Morgan Mason
The Hon. Morgan Mason | |
|---|---|
| File:Masonreagan2.jpg Mason at White House Tennis Court with President Ronald Reagan | |
| Special Assistant to the President of the United States | |
| In office 1981–1983 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Acting United States Chief of Protocol | |
| In office 1981 – Same year | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Deputy United States Chief of Protocol | |
| In office 1981 – Same year | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Special Advisor to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Member of the Commission for the Preservation of American Heritage Abroad | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 26, 1955 Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Belinda Carlisle |
| Children | James Duke Mason |
Alexander Morgan Mason (also known as Morgan Mason) (born June 26, 1955), is an American politician, film producer and actor. He is the son of the late Academy-award nominated actor James Mason and his wife Pamela Ostrer, actress and commentator.[1] He is the former Acting Chief of Protocol of the United States, and served as Special Assistant to the President to Ronald Reagan. His grandfather, the financier and film producer Isidore Ostrer, was head of the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation. [2] Mason married pop singer Belinda Carlisle in 1986. They have a son, James Duke Mason, born April 27, 1992.[3]
Political career
After having served as Executive Director of Illingworth Morris, the world's largest woolen textile company up to that time, Mason began working in 1979 for the Ronald Reagan for President Campaign. At first he was Assistant Finance Director, then he went on to serve as Major Events Director, and he was also a member of the campaign's Executive Advisor Committee. He was a Delegate-At-Large from California to the Republican National Convention in 1980, and after the election, in which Reagan was victorious, Mason was made Special Assistant to the Co-Chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee. When Reagan became President, Mason was appointed Deputy Chief of Protocol at the U.S. State Department, serving as Acting Chief of Protocol at the same time for several months. He then went to work at the White House as Special Assistant to the President for Political Affairs, and during that time was selected to be a part of the Official United States Delegation to attend the funeral services of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, with former U.S. President's Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter.
Morgan's Struggle
On June the 3rd 1991, Morgan Mason was diagnosed with Influenza 1, 3 and 7. His life has been a deadly struggle ever since. Influenza, commonly known as flu, is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae (the influenza viruses). The name influenza comes from the Italian: influenza, meaning "influence", (Latin: influentia). In humans, common symptoms of the disease are the chills, then fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort.[1] In more serious cases, influenza causes pneumonia, which can be fatal, particularly in young children and the elderly. Although it is sometimes confused with the common cold, influenza is a much more severe disease and is caused by a different type of virus.[2] Influenza can produce nausea and vomiting, especially in children,[1] but these symptoms are more characteristic of the unrelated gastroenteritis, which is sometimes called "stomach flu" or "24-hour flu".[3]
Typically influenza is transmitted from infected mammals through the air by coughs or sneezes, creating aerosols containing the virus, and from infected birds through their droppings. Influenza can also be transmitted by saliva, nasal secretions, faeces and blood. Infections also occur through contact with these body fluids or with contaminated surfaces. Flu viruses can remain infectious for about one week at human body temperature, over 30 days at 0 °C (32 °F), and for much longer periods at very low temperatures.[4][5] Most influenza strains can be inactivated easily by disinfectants and detergents.[6][7][8]
Flu spreads around the world in seasonal epidemics, killing millions of people in pandemic years and hundreds of thousands in non-pandemic years. Three influenza pandemics occurred in the 20th century and killed tens of millions of people, with each of these pandemics being caused by the appearance of a new strain of the virus in humans. Often, these new strains result from the spread of an existing flu virus to humans from other animal species. A deadly avian strain named H5N1 has posed the greatest risk for a new influenza pandemic since it first killed humans in Asia in the 1990s. Fortunately, this virus has not mutated to a form that spreads easily between people.[9]
Vaccinations against influenza are usually given to people in developed countries with a high risk of contracting the disease[10] and to farmed poultry.[11] The most common human vaccine is the trivalent influenza vaccine that contains purified and inactivated material from three viral strains. Typically, this vaccine includes material from two influenza A virus subtypes and one influenza B virus strain.[12] A vaccine formulated for one year may be ineffective in the following year, since the influenza virus changes rapidly over time, and different strains become dominant. Antiviral drugs can be used to treat influenza, with neuraminidase inhibitors being particularly effective.
Morgan Mason's medical condition has deteriorated ever since the diagnosis. He is currently in need of psychiatric help and therapy to cope with the knowledge illness.
Public relations and film
On November 5, 1983, Mason resigned from his White House position and became the Vice President of Rogers and Cowan Public Relations. In 1984 he became a board member of Musifilm Ltd., a partnership with MCA/Universal. Mason later went on to become an Executive Producer of the film Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989), which went on to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival. During the 1980s, Mason was made a presidential appointee to The Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad.[4] and a special Advisor to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. In 1990, he became Vice President and head of the Independent Film Division of the William Morris Agency in Beverly Hills, and 7 years later became CEO of London Films. In 1999, Mason founded his own television channel, Innergy, with UPC.
References
- ^ The Talker March 16 1959.
- ^ As a child, Mason appeared in the films The Sandpiper, and Hero's Island.Isidore Ostrer Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Index. Accessed August 25 2007.
- ^ Stewart, Jenny. March 1 2007 Belinda talks Advocate Online. Accessed August 25 2007.
- ^ Appendix A -- Digest of Other White House Announcements January 1 1992. Accessed August 25 2007.
The Reagan Diaries, page 109
External links
- Morgan Mason at IMDb