Springfield magician, his assistant wife honored through memorial bench

Hermann Carr was a Springfield police officer who created the Safety City program that countless children attended over the years and reached many more in his role as Hermann the Magician, entertaining audiences for decades and even performing at the White House for President Jimmy Carter. Marcia was his longtime assistant.

The monument took more than a year to create, according to Marcia Carr Hagler, the Carrs’ daughter. Family members contributed the funds for it and worked with the Ferncliff board, which she said was eager to partner, and the bench includes several facts about the couple and their accomplishments, plus a photo, and stands out by using the colors and materials to match the mausoleum.

“They were an integral part of the community, and we’re proud to have them on the tour,” she said.

Carr Hagler said the public is invited to view it as it’s accessible as the first mausoleum in Ferncliff off McCreight Ave. Hermann Carr passed away in 2019 and Marcia Carr in 2022.

Hermann Carr’s service as a police officer and 60 years of magic entertainment have been recognized in Springfield the past few years with McCreight Avenue named “Hermann Car Way” in 2021 in part because it was on the original route of the city’s annual Memorial Day Parade, in which he marched and led student and adult safety patrol members.

The Heritage Center of Clark County also presented an exhibit on Carrs’ magic career in 2021 and 2022. The memorial bench is the 2023 addition, and Carr Hagler, who was in the first Safety City class as a student, said she and brothers Clark and Mark plan to continue annual tributes to their parents’ service.

“The biggest message is they contributed so much to the Springfield community,” she said. “We hear from a lot of new people through acquaintances and social media who remember him as a policeman and as a magician and keeping their memory alive is a goal. Now there’s a third generation to tell their story to.”

A map for Ferncliff’s self-guided Athletes and Entertainers Tour is available at www.ferncliffcemetery.org/tours/. For more information on the Carrs, go to the Hermann Carr Tribute Page on Facebook.