Cherie Lee Mason

BLUE HILL – Cherie Mason, Feb. 21, 1927 – July 4, 2022, grew up in Milwaukee, Wis. and graduated from Northwestern University with a B.A. in Speech and Journalism.

She lived on Deer Isle for 35 years where her work on behalf of wildlife and the environment was extensive, including her successful initiative, with the support of the Sierra Club, to establish the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge in Wells, which worked to preserve the wetland. She became spokesperson for the Marine Environmental Research Institute (MERI) and toured Maine giving lectures on Rachel Carson.

She hosted a regular radio show on Orland-based WERU, first called “The Environmental Notebook,” and later “The Wildlife Journal.” In her early career, Mason was the first female Vice-President of the McCann-Erickson advertising agency in Chicago, Ill., and later its co-Creative Director. She went on to have a successful career as a voice-over actor, joining both SAG and AFTRA.

It was in her mid-40s that she turned her attention to the environmental movement, becoming Midwest coordinator and lobbyist for Defenders of Wildlife. Once in Maine, she also wrote two revered books for young people: the award-winning “Wild Fox”, and “Everybody’s Somebody’s Lunch”. Among other awards, Mason received the Tambrands Environmental Women of Action Award in Washington, D.C., and in 1999, Unity College presented her with an honorary doctorate of humane letters.

Her deepest love was for the theater. At the age of 84 she added an Actors Equity union card to her SAG and AFTRA cards after performing in 27 professional and community productions with Opera House Arts at the Stonington (Maine) Opera House.

A full obituary can be seen on the Bragdon Kelley website.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the

International Fund for Animal Welfare,

290 Summers St.,

Yarmouth Port, MA 02675,

or by calling 800-932-4329.