William Mast was born in Galesburg, Illinois. His midwestern roots grow from becoming an Eagle Scout, National Honor Society and Illinois State Scholar, culminating in Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Sociology and Anthropology. Mast is a U. S. Army veteran serving during Viet Nam War. Moving on, Mast worked, lived, and traveled exclusively and extensively overseas from 1977 through 1992, then continued his travels. Most noteworthy, Mast was in Iran from 1977 during the Iranian Revolution until his evacuation, last flight February 21, 1979. Also another hot spot, he worked in Saudi Arabia during the first, 1990 Gulf War. From Mast’s culturally diverse travels to over 150 countries he has captured vivid and characteristic imagery from over 125.