Stewart “Stewman” Byars is remembered for his many talents and sense of humor as a popular Northwest Tennessee radio personality. Fans knew him best for his work at the Thunderbolt Radio family of stations in Martin and Union City and as co-host of Club Country on West Tennessee PBS WLJT-TV.
But Byars, who lived in Union City, is also remembered as a mentor and friend. Ben Cunningham is among a group of individuals who knew or worked with Byars before he died from cancer in 2008 and still treasure his memory today.
Cunningham and others keep his memory alive through financially supporting the Stewart Byars Excellence in Radio Production Award, which is presented to a University of Tennessee at Martin student during the scholarships, awards and recognition ceremony held each spring by the university’s Department of Mass Media and Strategic Communication. This year’s ceremony was held April 9 in the Boling University Center’s Russell Duncan Ballroom.
Cunningham, and his wife, Jamie, both of Troy and both of whom attended UT Martin, were present at the event this year to present a $2,000 scholarship. He credits Byars for fostering his interest in broadcasting during bus rides to Hillcrest Elementary School in Troy when Cunningham was in seventh grade. The driver would tune in the local station for the students to hear as they traveled.
He recalled one morning when another character joined Byars on his show.
“He (the second character was named Lewis) would argue with Stew,” Cunningham recalled. “He was a ne’er-do-well always trying to get something over on Stew and always failing every day. It wasn’t until years later that I found out that voice was also Stew.
“Stew having a two-sided conversation alone in a room by himself, and I was just enthralled at how in the world he was able to do that.”
Fast forward 12 years when Cunningham received his first break in broadcasting at Thunderbolt Radio in Martin where Byars worked, and a 16-year radio career began.
“He (Byars) became my mentor, my colleague, my coworker,” Cunningham said. “He was everything.”
The on-air relationship extended beyond radio into an enduring friendship. Cunningham was known as “Big Ben,” so when the two teamed for remote broadcasts, fans who came out to the events often thought that the larger Byars was “Big Ben,” a mix-up that both found humorous. It was humor that helped to sustain the duo when Byars became seriously ill.
“I went to visit Stew in the hospital when he was sick,” Cunningham said. “At the time, I was thinking about returning and filling in for him until he got well. … So, I went and talked to Stew, and I expected it to be a real somber event because I knew how sick he was, but when I walked in the room, the entertainer in him turned on, and it was laughter the entire time.
“I walked out of that room feeling better about everything. He just refused to let people feel sorry for him. He was always going to be the one to put a smile on somebody’s face, and then he died a few days after that.”
Although Byars’ radio voice was silenced, friends wanted his memory to continue. Misty Menees of Edward Jones, and Chris and Trudy Brinkley with UT Martin, established the memorial scholarship in his name. The first scholarship in the amount of $500 was presented in 2010 to communications student Bethany Meeks, and the scholarships have continued annually and increased in amount since then.
This was a great beginning, but Byars’ friends wanted to do more.
“I called Richard Robinson (professor of mass media and strategic communication) in March and asked him what was the biggest scholarship that was given annually at Awards Day,” said Menees, who once worked at Thunderbolt Radio. “He told me an amount and I said ‘OK, hang on.’
“A few days later we told him we wanted the Stewart Byars scholarship to be the biggest award of the day and that we would give $2,000. He was ecstatic at what that would mean for his students.”
The quick turnaround for the scholarship increase meant that Izzy Burdette of Union City became the first to receive the $2,000 award.
Those supporting the scholarship are some of Byar’s former co-workers at Thunderbolt Radio, including Jared Wilson, Jordan Tinkle, Crystal Oldham, Christie Jenkins, Ben Cunningham and others. Then came Captain’s Challenge, the annual one-day UT Martin fundraiser held in April.
“Captain’s Challenge has been huge for us because we can get the match of whatever we can get donated up to $300 per donor, and that helped us to increase our award,” Menees said.
The award reached $1,000 in 2024 and combined with another anonymous supporter’s donation of a Qualified Charitable Distribution from an IRA, the group now has enough guaranteed funding to keep the scholarship continuing well into the future.
“While we still miss our friend, we love that all these years later we can stand up in front of a ballroom full of people and say his name,” Menees said of the annual UTM communication event to honor students. “Helping a deserving student is the icing on the cake.”
Others join Menees in her enthusiasm for the scholarship and what it means in remembering Byars.
“He would have been a star in any market that he tried to go to, but we were fortunate to have him here, and he was just a great teacher. … We were forever doing community-related events there at the station and he was always first and foremost at those things every time,” Cunningham said.
Chris Brinkley, longtime voice of UT Martin Skyhawk athletics who spent many years as a Thunderbolt Radio air personality, remembers both the person and his talent that endeared Byars to many.
“Stew was one of the most creative, humorous and gifted individuals that I have ever met. … His humor would make you smile and his zest for life would inspire you to do more,” Brinkley said. “This scholarship helps continue that legacy.”
Ben and Jamie Cunningham wanted this year’s recipient to know more about the man for whom the scholarship is named, so Ben provided Izzy Burdette a page of his personal memories about Byars along with a copy of a radio station studio sketch drawn by Stew. The drawing shows an empty radio announcer’s chair positioned toward an audio board, microphone and other broadcast equipment. It’s the setting in which Byars practiced his craft.
His studio chair might be empty, but the scholarship that bears this name continues, thanks to special friends who assure that Stewart Byars’ legacy lives on.
Anyone can donate online to the Stewart Byars Excellence in Radio Production Award at give.utm.edu.
