Academy Award-Nominated Soundman to be Inducted in OLCHS Alumni Hall of Fame

Photo: Brian McCarty, OLCHS Class of 72, yesterday and today. McCarty will be inducted into the school’s Alumni Hall of Fame on Sept. 14.

An Academy Award-nominated soundman who found inspiration in the halls of Oak Lawn Community High School will be inducted into the school’s Alumni Hall of Fame on September 14.

Brian McCarty grew up on Major Avenue and 91st Street and attended St. Gerald School before moving on to Oak Lawn Community High School where he studied under legendary band directors Richard Pettibone and Charles Yara.

Upon graduating from OLCHS in 1972, McCarty attended DePaul University and began his professional audio recording career at Viking Studios in Denver, CO. In 1997, he began his film sound career at The Burbank Studios in Hollywood.

McCarty focused primarily on production sound and was part of a team that garnered Academy Award nominations for Best Sound for the feature films Altered States, On Golden Pond, and Dick Tracy. His accomplishments in sound recording and movie music also include the Oscar-nominated films Sister Act, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Starship Trooper, Jerry Maguire, As Good As It Gets, The Big Lebowski, as well as dozens more.

McCarty is a 27-year member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. He has authored engineering standards for new technology such as Digital Cinema and Ultra High Definition Television. He has also served as the chairperson of the technical committee Sound for Digital Cinema and Television at the Audio Engineering Society.

In the 1990’s, McCarty recognized the film sound reproduction was not keeping pace with the rest of the audio industry so he began a two-decade push on standards to address the issues. His work resulted in the development of new Standards for Measurement and Equalization of Sound Systems in Rooms for the Audio Engineering Society. He has also authored several technical papers on cinema audio, and has lectured at universities around the world including Columbia College in Chicago.

Building on his Hollywood success, McCarty has served as a consultant and project manager for the Bose Corporation, managing the design and launch of a new professional audio product. He was also the first film sound engineer to lecture and consult with the Chinese film studios, starting in 1985 – including Shanghai, Beijing, Xi’an, and Ermei (Chengdu).

In 1999, McCarty was recognized by the Australian Government as a Distinguished Talent and established residency there with Sandra (Marolt) McCarty, also an OLCHS ’72. McCarty is the managing director of Coral Sea Studios in Cairns, Queensland Australia, and he loves his hometown.

McCarty credits his love and appreciation for music to his two OLCHS band directors, Richard Pettibone and Charles Yara. McCarty is still known to play bassoon as well as Hammond organ from time to time, Doors-style. He divides his time between Chicago and Australia.

The Class of ‘72 grad will be the featured speaker at the school’s Academic Letter Ceremony that same evening (Sept. 14).

McCarty is the school’s nineteenth Alumni Hall of Fame inductee. Four others will be inducted throughout the 2015-16 school year.

• James Dague (1984) and Jayne Saniat (1982) will be inducted on Friday, October 23, 2015, as part of the school’s fall musical.
• Dr. William Reiners (1955) will be inducted on Monday, October 26, 2015, as part of the school’s National Honor Society Ceremony.
• William Vail (1967) is tentatively scheduled to be inducted on Wednesday, March 2, 2016, as part of the Winter Sports Awards Ceremony.

To learn more about the selection process or to nominate a candidate, visit the OLCHS Alumni Hall of Fame website.

Source: Oak Lawn Community High School