Mason Hohl, M.D.

Harrison Mason Hohl, M.D., known as Mason, died on May 29, 2024 at age 99 in Florence, Oregon. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Blanche, to whom he was married for fifty one years. He is survived by his four children, Mary, Judy, Christine, and Bill, as well as by five grandchildren (Laura, Diana, Marina, Thomas and Katie) and four great grandchildren (Raven, Hanna Louisa, Adrian, and Benjamin). He was deeply loved throughout his life and will be greatly missed.

Mason was born in Hollywood, California, on August 12, 1924. He was an only child, but had a wonderful childhood, with his own science lab. He explored Los Angeles by riding streetcars, and the entire region by car in travels with his father. He attended Hollywood High School and then UCLA. While at UCLA, he served as President of his fraternity and played football. His team went to the Rose Bowl in 1943. Following college, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving as a corpsman at San Diego Naval Hospital during the Second World War. He assisted in caring for wounded marines and sailors from the Pacific front. It was here that he met his future wife, Blanche, who had also enlisted and was a nurse in the Navy stationed at San Diego Naval Hospital. They married on August 18, 1945, in San Francisco.

After his discharge from the Navy, he attended medical school at the University of California San Francisco. He completed his internship and residency in orthopaedic surgery at Los Angeles County Hospital. He practiced orthopaedic surgery in Los Angeles for fifty years. He was in both academic and private practice. He ultimately became a clinical professor of orthopaedic surgery at the UCLA School of Medicine. His research interests included the cervical spine and fractures of the tibial plateau. He contributed to the education of generations of orthopaedic surgeons in training. He was deeply involved in medical leadership, serving as a delegate to the AMA from orthopaedics and as President of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in 1977-1978.

Mason was a passionate sailor who raced his boats in Southern California waters and twice served as crew and physician on sailboats participating in the Transpacific Yacht Club race from Los Angeles to Honolulu. He was happiest on his boat in Cherry Cove at Catalina Island. He was also a golfer and a member of the Los Angeles Country Club. He traveled throughout the world with his wife Blanche and later with his children and grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at Holy Cross Cemetery Chapel (59835 W. Slauson Avenue, Culver City, CA) at 9:30 AM on June 12, 2024. For those interested in honoring his life by making a donation, he would have wanted to see support for the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation and for the Physicians Aid Association.