Support the Stephen Carr Memorial Endowed Scholarship

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Madi Rader and Stephen Carr

Madi Rader has established The Stephen Carr Memorial Endowed Scholarship for students attending the U of A.

Rader and Carr were planning their life together when Carr was shot and killed on Dec. 7, 2019. Carr was on duty, sitting in the driver’s seat of his patrol vehicle in the back parking lot of the Fayetteville Police Department. A suspect approached the driver's side of the vehicle and shot him in the head. Responding officers shot and killed the suspect in the alleyway adjacent to the police station.

According to the Fayetteville Police Department, Carr was hired by the FPD in April 2017. He was a patrol officer assigned to the Dickson Street Entertainment District and known as a "gentle giant." He was calm, fair and cared about individuals he served in the entertainment district. 

"Stephen was a noble public servant, and his character defined him and the culture of the Fayetteville Police Department. Stephen's death marked not only a tragic loss for my department, but our entire community," said Fayetteville Police Chief Mike Reynolds. "This scholarship will not only honor Officer Carr's memory, but it will help identify others who share his passion for protecting and serving others."    

The new Fayetteville police headquarters building is scheduled to open this month, located at 1800 N. Stephen Carr Memorial Blvd.

"There is a forward-facing public plaza with a memorial wall to honor those Fayetteville police officers who gave the ultimate sacrifice to their community," Chief Reynolds said. "A statue of Stephen Carr sitting on a park bench with his dog, Red, will be placed outside the public entrance."

"One of the common things I hear when people are telling their stories about Stephen and hearing what they remember about him was his stature. He was a big guy! There's no doubt about that, but he had a really big heart, too," Rader said. "He always wanted to take care of his people. It didn't matter if it was cooking for someone or helping with moving furniture or going over to my sister's house to kill a spider for her. He was a team player. Always. He did what he needed to for the team, whether that 'team' was his actual football team in college, our group of friends or his coworkers at the police department."

"He was strong too," Rader said, speaking about his ability to deal with hard times. Carr's mother passed away unexpectedly in 2016, and it was understandably difficult for him.

"Music was really important to him and helped him through his grief. One lyric that stood out to him and actually inspired his tattoo was, 'I won't let this build up inside of me,' and he truly took that to heart. He didn't let the darkness of his mom's death build up inside of him," Rader said. "That's one of the things that inspired me to start a scholarship in his name."

"He was such a bright light in my life, in our family's lives and in our community. This scholarship is a way we can say that we won't let the darkness of losing him build up in our community," Rader said. 

Rader is happy to have created something out of a tragedy that is an investment in the future by investing in college students.

"Every single student that is able to further their education through this program and pursue a career in law enforcement is continuing Stephen's legacy," Rader said. "I hope they get to know him and learn about the type of person and type of officer he was for Fayetteville. I hope they get to know the light he was for our community. And I hope that light continues to shine through these kids just as it did with him. That is his legacy." 

"We are honored to award the Stephen Carr Memorial Scholarship through the Division of Student Affairs," said Jeremy Battjes, vice chancellor for student affairs. "We understand he was well respected in law enforcement and treated those he encountered on the job with respect and a big heart."

The Stephen Carr Memorial Endowed Scholarship will provide scholarships to students at the U of A who are pursuing a major in a law enforcement related field with a demonstrated interest in athletics. If you are interested in supporting this scholarship please contact Ben Carter, senior director of development for student affairs, via email at bcarter@uark.edu.

Rader is holding a fundraiser for The Stephen Carr Memorial Endowed Scholarship at Grub's in downtown Fayetteville from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 7, and from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, April 8. For more information about that fundraising event please contact Rader via email at madirader@gmail.com.