Mildred Dean Mason, 15, schoolgirl, helped to save Mary J. Mason and Ted F. Ramer, 36, road grader operator, from drowning, Falco, Alabama, August 14, 1954. (See case of MYRNA D. RIVET.) 43258-3980
43258 – 3980
43258-3980Obituary
Mildred “Millie” Mason Caton, of Andalusia, Ala., died on July 3, 2009, after a brief battle with cancer.
Caton was born on Jan. 16, 1940, in Pleasant Home, Ala., to Alcus and Willie Pearl Simmons Mason. Due to her heroic effort in saving the lives of two people who were drowning, she was awarded the Carnegie Medal and a scholarship to college. She chose Auburn University and was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority. Caton met her husband, Jerry, at Auburn.
Caton started her career as an educator in Brewton, Ala., in 1963 and retired in 2007 from the Okaloosa County School District. She started her career in Okaloosa County in 1972 at Max Bruner Jr. Junior High School, teaching physical education and science and coaching basketball, softball, and track. She spent her last years as a science teacher and guidance counselor at Choctawhatchee High School.
Some of Caton’s friends have described her as extremely intelligent, fiercely loyal, and incredibly patient. She was also happy-go-lucky, had an easy laugh, and was very passionate about causes in which she believed. One such passion was the Auburn Tigers. She also loved going to Colorado to ski.
(Edited from an obituary in the Northwest Florida Daily News, July 7, 2009.)