Remembering Mac McGarry, Brodcast Pioneer

On Dec. 12, we lost renowned Washington, D.C., radio and television personality Maurice James “Mac” McGarry.

McGarry was the longtime host of NBC-owned WRC-TV quiz show It’s Academic that launched in October 1961 and is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running quiz program in television history. The show’s format included three competing teams consisting of three local high school students each. He was the ultimate quizmaster, with an abundant personality, and he is remembered for his sporadic burst into song during the middle of a question. McGarry hosted It’s Academic from its origin until he stepped down in 2011.

McGarry was a graduate of Fordham University and a native of Atlanta. He died at his home in Potomac, Md., of complications from pneumonia. He is survived by his wife, Babette, and their four children.