1930 Nov 3Sarah Margaret Refo was born in Memphis, Tennessee, second
daughter of Henry Barron Refo (1898-1993) and Sarah Alice Flaniken (1895-1956).
Her parents were educational missionaries in China who were on furlough in the
U.S. at the time of Sarah's birth.1931Refos
returned to Guangzhou, where Henry was head of the science department of the
secondary school of Lingnan University and instructor in the university's
education department and Sarah Alice served as a counselor to graduates of the
True Light Middle School attending Lingnan University.1937Refos returned to Tennesee where Henry was teacher and
administrator in public schools1939Refos went to
Hong Kong, serving at True Light Middle School under auspices of Presbyterian
Church in the U.S.A. True Light Middle School had relocated from Guangzhou to
Hong Kong during the Sino-Japanese war. Sarah and her three sisters attended
British Diocesan School in Hong Kong.1942During the occupation of Hong Kong by the Japanese, the Refo family was
placed in Stanley Prison with other American missionaries, business persons,
etc. Later in 1942, they were repatriated to the U.S. on the Swedish ship
Gripsholm and settled in Kentucky where Henry taught chemistry at Berea
College.1946Refos
returned to China to teach at True Light Middle School, which had reopened in
Guangzhou. Sarah attended Shanghai American School1948Sarah graduated from Shanghai American School and entered
College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio.1952Sarah
graduated from College of Wooster and married James Mason. The Masons worked at
Camp Reinberg, near Chicago, during the summer and then settled in New York
City, where Jim attended Union Theological Seminary.19541975Mason family based in Illinois as Jim Mason served in various
positions. Children born: Rachel (1954); Joseph (1957); Roald (1960); Sarah
Alice (1966).1964Sarah began
graduate studies in history at Northern Illinois University and taught at
McHenry County College.1970Sarah
received M.A. in history from Northern Illinois University and began studies
for doctorate in history at NIU.1975Mason family
moved to Minnesota.19761978Sarah
employed as oral history interviewer for Midwest China Center at Luther
Theological Seminary, St. Paul, MN.1978Sarah received Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University19781981Sarah employed as
researcher and writer in Ethnic History Project of Minnesota Historical
Society, including interviews and research in Asian communities throughout the
state. Contributed four chapters on Chinese, Filipinos, Koreans, and Southeast
Asians in Minnesota to the book, They Chose Minnesota: A Survey of Minnesota's Ethnic
Groups, edited by June D. Holmquist (St. Paul, 1981).19811987Sarah assisted the
Women's Association of Hmong and Lao, St. Paul as coordinator of the English
language project for elderly Hmong women, and as consultant and proposal
writer.1982Sarah
traveled to China and contacted students of her parents at True Light School,
former colleagues at Lingnan University, and former staff members of the Canton
YMCA.19821985Sarah
worked as researcher, interviewer, and writer for the Southeast Asian Refugee
Studies Project of the University of Minnesota.19841985Sarah received grant from Rockefeller Foundation for a
national survey of employment training programs for Southeast Asian women in
the United State. Results of this survey published in the book
Training Southeast Asian Women for
Employment: Public Policies and Community Programs, 1975-1985, by Sarah
R. Mason (Minneapolis, 1986).19861987Sarah
served as professor of U.S. history, comparative cultures, and advanced writing
(English) in the Department of Foreign Languages, Zhongshan University,
Guangzhou, China.1987Sarah
traveled in southwest China, visiting and conducting preliminary research in
Miao communities.19891990Sarah
served as assistant professor of history at the University of Minnesota,
Morris.19901995Sarah
conducted independent research, primarily in the field of China missions
history, with a focus on the Miao people, True Light School for Women and other
mission schools for women, and the Canton YMCA.1994Sarah's paper on the Presbyterian Mission Home, Cameron
House, in San Francisco, published in
Women and Chinese
Patriarchy, Jaschok and Miers, eds. (Hong Kong, 1994).1995Sarah's paper on a former
resident of Cameron House, San Francisco, published in
Minnesota History (Spring,
1995). Sarah treated for breast cancer.1996Sarah presented paper at Association for Asian Studies conference in
Honolulu. Diagnosed with signs of early Alzheimer's disease.19972002Sarah's illness
progressed. She died on June 27, 2002. For full chronology and list of
positions and publications, see Biographical Documentation in Box 40, Folder
444.From the guide to the Sarah Refo Mason Papers, 1866-1999, (Yale University Divinity School Library)