Bernard L. Madison's Obituary
Bernard L Madison, 84, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on July 20, 2026 after a short battle with Alzheimer’s. Born on a farm in Rocky Hill, Kentucky, near Mammoth Cave on August 1, 1941, he went on to achieve remarkable academic success, travel the world, and help countless students understand mathematics.
He is survived by his wife and best friend of 57 years, Sue Wood Madison, their daughter, Eva Madison and husband David Pieper of Fayetteville, son, Blair Madison and wife Caitlin of San Marcos, California, and grandchildren Samuel Pieper, Isla Madison, and Sabine Madison. He is also survived by his sisters, Phyllis Skipworth of Park City, Kentucky, Margie Littrell of Smiths Grove, Kentucky, Gwen Powell of Beaufort, South Carolina, and Carol Wilson of Hilton Head, South Carolina, and his brother Gary Madison of Bowling Green, Kentucky. He was preceded in death by his parents, George Grider Madison and Neva Crump Madison.
At just 4 years old, his mother sent him to school with Phyllis so she wouldn’t have to walk to school alone. When the teacher in the one-room school house noticed he was picking up on things, she enrolled him in the first grade. He went on to graduate first in his class from Brownsville High School in 1958 and then became the first person in his family to attend college. In 1962 at the age of 20, he obtained his B.S. in mathematics and physics from Western Kentucky University, where he was editor of the college paper, on the debate team, and a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Again, he graduated first in his class. By 1966, he had obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Kentucky.
In 1966, he moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to be an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Louisiana State University. While there, a friend set him up on a date with a student named Sue. They married in 1969 and celebrated the birth of Eva and Blair while living in Baton Rouge.
In 1979, shortly after making full Professor at LSU, he accepted a position as Professor and Chair of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Arkansas and moved his family to Fayetteville. In 1989, he was appointed Dean of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, a position that took him all over the world, including the United Kingdom, Japan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, and Thailand. For many years, he was active with the College Board and, from 1995-99, served as the Chief Reader of the AP Calculus Exam. In 1999, he returned to teaching full time and became prominent nationally in education for quantitative literacy. In 2001, he was a visiting mathematician at the Mathematical Association of America in Washington, D.C. where he began development of an experimental general education mathematics course on real-world math literacy. In 2004, 26 students took “News Math.” In 2014, over 1,000 students enrolled in the Quantitative Reasoning course. He retired from the University of Arkansas in 2017.
In retirement, he and Sue bought a house on the Florida panhandle and finally learned to relax a little. But Fayetteville remained home. From his work in the 1980s planning for what would become the Walton Arts Center to his service on the board of Butterfield Trail Village, he worked hard to thank the community that was so good to his family for almost 50 years.
With a quick wit and a dry sense of humor, he never met a crossword puzzle he couldn’t solve (in pen). He enjoyed Cajun food (with extra Tabasco sauce) and, true to his Kentucky roots, a nice glass of bourbon.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, July 27, 2026 at 11 am at Moore’s Chapel in downtown Fayetteville. A visitation will be held from 10:00 AM until service time.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to Willard Walker Hospice Home in Fayetteville or the Alzheimer’s Association.
To sign the online guest book please visit www.bernafuneralhomes.com
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