Name: Philip Javier Mason “PJ”
Age: 27 (going to turn 28 this summer)
Appearance: PJ stands 5’ 11” tall and weighs 195 Lbs. He has almost light brown African colored skin with brown eyes and pencil thin mustache just above his lip. His oval shaped face is thin in the cheeks with prominent cheek bones. He keeps his African styled hair close cropped or faded on the sides with a flattop. PJ prefers to
dress to impress. He wears a line of clothing one can purchase from Spiegel Catalog. For work, he tends to wear dress slacks, clean spit shined dress shoes, button down shirts and neckties. Philip Mason is of Cuban – African heritage.
Likes: For music, PJ enjoys listening to DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Run DMC, Grandmaster Flash, Ice T, LL Cool J, N.W.A and other groups in the Rap genre. He also enjoys Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, Gloria Estefan, Los Lobos and Carlos Santana and many others. He enjoys going to the shooting range and driving fast cars. Philip has had a flair for writing since an early age, which also spurns a love of reading. He is working on an historical fiction novel based on experiences he had when he was in the US Army.
Dislikes: Impatient people, arrogant people, People who complain way too much and those who believe they can coach the Gulf Coast Corsairs better than the current manager. Philip does not waste his time in video arcades and thinks that those who do, are wasting their lives, deteriorating their minds.
Zodiac Sign: Leo (August 14, 1960)
Special Talent: Philip Javier has an eidetic memory, which serves him well as a reporter.
Profession: PJ is employed as a reporter for the Delta City Times.
Bio/Personality: This is more an autobiography of Philip Javier Mason… I was born in Delta City on August 14, 1960. My mother arrived from Havana, Cuba in 1959 while Fidel was rising to power. She met my father, John Michael Mason shortly after arriving in Delta City. The big man was quite taken in by
mi mama; she was a hottie Latina back in the day. They fell in love, mama got pregnant with me and they were married in early 1960. I was born six months later. I have a younger brother named Carlos Miguel who was born in December 1962.
When I was little, mi papa worked for the railroad. He was just a kid then. I think mom and dad were in their early 20s or maybe 18 when they met. In fact, mom was still with her mom when she arrived from Cuba; mi abuelita. Dad had a decent paying job working to maintain the tracks and track bed up and down the line. It was hard work and he was compensated well. We had a home in Eastern Bay, closer to the city than most. Our home was a modest brick made ranch style. I remember when I was young, mom and dad were happy and so were me and my little brother.
When I was eight years old, papa received a draft notice. The army was drafting older men too. Not sure how he got away with it earlier, but for some reason they wanted him when he was 31 years old. It was 1969 and the Vietnam War was in full swing. Dad went off to war. I never saw him again after that day he left for the Army and Vietnam.
Fortunately, the 12 years he worked for the Railroad and the insurance mom got from the Army were enough to pay off the house and for her to sock a tidy sum away for later. She got a job working in one of the factories in Industry East as a clerk. It was a decent paying job for a woman working in the early 1970s. At least enough for her to keep food on the table for all of us and clothing. Mom’s happiness dissipated after dad failed to come home in 1971. I heard her crying often when I was 10 and 11 years old. It made me and Carlos sad too.
When I was 14 years old, I entered the Harriet Beecher Stowe High School as a Freshman. I actually did well in school. Most of my friends appeared to either be truly stupid or simply dumbing it down in school. I don’t know if they just didn’t care or what their problem was. I kept my grades secret to them. I didn’t want them to know I averaged a 3.5 GPA the entire time I was at the Stowe school. I was not class valedictorian, but I ranked #28 in a class of 423 students.
I played football for the Stowe School. On offense, I was a running back, always quick on my feet. On defense I was an inside linebacker. I much preferred playing linebacker to offense. It was much more fun trying to sack the quarterback or tackling the running back coming through the line. I did however score six running touchdowns in my senior year.
Would you believe, I never learned exactly who Harriet Beecher Stowe was until I was 24 years old and in college? Unbelievable. I can only chalk that up to just a lack of paying attention to details when I was a kid. Those of us on the football team even referred to one another as Uncle Tom. I didn’t get it and never asked. I just went along with it.
Although I graduated near the top of my class from High School, I failed to apply for scholarship and mom could not afford to pay for me to go to school. I wanted to study Journalism. It was, excuse me, is my passion. I just love writing. But I owed it to my father to spend my time in the military. It was not that I wanted to die or get seriously injured, but maybe I could understand some of what he went through.
I enlisted in the US Army in August 1978, about a week after my 18th birthday. I went to Ft. Benning, GA where I trained to become an Infantryman. When I graduated Basic Training, I went right to Airborne school and learned to jump out of airplanes. That my friend, was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. I would do a civilian sky dive anyday. Once, I completed Airborne, I then attended Ranger School. That course was probably the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. You get no sleep and they feed you barely anything. I think I was 200 Lbs when I went into the army. By the time Basic, Airborne and Ranger schools were over, I weigh 170 lbs. I looked like an Ethiopian poster child, so emaciated.
Here I was a lean, mean fighting machine. Yea, stole that line from Bill Murray’s “Stripes”. Awesome movie! You’d think they would send me to an Airborne unit or to one of the three Ranger battalions. But no, they sent me to a Mechanized Infantry battalion in the 3rd Armor Division in West Germany. I learned how to break tracks and drink German beer. The Fraulines were pretty sweet too, if you catch my drift. When my time was up in Germany, I was a Specialist 4 and the army sent me to the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. I was happier with the 82nd and eventually was promoted to Sergeant. I completed 15 training jumps with the 82nd while at Ft. Bragg. My Platoon Sergeant was a pain in the ass at Bragg, but I learned to tolerate him. I never met anyone who knew my dad in Vietnam, even though there were plenty of Vietnam veterans in the Army when I was in. He served with the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam. They are stationed on Hawaii.
When I left the Army, I had access to the GI Bill. It would allow me to go to college free of charge. Mom said I could stay at home with her while I was in college. Carlos told me she cried almost every day I was at Ft. Benning. I guess she was just happy to have me back home again. I even helped her around the house. I got a job working in a local grocery store while going to school. I still had money saved up from the Army and bought myself a 1976 Ford Torino white over blue with a 351 Windsor V8 engine. It looked a lot like the Starsky and Hutch car from the TV show. The car was dependable enough to get me to school, work and back home.
I attended the University of Florida at Delta City majoring in Journalism. I considered a minor in History, but decided against. Funny thing. You are supposed to have four years of a foreign language, but if you studied a language in High School, the college requirement is waived. Yes, I studied Spanish in High School. My mom and abuelita spoke Spanish with me at home. It was an easy A, my friend. I laugh about that one.
I graduated from the University in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and was hired a month later by the Times in downtown Delta City. I have been working as a junior reporter for the Times for the past three years. I ran into someone I went to High School with working for the same department I am.
Once I graduated college and got the job as a reporter, I was able to afford an apartment downtown, not far from Mandarin Park. Carlos moved in with me about six months after I got the lease. He is currently working as a firefighter at Delta City FD ladder 1. The apartment is not far from where he works either.
Life is good. I need to visit mom more often. I call her at least once a week, but it seems I don’t visit her and mi abuelita enough.
More than a few Favorite Songs: ►
“I’m Bad” by LL Cool J
►
“Walk This Way” by Run DMC & Aerosmith
►
“Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman
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“Diamonds” by Janet Jackson & Herb Alpert
► and more.
Recent History: For the past year, PJ has been researching a series of arson investigations in the greater Delta City area. There have been four buildings in Industry East and two downtown that were torched. It appears they were set intentionally by someone, possibly for the insurance money. The police have been investigating the crimes. Their tips and information have been minimal giving him only small drops here and there; enough to keep him coming back for more. The stories have been keeping him employed in the Times.
He has also been hanging out in some of the clubs downtown with his friends including that girl he works with who he graduated high school with. The clubs are really
happening downtown. On occasion they venture into the Double-D to see the clientele and partake in the excitement.
Celebrity playig Philip J. Mason: Jharrel Jerome
hanzo
