Bridgewater College to honor two alumni during Ripples Banquet

Two Bridgewater College alumni will be honored as part of the college’s annual Alumni Weekend celebration April 17 – 19.

At the annual banquet of the Ripples Society on April 17, Dr. Allen M. Clague Jr., class of 1950 and Marion E. Mason, class of 1953, will receive the 2015 Ripples Society Medals. The Ripples Society comprises alumni who graduated from the college 50 or more years ago, and the class of 1965 will be inducted into the Society that evening.

Allen M. Clague Jr., M.D. ’50

After graduating from Bridgewater, Clague taught school for two years before enrolling at the Medical College of Virginia (MCV). During his second year at MCV, Clague was drafted for alternative service and spent two and a half years serving as a nurse surgical assistant in the MCV operating room. Clague earned his medical degree in 1959.

Clague’s medical career, spanning more than three decades, focused on family medicine with practices in Kingsport, Tenn., Roanoke, Va., and Bridgewater, Va. He was named a Fellow in the American Academy of Family Practice in 1973 and became a Diplomate (board-certified) in family medicine in 1975. He is a life member of the American Academy of Family Practice, the Virginia Academy of Family Practice and the Medical Society of Virginia.

The Clague family has strong ties to Bridgewater College. Clague’s son and daughter-in-law, Allen Clague III and the former Susan Lerch, graduated in 1975 and 1972, respectively. Their daughter Lauren is a member of the class of 2011. Clague’s daughter, Linda, graduated in 1982.

Marion E. Mason ’53

After graduating from Bridgewater College, Mason worked as a teacher and principal in Botetourt County, earning a master of education degree from the University of Virginia. In 1960, Mason opted for a career in business, accepting a job as an accountant with Leggett Department Stores (now Belk). During his 35-year career with the extensive department store chain, Mason rose through the company ranks to controller, treasurer and a member of the board of directors.

Mason joined the college’s board of trustees in 1986 and served as vice chairman for development and public relations, in addition to taking an active role in the college’s major capital campaigns. In matters of budgets and fund-raising, Mason has offered common sense in balancing wants and needs – undoubtedly a result of his grounding in economics as an undergraduate and his real-life experience in the business world.

At Bridgewater Retirement Community, where he and his wife Joan now live, he has served on the board of directors and has chaired the board of its operating division, Bridgewater HealthCare Inc. Again, when major fundraising efforts were being developed at BRC, Mason’s analysis of various options was sought and valued.

Mason’s wife, the former Joan Myers, is a 1954 graduate in home economics. Their son George, an attorney, is a 1979 graduate. Mason and Joan also have two daughters, Ann and Karen, both accountants.

Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Founded in 1880, it was the state’s first private, coeducational college. Today, Bridgewater College is home to approximately 1,800 undergraduate students.