The Carrs didn’t wait long to start making an impact on their new hometown. “We wanted to get involved,” Stephanie said. She quickly became part of the Hospital Auxiliary and served as a volunteer at the White County Medical Center. She was the auxiliary president from 1974 to 1976.

Dr. Carr, who was assistant dean at Harding University the first year that they spent in Searcy, joined the Chamber of Commerce two weeks after arriving in Searcy. Two weeks after that, he joined the Searcy Kiwanis Club. He also worked with the Quapaw Council of the Boy Scouts. He soon became a deacon and later, an elder at the College Church of Christ.

When his position at Harding changed to assistant to the president, he was able to continue helping the community. One of his contributions was teaming with Zeke Hollister to get a group of civic-minded citizens together to start the United Way in Searcy. Their first year, they set a goal of raising $75,000 for worthy causes in White County. For 2007, the goal was almost $500,000.

Dr. Carr grew up in North Carolina, and Stephanie is a native of Alabama. They met at George Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee, after World War II. During the war, he had served as an Army meteorologist, spending part of his service time on an island in the South Pacific. Stephanie had interrupted her college studies during the war to work in Washington, D. C., on statistics for the Signal Corps.

The Carrs married in 1946 and spent their first 24 years together in Tallahassee, a city that is much larger than Searcy. But after moving here, Searcy quickly became the place where they would leave their hearts. Two of their sons--Jim and Tom--and their families, are now Searcians. Seven out of Jimmy and Stephanie’s nine grandchildren also live here. “Searcy is a great place to live and bring up a family,” both agreed.

They like Searcy for being a family-oriented and religious community. “This is most impressive to newcomers, “ the Carrs said.

Searcy’s emphasis on higher education, with Harding University and Arkansas State University-Searcy here and Arkansas State University-Beebe not far away, also means a lot, they said.

They praised Searcy for being a trade and medical center serving more than 65,000 people. “Trade, medicine, and education are evenly balanced,” Dr. Carr pointed out. He said that the city has an industrial base that has made many jobs available for the city and surrounding area. He also believes that Searcy’s industries are relatively clean and do not pollute the atmosphere--another plus for residents.

Dr. Carr said that people moving to Searcy often bring experiences that can make the community an even better place to live. And he said that the city has a good historical heritage that goes back to 1837.

Stephanie summarized the Carrs’ feelings about Searcy, their home for 37 years, when she said, “What a good town--it’s a community with heart!”