William Henry Mastbrook

WILLIAM HENRY MASTBROOK, son of the late Henry James and Frances Collins Mastbrook, died on 12 November 2012 at the Manassas Health and Rehabilitation Center of complications from congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; he was 87 years of age. He was predeceased on 12 September 2007 by his lifelong partner, friend, and companion M. Dale Hooper and survived by a half-brother, Norton Mastbrook of Takoma Park Maryland. Born on 4 February 1925 in Sibley Hospital, he was descended from a long line of native Washingtonians who had lived in the Tenleytown section of the city. Growing up in a depression era environment he began at a young age to combine schooling with extra work, such as a stint as a lunch counter server at Taft's Pharmacy and the arduous exercise of a Western Union telegram delivery boy. When the United States was attacked on 7 December 1941, Bill was still too young to enlist, but as soon as he turned eighteen, he immediately volunteered to enter the Armed Forces of the United States and on 14 April 1943 was formally inducted. He served throughout the war in the Pacific Theatre in the Army Air Corps (now the United States Air Force) as Staff Sergeant, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, 7th Air Force. He received an honorable discharge on 13 February 1946. He immediately set out to obtain a college education, spending one year at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, then transferring to American University in Washington DC where he majored in Spanish and German, graduating on 14 June 1953. An interesting highlight of Bill's association with American University is that throughout most of the 1950's he taught typing and shorthand in the School of Business Administration; these were skills he acquired in high school on the theory that they might come in useful someday. During these work filled years he also taught English as a second language for foreign professionals who came to the United States under the auspices of the State Department. His primary work, however, was in the secondary schools of Northern Virginia. His first teaching post was at St. Stephen's School for Boys in Alexandria where he joined the faculty in 1953, teaching Spanish and Sacred Studies; his next position was in Fairfax County at the newly opened McLean High School, followed by three and a half years at Annandale High where he taught English, Spanish and German. In 1967, he was invited to become head of the foreign language department at the new Oakton High School, a position he held until his retirement on 1 March 1980. While at Oakton Bill was awarded a sabbatical to pursue a master's degree in adult education from Virginia Polytechnic and State University. He was duly awarded a Master of Science in Education on 9 June 1973. Although Bill had officially retired, actual retirement was simply not in his vocabulary. In 1961, Bill and lifelong partner and companion, M. Dale Hooper (1959 until Dale's death in 2007) moved to Lake Jackson in order to have the space to develop a kennel for showing, breeding and developing of purebred collies. On 1 September 1961, Bill and Dale founded Colliehaven Kennels. Bill was active in many organizations that promoted the development of the breed and, together with Dale Hooper was instrumental in founding the local Mattaponi All Breed Club. In the late 1960's Colliehaven added a second breed, the newly imported Dutch dog, the Keeshond. Bill was elected to the presidency of the national breed organization the American Keeshond Society in 1988. In "retirement" Bill never lost his interest in public education. Wrote Gerrard P. Cleary, then chair of the Prince William County School Board on 3 July 1984, "I want to personally thank you for serving as a member and Chairman of the Special Education Advisory Committee for the 1983-84 school years. The Board is especially appreciative of citizens that give of their time to serve the children of the school district and you are to be commended. Called by the local paper "a lesson in citizenship," he and Dale founded the Northern Virginia Ragtime Society in 1979, a still thriving organization dedicated to promotion and performance of ragtime music. In addition he was involved in the establishment of the Prince William Committee of 100, a non-partisan/non political group of people from a wide variety of professions. At each meeting panelists present both sides of a timely issue and answer questions from the audience. No wonder the New Dominion magazine called Bill one of Northern Virginia's top fifty "Movers and Shakers" in its May 1990 issue and in 1985, Bill was elected as president of the Prince William Cultural Arts Federation, appointed by Governor Charles Robb as coordinator for Prince William County for the Governor's Awards for the Arts in Virginia. Governor Robb wrote to Bill, "I want to take this opportunity to thank you once again for the outstanding job you did as Area Coordinator for the Governor's Arts program. I'm confident that your efforts will be remembered for many, many years to come." Those of us who had the privilege of calling Bill a friend, will also remember him for many years to come. The family will receive friends from 5:00-8:00 P.M. Thursday, November 15, 2012 at Pierce Funeral Home, 9609 Center Street, Manassas where funeral services will be held 12:30 P.M. Friday, November 16, 2012. Interment will be held Monday, November 19, 2012 at 12:00 Noon at Mt. Zion Cemetery, Bethesda, Maryland. Condolences may be sent to www.piercefh.com.

William Henry Mastbrook

February 4, 1925 - November 12, 2012