School of Journalism Loses Beloved Audio Engineer
In every academic department, there’s someone who carries the history of the place—who’s always been there. For the School of Journalism and Communication, it was Mark Valcour.
He was the school’s audio technician for 30 years, teaching thousands of students the fine craft of radio storytelling. After his recent death, the School of Journalism and Communication posted this tribute:
We at the School of Journalism and Communication are heartbroken at the loss of our great friend and longtime colleague Mark Valcour, who has died peacefully at his home in Cantley.
Mark seems to have died in his sleep on the weekend at the country home he so loved in the Gatineau Hills above Ottawa.
Mark was a product of Carleton’s engineering program, a devoted part of the CKCU-FM family in many roles, and the School’s audio technician since 1986.
His devotion to radio and to mentoring – and his unwaveringly high standards – made him a hugely valuable part of every journalism student’s education here since he arrived.
He was a man whose heart was three times the size of his body, and his loss is a shock beyond words.
I met Mark in the late ‘80s, as a tentative second-year student with a growing love for radio storytelling. As with any good mentor, he took every question I had seriously, offered his “secret” recording tips on our Marantz cassette players, and insisted I come back to the studio with something better.
Before long, I was recording sound with Mark in mind, hoping to capture something that would surprise or delight him. Our stories shone under his tutelage.
We all knew Mark would be there for us: early morning, late night, sound problem, or tricky edit. He would devote all of his attention until it was figured out, regardless of the hour.
Mark was also known for his weekly show on CKCU, as well as sound gigs at the Dominion Tavern.
But his greatest legacy may remain on the airwaves, where stories produced by generations of students reflect the skills they learned in Mark’s studio.
Karen Kelly BJ ‘91
The Dominion Tavern will host a Mark Valcour Memorial Concert on Saturday, February 7th.
Friday, January 23, 2015 in Journalism, News
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