Perry Lee McCarty
Oct. 29, 1931-June 4, 2023
Stanford, California
Perry Lee McCarty, a pioneer in the field of environmental biotechnology, died June 4th in Stanford, California. He was 91 years old.
Perry is best known for his groundbreaking work in the treatment of wastewater. His seminal discovery was identifying the anaerobic bacteria that could break down hazardous waste and minimize groundwater contamination in an energy-efficient way. His designs of microbial bioreactors for pollution control and safe drinking water are used worldwide.
He won The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in 1992, the Clarke Prize from the National Water Research Institute in 1997, and the Stockholm Water Prize in 2007—the three premier awards in the environmental field.
Perry was born on October 29, 1931 in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, the third of four children, to James and Alice McCarty. He was a curious and resourceful boy, building crystal radios and various Rube Goldberg-inspired contraptions around his home. During the lean times of World War II, he worked at his father’s used car lot, patching holes in fenders and carving new treads in bald tires.
He was a gifted student and became a leader in high school as well as a stand-out athlete running track and playing football. He started attending Wayne State University in Detroit with the intention of studying physics. But his love for both science and the outdoors convinced him that civil engineering was the better fit.
In his senior year, while attending a Wayne State hiking club event, he met Martha Collins. They married a year later, in 1953. At Martha’s encouragement, Perry applied to and was accepted for graduate study at MIT. But, before he could attend, he was drafted into the U.S. Army where he served two years stateside in the counter intelligence corp. He received his M.S. in 1957 and his Sc.D in 1959 from MIT, while simultaneously teaching full-time.
In 1962, he joined Stanford as an associate professor to develop its environmental engineering and science programs. He flourished at Stanford where he welcomed a newfound freedom to work cross-departmentally with experts in other fields of study, such as hydrology and fluid dynamics. Perry’s program was soon ranked number one in the United States and its work sparked interest beyond academia, in industry and in government. He became a full professor in 1967.
Perry had over 350 peer-reviewed publications and co-authored two foundational environmental engineering textbooks that have been widely translated and used throughout the world. He was named the Chair of Stanford’s Civil Engineering Department in 1980 and, in 1989, helped establish the EPA’s Western Region Hazardous Substance Research Center. Perry retired from Stanford in 1999 but continued collaborating with international universities and industries.
He was a Silas H. Palmer Professor of Civil Engineering (emeritus), was elected to the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and, in 2016, was named a Stanford Engineering Hero.
In his spare time, he enjoyed spending time at Monterey Bay, and camping, hiking and backpacking throughout California with his family. No place was more special to him than Yosemite, where his family spent their first night in California. He had a great passion for birding and wildlife viewing. He and Martha traveled widely and shared a love of classical music and opera.
Perry is survived by his wife of 70 years, Martha; their four children, Perry L. McCarty, Jr. (Mary); Cara McCarty; Susan McCarty (Tom); Kathleen Geist; as well as six grandchildren, one great grandchild and his sisters, Louise Ciullo and Sandy Zoerner. He was a wonderful, loving person, a great mentor and role model, and he will be dearly missed.
A memorial tribute will be held at Stanford University this fall.Donations can be made to The Perry L. McCarty Memorial Fund at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, supporting Perry’s legacy across the University’s environmental programs.
Tags: veteran, teacher/educator
