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.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Voice of Grace Ministries, 1221 Orange St., Vidalia, GA 30474.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
. A Birmingham native, Harbert was the lone billionaire in Alabama, Forbes claimed last year. The deadliest incident of domestic terrorism ever, Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, and Michael Fortier were convicted of the bombing. So now that Harbert has passed away, there is no clear heir to the title of wealthiest Alabama resident. Elton has been found in 13 states including Alabama, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Utah. Built with retained earnings and borrowed money.. For years he has been referred to as a billionaire in news articles and other forums, but any definitive proof of the extent of high his net worth remains elusive. TheAlabama State Council on the Arts presented Stephens with its Jonnie Dee Little Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999 in recognition of his financial contributions in support of the arts. 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. 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. Both issued guilty pleas in the federal case to kidnapping and bank fraud charges. From The Tribune staff reports. Matthew Amos Burke (Jefferson County Jail). Just coming off another divorce I think. Burke was sentenced to 17 years, and Hodges to 12 years, in the federal penitentiary system. What is Elton's ethnicity and where did his parents, grandparents & great-grandparents come from? 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. She also initially said that the kidnapping was all her idea, not her boyfriends, but later said that was a lie. Elton Stephens died at age 70 years old on January 8, 1997. in memory of Elton Stephens, please visit our floral store. Stephens gave $1 million to theUnited Way of Central Alabama in 1997, one of many large personal donations he made to the charitable group. Facebook gives people the. Discover how our Uncovering Our Shared Memories: An Introduction to the Community Standards at AncientFaces Once the money was deposited, the suspects drove Stephens back to his rental house. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Authorities went there on Saturday, Sept. 12, and both Burke and Hodges were there. The family was worth roughly $4 billion in 2014 and previously ranked 66th on Forbes list of America . We know that Elton R Stephens had been residing in Medford, Jackson County, Oregon 97504. Marshals are in possession of a receipt that the detainer notices were signed and marked received by a deputy on Nov. 24, 2021. Once at the suspects home, Stephens called his banker, a call which was recorded, and asked him to wire $250,000 to Hodges bank account. When I was four, I had pneumonia, and I remember my father often standing over my crib and entertaining me, Elton once recalled fondly. Birmingham and Mountain Brook police, as well as the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, responded. Its core industries include subscription services to libraries, bibliographic databases, manufacturing of construction and outdoors products, and real estate development. can stop at any time. October 11th, 2021. Roughly two hours of the abduction were recorded on Stephens sleep apnea app. There will be a service to celebrate his life at 2:00 pm, Thursday, March 7, 2019 at the First United Methodist Church, Wadesboro with the Rev. All rights reserved. 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. Looking for Elton Stephens online? Matthew Burke and Tabatha Hodges pleaded guilty on federal charges in the abduction of Elton B. Stephens, Jr. Burke and Hodges admit to kidnapping Stephens from his home last year and attempting to get a ransom of $250,000. [5] They met as students at Birmingham-Southern College and graduated together in 1932. We have no idea how Forbes could have so wrongly made this estimate. when he died at the age of 93. 44 birth, 21 death, 3 marriage, 327 divorce, View She also initially said that the kidnapping was all her idea, not her boyfriends, but later said that was a lie. Elton B. Stephens Jr., whose father founded EBSCO Industries in 1944, was kidnapped at 7 a.m. on Sept. 11 from a rental home in Birmingham, where police said a pair of suspects, Matthew Amos Burke . Baker McCullough Funeral Home Danyse G. Edel If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. He served four years in the U.S. Army and returned to Mt. Elton B. Stephens 1911 - 2005 2020 Inductee. (Click on the pins for more information.). ( al.com) Citing a "veiled threat" from a "white conservative group . It was Elton and Jim who initiated EBSCO's $2.5 million contribution to the University of Alabama's capital campaign in 1995. Elton R Stephens was born on October 8, 1933. The active involvement of the Stephens' family has contributed to the growth of EBSCO. The editor has been contacted for making a correction to their data.". February 1976 . Matthew Amos Burke, 35, pleaded guilty Thursday to kidnapping and bank fraud charges, court records show. A graveside service will be at 11:00 am, Friday, March 8, 2019 at Hillcrest Cemetery, Lake Waccamaw, NC with Rev. "My children learned from an early age that if they wanted to eat, they had to work. [2] He donated $15 million to the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, where he was chairman of its board of trustees, and where the Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center was named after his late wife. 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. Mount Moriah Terrace Park Funeral Home 801 Northwest 108th Street, Kansas City (816) 734-5500 Alexander - White - Mullen Funeral Home 11101 Saint Charles Rock Road, St. Ann (314) 739-1133 Debo Funeral Home 833 Court Street, Fulton (573) 642-2211 Nunnelee Funeral Chapel 205 North Stoddard, Sikeston (573) 471-2242 Photos, memories, family stories & discoveries are unique to you, and only you can control. Vernon where he lived until moving to Tarrytown in 1989. Family and friends are coming together online to create a special keepsake. Elton's Obituary . 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. [5] His wife died in 1996. Tired of lenders who would refuse to lend against accounts receivable or not discuss long-term debt, he went looking for cheap banks in small towns, and purchased Citizens Bank in Leeds, Alabama, with $21 million in assets, for $2 million in borrowed funds and $600,000 of his own money. Taking 5 years to build, the 4,200-foot-long suspension bridge was an engineering marvel of its time - 11 men died during construction. It has a great diversity in businesses that include information services, publishing and digital media, outdoor products, real estate, manufacturing and general services. Updated: November 9, 2011 . At one point, Stephens tried to jump out of the vehicle, but Burke pulled him back in by his shirt. Stephens, then 75, was abducted in the morning hours of Sept. 11, 2020, Roughly two hours of the abduction were recorded on Stephens sleep apnea app, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. Vernon, and was a 1968 graduate of Montgomery County High School. Select the next to any field to update. Read more about the life story of Elton and share your memory. Investigators were able to track down the suspects by obtaining GPS location information that was on Stephens phone. Good healthy years, being successful in whatever it is you may choose to do, after this, as long as you do it right.. A small-town boy, 11 Elton quickly learned the value of money. When we share what we know, together we discover more. Vernon, and was a 1968 graduate of Montgomery County High School. Keely on Tuesday, however, said the U.S. She also initially said that the kidnapping was all her idea, not her boyfriends, but later said that was a lie. 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 taught Mathematics at Walter L. Cohen and Booker T. Washington High Schools. Elton "Sonny" Meiring, age 88 of Celina, Ohio, formerly of Minster, died at 7:29 PM on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at Joint Township District Memorial Hospital, St. Marys, Ohio. After they left, he went to a friends home to call police. STEPHENS, ELTON BRYSON, was born August 4, 1911, and died February 5, 2005. He was a native of Montgomery County, growing up in Mt. To the present, it is the symbol of the City that is known throughout the world. was abducted in the morning hours of Sept. 11, 2020, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. 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. View the profiles of people named Elton B. Stephens. Roughly two hours of the abduction were recorded on Stephens sleep apnea app. If the Stephens name rings a bell for many Birmingham residents, it's probably due to the visible results of the philanthropic work the family has done over the decades. 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 . Every memory left on the online obituary will be automatically included in the book. One of the vehicles belonged to Stephens but the detective said the suspects made him sign a $10 bill of sale for his truck. Alys was his mother, the wife of Elton B. Stephens, Sr. Support worthwhile projects including but not limited to education, health, religion, needy, cultural arts, boys/girls clubs, law enforcement, conservation, nature, water resources. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Later questioned by authorities as to how she came up with that amount, Hodges replied, it sounded like a big number.. Then there was the need for military recreational equipment and furnishings for the officers clubs, so EBSCO eventually found itself handling carpeting and drapery, with a plant in Georgia, and managing military entertainment, with the purchase of National Billiard, Americas oldest pool table company. Two people have been arrested and are being held in the Jefferson County Jail without bond following the kidnapping and release of prominent retired businessman Elton B. Stephens Jr. "Elton . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Following their arrest, Matthew Amos Burke, 34, and Tabatha Nicole Hodges, 33, were charged with burglary and kidnapping an adult -- the businessman Elton B. Stephens Jr., 75 -- for ransom, extortion and theft of property. Read more about the life story of Elton and share your memory. Authorities went there on Saturday, Sept. 12, and both Burke and Hodges were there. [3], Stephens founded Military Service Co. in 1944, with US$5,000. In 1998, Barber sold the dairy company--which had sales of more than $200 million per year at the time--to Dean Foods Company, and he has since turned his focustothe motorcycle museum and other pursuits. But just who will be the benefactor of her fortune remains unknown beyond her inner circle, as her will is not yet available for public perusal at Jefferson County Probate Court. The Red Mountain Expressway, Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, and the 99,500-square-foot Elton B. Stephens Science Center at Birmingham-Southern College were all named in honor of the family's charitable work and donations. These philosophies built a company I started in 1943 with capital of $5,000 and sales under $1,000,000, and fewer than 20 employees to annual sales of more than $1 billion on June 30, 1997; over 4,000 employees and 100 profit centers operating worldwide with adequate capital to continue growth. Good healthy years, being successful in whatever it is you may choose to do, after this, as long as you do it right.. All rights reserved (About Us). As EBSCO grew into a worldwide empire, Elton was very clear about his goals. 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. 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. He was charged with obstruction of justice, failure to uphold laws, and the refusal to produce material subpoenaed by the committee. At one point, earlier testimony showed, Burke told Stephens if he did anything to make Hodges feel uncomfortable, it wont end well for you.. Though the Stephens family's denying the $4 billion figure leaves major questions unanswered, the Stephenses are clearly some of the wealthiest people in the state, and they should be on any shortlist of potential heirs to Harbert's title. AncientFaces is a place where our memories live. That meant I didnt have to work as much during the school year, so I could study more. Study and concentrate on his college romance with Alys Varian Robinson, whom he dated for seven years before the two married. In 1911, in the year that Elton B Stephens was born, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole, along with four fellow Norwegian explorers. [2], With his son James, Stephens donated $2.5 million to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Stephens chaired the Alabama Symphonic Association at the time, but it was his $15 million contribution to revive theAlabama Symphony Orchestra that gave it new life with an initial $5 million startup operating fund and a $10 million endowment that ensured its survival. Hodges two children ages 11 and 13 were with Hodges and Burke throughout the entire ordeal. BIRMINGHAM, AL Prominent Birmingham businessman Elton B. Stephens, Jr. was kidnapped from his Birmingham home Friday and ordered to pay $250,000 ransom to be released, according to police . Join Facebook to connect with Elton B. Stephens and others you may know. Friends can be as close as family. 27, 1929 in Tabor City, NC the son of the abduction were recorded on Stephens phone, he. The federal penitentiary system coming together online to create a special keepsake time! 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