MASON, Perry

MASON, Perry. (Dubuque, IA,-- ). Perry Mason was named the recipient of the 2025 FIRST CITIZEN AWARD by the Telegraph Herald. Well-known among veterans organizations in the tri-state region, the Dubuque radio executive has said gratitude powers his mission to honor the United States and the military members in its service. Mason has been the driving force behind two local initiatives celebrating veterans and showcasing America’s patriotism and freedoms — Dubuque’s annual Fireworks & Airshow Spectacular and Honor Flight of Dubuque and the Tri-States.

The Mason family has been familiar to the area’s radio listeners for more than 40 years. His father, Bill Mason, came to Dubuque in 1958 to work at KDTH radio, then moved to the city’s WDBQ radio. Bill Mason served in WORLD WAR II as a member of the Army Air Corps. He flew P-38 photo recon planes over the Normandy and Omaha beaches on D-Day taking pictures. Of approximately 20 photo reconnaissance planes airborne over the Allied invasion site, Bill Mason’s plane was one of only eight to return to base. His brothers, Rick and Michael, both served in the Navy during the VIETNAM WAR. They lost a cousin in combat who was a Green Beret.

Although he grew up the son of a well-known local radio personality, Perry Mason said he was not sure he would follow his dad into broadcasting. It was another of Dubuque’s longtime broadcasting figures who introduced Perry Mason to local airwaves. Paul HEMMER gave his a job at WDBQ (radio) at the age of thirteen after doing some high school explorer post-type projects. Hemmer hired Perry to be a board op for KIWI, which later became KLYV. Mason also dabbled in local sports broadcasting before leaving radio for awhile.

Perry returned to Dubuque and broadcasting at KAT-FM in October of 1985. Two years later, he married Polly Ann Pusateri.

Annually thousands of people descend upon Dubuque’s Point area on July 3rd for an event that has been associated with Mason for nearly 40 years — Dubuque’s annual Fireworks & Air Show Spectacular. Mason was working in sales at KAT-FM and KDTH in 1986, when the fireworks show relocated to its current location, near the north end of Kerper Boulevard. Dennis Ryan, the general manager at the radio station, worked with Dean Millius and the (Dubuque) Jaycees to move the event. Perry took on a leadership role from Dean after the first event and focused to frame the event as a salute to people serving in the military.

Mason worked with the Iowa Army National Guard. “We changed it from doing an air show at the airport,” Mason said. The air show was incorporated into the (July 3) fireworks event.” Mason’s efforts ensured a continued military presence at the air show, despite tightening defense budgets. The Golden Knights recognized Mason for his decades of work on the fireworks and air show event in 2014, when the group made him an honorary Knight in a ceremony at the fireworks site.

The air show / July 3rd event grew to feature P-51 Mustangs, A-10 Warthogs, F-35 fighters,various precision flight squadrons, and the U.S. Army Parachute Team, known as the Golden Knights. Airshows are often held at airports, and it was Bob O’Brien, who was the manager of Dubuque Regional Airport at the time, who helped Mason secure the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron for an air show held at the airport in August 1995. Mason managed all the operations of the show including recruiting the air show performers, planning of the air show and fireworks. His planning included the Dubuque Jaycees, City of Dubuque, multiple law enforcement agencies and military officials to craft the event, which annually draws more than 50,000 spectators. “Truly, for a city its size, (the fireworks and air show) is very impressive and has a great economic impact,” according to Tim Trausch, of Dubuque’s Sons of the American Legion.

Mason’s gratitude to veterans led to organizing HONOR FLIGHT DUBUQUE — a trip that annually provides, to no cost to the veteran, a means of travel to Washington, D.C. for free to visit memorials dedicated to their service. Honor Flight, the national organization, has flown more than 200,000. The first flights originated in May 2005 in Springfield, Ohio.

A local Honor Flight group in Dubuque began offering these trips for veterans toward the end of that decade. Dennis Avenarius, the local coordinator of the Flight in 2009 asked if the radio station would be interested in helping put together an event to raise funds for Honor Flight. Mason agreed to help out and in two years was asked to coordinate the program.

The original scope of the program was narrower than today. When Honor Flights started, the mission nationally was to get all World War II veterans out to Washington to see the National World War II Memorial. That mission was completed in Dubuque after 10 flights. The initial local flights also took some Korean War veterans. Many Vietnam veterans served as assistants for the traveling veterans. That arrangement enabled veterans of three wars to participate in the local flights.

Within the next five years, the national mission of Honor Flight changed, expanding participation to all veterans, with priority given to World War II, Korean and Vietnam veterans. Mason and his group announced in February 2020 that local Honor Flights would resume that year. The PANDEMIC restrictions, however, kept local Honor Flights grounded.

With the easing of travel restrictions in 2022, Mason and his group announced the resumption of the program. Local Honor Flights continued with two flights annually since they resumed in May 2022. As of 2026 more than 1,800 local veterans visited Washington thanks to the local Honor Flight trips. Mason has credited the success of the flights — and the community’s financial support of the initiative — to society’s evolving view of military service as a patriotic service worthy of thanks.

Honor Flight trips continue to fuel Mason’s devotion to his causes — celebrating America and its veterans on July 3 and transporting veterans at no cost to them to Washington. Stories from local flights have included reunions that end decades-long family estrangements, veterans who retrieved their military service uniforms from attics years after returning stateside to face spitting war protesters, and veterans who visited relatives’ graves at Arlington National Cemetery for the first time.

Source:

1. Hogstrom, Erik, "First Citizen: Dubuque Radio Executive Makes Honoring Veterans His Mission," Telegraph Herald, Jan. 2, 2026. p. !