What schools or universities did Elton attend? [2] They also paid $15 million for the construction of the Elton B. Stephens Science Center on the campus of BirminghamSouthern College. Elton Jr. has always been kind of the black sheep of the family and was not heavily involved in the family business. She was the first wife of Alabama governor George Wallace, whom she succeeded as governor because the Alabama constitution forbade consecutive terms. James Lewis Stephens. In addition to a lifetime of business and financial endeavors, Elton has committed his life to enrich the world around him. EBSCO Industries. February 1976 . 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Mr. Stephens was born in Clio, Barbour County, Alabama. The woman who took part in the kidnapping of prominent Birmingham businessman Elton B. Stephens Jr. has been sentenced to federal prison. Marshals are now searching for Burke after they became aware Monday that Burke was no longer in custody, U.S. Who were the people in Elton's life? Stephens was taken to the suspects home in Remlap and held against his will for eight hours. According to records, Burke had charges with the state, which were dismissed after a court appearance on Friday. 2023 Ronald V. Hall Funeral Home. The Biography piece is collaborative, where we work together to present the facts. Stephens was married to Alys Robinson. Enter She was Alabama's first female governor and was the only female governor to . That company now sells coal in over 30 countries and had $621 million in sales last year, according to Hoover's. All rights reserved (About Us). We share yesterday, to build meaningful connections today, and preserve for tomorrow. There is almost certainly more to this story. Stephens, then 75, was abducted in the morning hours of Sept. 11, 2020, from a house he was renting from fellow businessman and philanthropist George Barber while he was waiting for his new house to be ready. He was released only after he wired $250,000 to a bank account of the alleged kidnappers. He has been involved with the Southern Research Institute, Waste Water Facilities Development Committee, Y.M.C.A., American Council of the Arts, United Arts Fund, Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Methodist Hospitals, American Cancer Society, Alabama Development Office, and most especially the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. So now that Harbert has passed away, there is no clear heir to the title of wealthiest Alabama resident. All rights reserved. He is preceded in death by his wife of 52 years, Alys Varian Robinson Stephens, who died on the same day, 1996, and by his five . Mr. Elton L. "Tebo" Stephens, 89, of Wadesboro, NC, went home to be with the Lord on Sunday, March 3, 2019. USA. "He took a six-panel wood door and put a steering wheel on it and a lawn mower engine on the back and four tires," Stephens recalls of the elder. Stephens told Burke he was scaring him and asked Burke how much money it would take to leave him alone. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. With headquarters still in Birmingham, EBSCO sells its products throughout the United States and has operations in more than 30 states and almost 20 foreign countries, including Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Korea, South Africa, Taiwan, France, Greece, Canada, and Turkey. Later questioned by authorities as to how she came up with that amount, Hodges replied, it sounded like a big number.. A search is underway for the man convicted in the kidnapping of prominent Birmingham businessman Elton B. Stephens after he was accidentally released from jail. All rights reserved (About Us). Elton B. Stephens is among four artists who will be inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame during its induction banquet Saturday at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center in Florence. Tebo was born October 27, 1929 in Tabor City, NC the son of the late Rozier Liston and Beulah Watts Stephens. Select the pencil to add details. Mr. Elton China, life journey began on Wednesday, October 7, 1942, born to the late Mr. James and Mrs. Carrie China to a large family of ten siblings. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. BY ANCESTRY.COM. Before passing away at the age of 93 in 2005, Stephens and his wife, who preceded him in death in 1996, spent the last few decades of their lives donating millions to charity, educational institutions, the arts and various civic causes. can stop at any time. Hodges two children ages 11 and 13 were with Hodges and Burke throughout the entire ordeal. After graduating from law school . Stephens' son, Jim ''J.T.'' Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Elton Stephens. Stephens also founded theMetropolitan Arts Council in 1986 and was a major contributor to the Birmingham Museum of Art. Court records show Matthew Amos Burke, 34, and Tabatha Nicole Hodges, 33, are [] 44 birth records, View After waking Stephens, Burke asked the victim how much money he had and if he had any real estate holdings, according to the plea agreement. For the Stephens family, it all traces back to patriarch, the late Elton B. Stephens, and a $5,000 investment he made to start a business in 1944 along with his wife, Alys Robinson Stephens. Every memory left on the online obituary will be automatically included in the book. Obituary. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. His wife died in 1996. State prosecutors said they spoke with the victim and other family members, and they were satisfied with the federal conviction and saw no need to proceed with the state charges. . The longtime Mountain Brook resident's passing at the age of 91 raises questions about who succeeds her as the richest person in the state, a messy quandary that may never have had as clear an answer as Forbes has long led many to believe. In 1928, after graduating from Barbour County High School, Elton set off for Birmingham-Southern College with just $125. October 11th, 2021. becomes full If Garry Drummond truly is a billionaire, he would likely be the richest Alabamian, but he has not been identified as such by Forbes, and his personal finances, like those of other Alabama residents, are not available to the public. He has connections to . "I can't say enough about what the Stephens family has done and continue to do for this community," she said. The Remlap pair remains behind bars on no bond. Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai County, Idaho 83814 . Perhaps that will be enough incentive for Mr. Burke to turn himself in, Spina said. The deadliest incident of domestic terrorism ever, Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, and Michael Fortier were convicted of the bombing. ( al.com) Citing a "veiled threat" from a "white conservative group . Death and legacy. Stephens at some point asked kidnappers what it would take for them to leave him alone and Hodges replied, $400,000. In a report published in 2014 by Forbes, the Stephens family was listed as one of the richest families in the country with an estimated net worth of $4 billion.. Burke and Hodges were arrested a few days later and charged with kidnapping. Experiences, organizations, & how he spent his time. Elton's Obituary . Elton had continued selling subscriptions as he worked to complete his education, even hiring other students to work for him, including fellow Barbour County boy George Wallace, who would later become governor of Alabama. Soon after, along came an EBSCO publishing and bindery company to help keep the racks full of reading matter, and later a printing plant. He enjoyed fishing, camping, woodworkingand tinkering. Her co-defendant 35-year-old Matthew Amos Burk was sentenced last month to 17 years. Messages run for up to one year and you Elton Stephens, age 71, of Tarrytown, died Thursday, January 21, 2021, in Meadows Health in Vidalia after an brief illness.  He was a native of Montgomery County, growing up in Mt. Facebook gives people the. Heman Drummond first worked in a mine himself before cobbling together several hundred dollars and launching his own company in 1935. Join Facebook to connect with Elton B. Stephens and others you may know. STEPHENS Lionel H. Stephens, a retired educator and computer analyst, died Friday, July 27, 2012 at the age of 76 in Baton Rouge, LA. Help paint a picture of Elton so that he is always remembered. STEPHENS, ELTON BRYSON, was born August 4, 1911, and died February 5, 2005. Stephens' father, Elton B. Stephens Sr., was the founder of the Birmingham-based EBSCO Industries, one of the largest privately-held companies in the United States. EBSCO's history reaches back to the first summer of the Great Depression when 19-year-old Clio, Alabama, native Elton B. Stephens sold magazine subscriptions door to door to earn money for college. Built with retained earnings and borrowed money.. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The couple had four children: James T. Stephens, Jane Stephens Comer, Elton B. Stephens, Jr., and Dell Stephens Brooke. Support worthwhile projects including but not limited to education, health, religion, needy, cultural arts, boys/girls clubs, law enforcement, conservation, nature, water resources. According to law enforcement, Burke and Tabatha Nicole Hodges, 22, broke into a house Stephens was staying at in Jefferson County as he slept on September . He was the son of James Nelson and Clara Stuckey Stephens. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama and is a graduate of Yale University and the Harvard Business School. Later questioned by authorities as to how she came up with that amount, Hodges replied, it sounded like a big number.. All rights reserved (About Us). A truck bomb went off outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown - killing 68 people, injuring more than 680 others, and destroying one-third of the building. [7] They had two sons, Elton B. Stephens Jr. and James T. Stephens, and two daughters, Jane S. Comer and Dell S. Vernon, and was a 1968 graduate of Montgomery County High School. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. What started as Military Service Co. selling magazine subscriptions to military bases evolved to become EBSCO Industries, a global company with nearly 6,000 employees and nearly 50 different companies operating in 23 countries. Matthew Amos Burke, 34, and Tabatha Nicole Hodges, 33, are charged with abducting Alabama businessman Elton B. Stephens Jr.whose family is 66th on Forbes' list of the richest clans, AL.com . Elton Stephens, Sr.'s wife, Alys Robinson Stephens, passed away in 1996, leaving the couple's four children, Elton B. Stephens, Jr., James T. Stephens, Jane S. Comer and Dell S. Brooke, as the only remaining members of his nuclear family. Eventually the group left the house with Stephens in a vehicle with Burke, and Hodges following in another vehicle with her two kids. Elton Stephens . The man convicted federally of kidnapping Birmingham businessman Elton B. Stephens was released from the Jefferson County Jail because his state charges had been dismissed and jail officials had . Survivors include his wife, Kathy Stephens of Tarrytown; two sisters, Claudette Stephens Drury and husband Kenneth of Fernandina Beach, Florida, and Jessie Cook and husband Kenneth of Kilgore, Texas; one brother, William Stephens of Gwinnett County; and several nieces and nephews. Burke went on to say, according to testimony, that he had bought the house two weeks before which was not true. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be made to First United Methodist Church, 118 E. Morgan St., Wadesboro, NC 28170. [2] Additionally, he donated $1 million to the United Way of Central Alabama in 1997, joining their Million Dollar Roundtable. Burke replied, Forever or just for today?, At one point, records state, Burke asked Stephens, How much life do you think you have left? Stephens replied, 10 years., Burke then said, I think you got 20 more, I think you do. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Lurleen Burns Wallace (born Lurleen Brigham Burns; September 19, 1926 - May 7, 1968) was the 46th governor of Alabama for 15 months from January 1967 until her death. Baker McCullough Funeral Home Danyse G. Edel The most disturbing images were of children - a daycare center was hit by the bomb. Elton Stephens believes anyone can successfully sell anything. BIRMINGHAM, AlabamaForbes may have singled out Birmingham's Stephens family as the state's richest clan with an estimated net worth of $4 billion, but those who live in the Magic City likely know Stephenses better for the things they've done with that wealth. Named by Forbes as the 66th richest family in America, the Stephenses of Birmingham reportedly had a net worth of $4 billion as of last year. After they left, he went to a friends home to call police. EBSCO Industries is now so diverse it deals with everything from investments to library periodicals, plastic fishing lures to steel joists, indoor advertising to realty, with Eltons love of selling seemingly forever moving the company forward into new markets. She also initially said that the kidnapping was all her idea, not her boyfriends, but later said that was a lie. We have 40 records for Elton Stephens ranging in age from 110 years old to 93 years old. She also initially said that the kidnapping was all her idea, not her boyfriends, but later said that was a lie. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. He was a native of Montgomery County, growing up in Mt. Andrews said Elton and Alys Stephens helped establish some of the museum's best collections and all four of the Stephens children have continued to support the acquisition of new art. On Friday, Dec. 10, he was accidently released from the Jefferson County Jail after state charges were dismissed. Elton B Stephens of Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama was born on August 4, 1911, and died at age 93 years old on February 5, 2005. He was born on June 21, 1934 in Minster, Ohio to the late Frank & Rose (Jacobs) Meiring. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. At one point, Stephens tried to jump out of the vehicle, but Burke pulled him back in by his shirt. [2] The Red Mountain Expressway was renamed the Elton B. Stephens Expressway by the City of Birmingham on September 11, 1975. 21 death records. Tabatha Nicole Hodges, 33, was sentenced Thursday to 12 years for her part in the 2020 abduction of Stephens. Basing his operation in Birmingham, Alabama, Elton soon had salesmen hawking titles all over the Southeast, including as World War II began at nearby Fort McClellan. According to previous testimony and court records, the suspects entered Stephens Crest Road rental home about 2 a.m. [5] His wife died in 1996. Who are the richest Alabamians now that billionaire Marguerite Harbert has passed? At one point, Stephens tried to jump out of the vehicle, but Burke pulled him back in by his shirt. The gift included $1 million for an endowed fund for the UA libraries; $900,000 for an endowed fund in the School of Libraries and Information Studies; $400,000 to the College of Commerce and Business Administration for sales, sales management and marketing scholarships; and $200,000 to support the UA-based Alabama Museum of Natural History. Elton B. Stephens. They are also charged in state court and awaiting indictment consideration by a Jefferson County grand jury. 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