyone else who ran afoul of her or didn't do as she thought they should.

Mornings with Mary on WHAT radio was for decades required listening for thousands of Philadelphians. She regularly had politicians and other civic leaders shaking in their wingtips. No one was safe from her harangues, and she amassed a small fortune in the process.

But there was one person for whom she never had a harsh word: her grandson. Mason doted on that kid. She would go on and on about her precious "grandbaby."

I wonder what Mason, 86 and confined to a wheelchair by dementia, would say about him now -- if she knew that he stands accused of absconding with her entire estate and leaving her destitute.

Calvin Steven Turner IV, Mason's only heir, is scheduled to be formally arraigned Wednesday morning in Montgomery County Court in Norristown on a litany of charges involving the theft of his grandmother's considerable estate.

Authorities say he stole $843,000 of Mason's savings and investments and spent it on everything from liquor and food to a Las Vegas strip club. It would have been a bigger amount, if another $62,000 had not been recovered by a court-appointed attorney from the sale of real estate Turner, 33, allegedly had purchased with his grandmother's money. Read more [...]

Also read 'Financially strapped radio icon Mary Mason struggles' by Bobbi Booker of the Philadelphia Tribune.