Remembering Wiatt

A note send by Wiatt's brother a few days before the first Alumni game on Saturday, June 7, 2008

Coaches Desmond & Price,

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for honoring Wiatt this Saturday with the first Team Carolina Alumni Game. I am sorry that I will not be able to make the trip down to Greensboro from Washington,but will certainly be with you in spirit. I also want to thank you for your work in making Team Carolina a reality for so many kids that wouldn't be/ have been on such a team without your efforts. While Wiatt's passing has been most difficult for our immediate family, we've been blown away by the well wishes and comfort from family and friends. I feel that the emptyness and void our family feels will never go away; however I am constantly being lifted out of the gutter by the wave of support from those who held Wiatt in the same high regard as I always have.

As you both know, Wiatt was not one to wear his emotions on his shirt sleeve, hated the limelight, and would definitely be a bit embarrassed to be honored this weekend. Despite his unwillingness to share his feelings, I know that his summer with Team Carolina was by far the highlight of his lacrosse career. Wiatt relished playing at such a high level and was more than happy to distribute the ball from X to the likes of Tony Mendes, Chase Hayes, Bob Kercher & co. despite being pretty banged up that summer. He wouldn't even talk to my Dad or me about his injuries because he knew that the opportunity to play with those guys was a brief one. I wear his Team Carolina gear with pride, knowing how much the experience meant to him.

Due to the increasing level of play in North Carolina and the selective nature of Team Carolina, each team member, past and present, has been given a "gift." While Wiatt was not the biggest or fastest player on the football, basketball and lacrosse teams he played on, he always maximized his potential. Growing up, we were fortunate enough to encounter a counselor at summer camp who gave a speech about effort and quoted Steve Prefontaine who put it best by saying "To give anything less than than your best is to sacrifice the gift." This message stuck with that little red headed kid and there is nothing that makes me more proud of my brother than knowing that he always left it ALL on the field. If there is any message you relay to those guys on Saturday, I ask that you encourage them to enjoy the unique opportunity of playing together and to always leave it on the field.

With Warmest Regards,

Andrew Farrar

The Lionhearted Warrior
Friends and family remember the athletic prowess and
academic determination of Robert Wiatt Farrar.

By Michael Lee Pope
Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Robert Wiatt Farrar, a shy and self-effacing 20-year-old who graduated
from Episcopal High School last year, would probably have been more
than a little embarrassed about the capacity crowd of mourners that
packed Callaway Chapel during his memorial service last weekend. Extra
chairs lined the pews to account for the capacity crowd as friends and
relatives remembered a promising life tragically cut short last week in a
single-car accident. They recalled the University of Georgia freshman as
a lionhearted warrior on the field who had a gentle heart and strong
work ethic.

"Wiatt lives in us," said the Rev. Gideon Pollach. "He transforms us."

A native of Roanoke, Farrar attended Saint Thomas More School in
Chapel Hill and graduated from Episcopal High School in 2007. In high
school, Farrar was a member of the varsity football, basketball and
lacrosse teams. An active outdoorsman, Wiatt spent his summers at
Camp Greenbrier for Boys in Alderson, W.Va., and Camp Tecumseh in
Center Harbor, N.H. He was preparing to participate in an outdoor
leadership program at the time of the accident.

"If music was in the air, there was Wiatt, knowing every word to every
song," said football coach and social studies teacher Bobby Watts. "He
was a quiet and focused athlete. A teacher or coach could ask no more
of him."

SEVERAL SPEAKERS during the memorial service recalled Farrar’s focus
and determination, describing him as a role model for other students at
Episcopal High School. They said his drive on the athletic field was only
rivaled by his motivation in the classroom, with the 20-year-old college
freshman amassing a number of impressive academic achievements and
sports trophies. His upbeat spirit and trademark smile were fixtures on
campus, and his boundless sense of passion and energy seemed to
create a perpetual sense of motion around him.

"Wiatt had the heart of a lion," said Wortie Ferrell, dean of students at
Episcopal. "He was a warrior, and he never gave up."

Friends remembered how he put hot sauce on almost everything,
including a five-day-old piece of pizza he found on the floor of his dorm
room. They shared a laugh about how he preferred to sleep late, and
how the 1 p.m. memorial service might have been a little too early for
his taste. Photographs shared after the service showed Farrar dressed
as Dracula for Halloween, enjoying fresh air at Camp Tecumseh and
sporting the number 10 on the football field. It was difficult to believe
that the energetic kid in the photographs would never dive for the end
zone or dance to the music again.

"Wiatt’s death is unfair," said Ferrell. "It’s inexplicable."

FAMILY MEMBERS crowded the front rows of the Callaway Chapel,
embracing each other at several points during the moving service. They
said Farrar was not one to draw attention to himself or his
accomplishments, and he would have probably been uncomfortable with
the outpouring of emotion during the hour-long memorial service. A
photograph of Farrar graced the chapel, his wide smile and distinctive
shock of red hair immediately recognizable to those whose hearts had
been touched by the 20-year-old whose life was unexpectedly cut short
on Feb. 22.

"Wiatt had no adversaries, except perhaps on the athletic field or the
basketball court if you happened to be an opponent," said Robert Kunz,
his grandfather. "He led a wholesome and happy life."