Mason Lamar Williams III

1943 - 2021

Mason Lamar Williams III
January 20, 1943 – June 28, 2021
Resident of San Jose
Mason Lamar Williams III passed away at O'Connor Hospital in San Jose on June 28, 2021. He was 78 years old. Mason is survived by his loving wife, Phyllis; two sons: Michael and Stephen, daughters-in law Rosemary and Julie; and his grandson, Jack.
Mason was born in San Mateo, California and was the son of Mason Lamar Williams Jr. and Helen Williams. His father had a long prestigious career in the Army and the family traveled and lived in different parts of the country and overseas. Mason graduated from high school in Georgia, graduated with a B.S. degree in Engineering from California Institute of Technology and obtained his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Physics from the University of Southern California. In 1970, Mason joined IBM in San Jose and spent his entire professional career in the development of magnetic recording. His contributions to disk drive technology are legendary in the industry. His efforts at IBM led to 27 patents, many of which are still being used today. He was also the recipient of one of the highest honors in the field, the Reynold B. Johnson Award. After 32 years at IBM, Mason retired and joined Hitachi Global Storage Technologies for a few years. In 2006, Mason was a Magnetics Society Distinguished Lecturer and presented at locations in Europe, Asia and the United States on behalf of IEEE. In recent years, he volunteered time at the Computer History Museum restoring the world's first hard drive, the IBM RAMAC. He particularly enjoyed sharing his extensive knowledge (and corny jokes) during his weekly demonstrations.
Mason loved spending time with his immediate and extended family. He always looked forward to family vacations with the Eckroth, Halloran, Worthington, and Williams families. The myths and epic stories generated from these gatherings will certainly be told for generations to come. Mason and Phyllis loved spending time in Monterey and Carmel, enjoying each other's company and exploring Point Lobos and the Monterey Bay. In the last few years, Mason spent hours proudly watching his grandson play baseball. Mason will also be remembered for his love of trains, animals, the outdoors and taking things apart to see how they worked.
Family and friends are invited to attend a Funeral Mass on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 at 11:00 A.M. at Holy Spirit Church, 1200 Redmond Avenue, San Jose. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his honor and memory to the Computer History Museum at 1401 N Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, CA 94043 or the Monterey Bay Aquarium at 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940.


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