Dr. Steve Sullivan, Raytown High School, Class of 1984

1984 Raytown High School graduate and 2006 Hall of Fame inductee Dr. Steve Sullivan was a student who had an early interest in computers. But even Dr. Sullivan himself might not have imagined those interests leading him to an impressive and extensive body of work in the filmmaking industry.

At the University of Missouri at Rolla, Sullivan earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, and then a Masters and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Illinois. Sullivan served as a research assistant at Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology until 1996, and then joined Rhythm and Hues as a graphics software
developer.

From 1998 until present, Sullivan has worked with famous cinematographer George Lucas’ ILM (Industrial Light and Magic). He is an Academy Award winner in Technical Achievement in 2001, and a White House Honoree for the National Medal of Technology, the highest award given by the President for technological innovation.

Among his numerous movie credits are War of the Worlds, Star Wars: Episode I, II, and III, Peter Pan, The Perfect Storm, Pearl Harbor, and Harry Potter I, II, III, and IV.

Sullivan remembers spending before and after school hours learning on Apple II computers under the watchful eye of encouraging Raytown teachers who would be excited to welcome him into the Hall of Fame.