02/06/2026
A Note from Dean Daley:
Dear SCA Community,
Last Thursday afternoon, we learned of the passing of a dear supporter and friend, Marcia Lucas, a celebrated film editor and producer.
When Marcia Lucas started her career there were few women film editors. Luckily, one of them, Verna Fields, recognized Marcia’s storytelling talents and welcomed her into the field. Marcia then went on to edit film and television projects, including American Graffiti (1973), Alive Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), and the original Star Wars (1977), for which she shared the Academy Award for Best Editing.
Because of the way she started in the business, Marcia always wanted to help other young people, especially women, find support and encouragement. She was also keen on sharing her love of post-production. We are lucky Marcia chose to make those goals realities by supporting students at the School of Cinematic Arts. The Marcia Lucas Post Production Center is well known among students who are in the final stages of finishing their films. Marcia also helped to establish and grow the Office of Industry Relations, including endowing the Larry Auerbach Chair in the office, named for its first director who we referred to as “the students’ first agent.”
Marcia died of cancer last week at age 80. Her legacy of wonderful filmmaking is burnished by her willingness to create new pathways for later generations. We will forever be grateful for her contributions to SCA.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth M. Daley
Steven J. Ross/Time Warner Professor
School of Cinematic Arts
University of Southern California
