and has brown hair and blue eyes. EBSCO Industries is a privately held, widely diversified corporation founded in 1944 by Elton B. Stephens (hence the EBSCO acronym E lton B S tephens CO mpany). Unlock the mysteries of your family history and explore the rich tapestry of your past with AncientFaces. On July 1, Brooke retired as CEO of EBSCO Industries, replaced by Tim Collins, the former president of EBSCO Information Services. He was released only after he wired $250,000 to a bank account of the alleged kidnappers. Elton R Stephens was born on October 8, 1933. He was a native of New Orleans, LA and graduated from McDonogh #35 High School and Xavier University. Elton B. Stephens Scholarship Hannah Combs; Elton B. Stephens Scholarship Aundria Kurowski; STEPHENS Lionel H. Stephens, a retired educator and computer analyst, died Friday, July 27, 2012 at the age of 76 in Baton Rouge, LA. The Bureau had approximately 650 employees, including 441 Special Agents. View Elton L. Tebo Stephens's obituary, send flowers and find service dates or sign the guestbook. He served four years in the U.S. Army and returned to Mt. Taking 5 years to build, the 4,200-foot-long suspension bridge was an engineering marvel of its time - 11 men died during construction. There is no early parole. He kept asking me why didnt I want it, but I didnt fall for that one.. Stephens, Jr. most recently served as . Updated: November 9, 2011 . In addition to a lifetime of business and financial endeavors, Elton has committed his life to enrich the world around him. when he died at the age of 93. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Carolyn Frink Stephens and a sister, Cecile Stephens Kennedy. 21 death records. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. They were in the house for hours taking one of Stephens sports cars for a joy ride and making food in the kitchen before waking Stephens about 8:30 a.m. He taught Mathematics at Walter L. Cohen and Booker T. Washington High Schools. Who are the richest Alabamians now that billionaire Marguerite Harbert has passed? The city and state honored Stephens' support of civic projects by renaming the Red Mountain Expressway the "Elton B. Stephens Expressway. But the former racecar driver is also undoubtedly one of the richest residents of Alabama, having succeeded his father at the helm of Barber's Dairy. Matthew Amos Burke and Elton B. Stephens Jr. That led them to the location where Stephens had been taken. [2], With his son James, Stephens donated $2.5 million to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Vernon where he lived until moving to . . Hodges told investigators Stephens had given the items to them willingly, but court records stated that they said they would kill him if he called anyone. He was a native of Montgomery County, growing up in Mt. Marshals placed a detainer on him in late November, which means once Burke was finished with state charges, he should be released into their custody. As of 2014, the Stephens family had a net worth of over $4 billion, according to Forbes . Sadly, Williams was pronounced dead at the scene. "[2], Stephens established the Metropolitan Arts Council of Birmingham in 1986. Stephens was taken to the suspects home in Remlap and held against his will for eight hours. His father Elton B. Stephens started the company . Stephens became one of the first members of the United Way's Million Dollar Roundtable of top contributors and he established the Alabama Percent Club, which honors businesses that give 10 percent, 5 percent or 2 percent of pre-tax income to charity. Region. Tabatha Nicole Hodges, 33, was sentenced Thursday to . Founder and chairman of the board of EBSCO Industries, Inc., Elton Bryson Stephens was born August 4, 1911, to parents Clara Stuckey and James Nelson Stephens in Clio, Alabama. Another Alabamian who has not been identified as a billionaire by Forbes -- long considered the leading authority on the topic -- is George Barber. 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. Burke and his girlfriend, Tabatha Hodges, both pleaded guilty to federal charges of kidnapping and bank fraud. was abducted in the morning hours of Sept. 11, 2020, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. A small-town boy, 11 Elton quickly learned the value of money. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Voice of Grace Ministries, 1221 Orange St., Vidalia, GA 30474. Once the money was deposited, the suspects drove Stephens back to his rental house. Matthew Amos Burke, 35, pleaded guilty . Family and friends are coming together online to create a special keepsake. Hodges two children ages 11 and 13 were with Hodges and Burke throughout the entire ordeal. BIRMINGHAM, AL the accused kidnapper of prominent Birmingham Businessman Elton B. Stephens, Jr. has pleaded guilty in federal court to multiple charges. One of the vehicles belonged to Stephens but the detective said the suspects made him sign a $10 bill of sale for his truck. Who were the people in Elton's life? "I was just obsessed with bicycles and motorcycles and cars." In short, he was all about anything with wheels. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. They were in the house for hours taking one of Stephens sports cars for a joy ride and making food in the kitchen before waking Stephens about 8:30 a.m. Matthew Amos Burke (Jefferson County Jail). He was the son of James Nelson and Clara Stuckey Stephens. To cover the rest of his costs, the enterprising young man worked full-time as a salesman in a local dry goods store. According to his will -- dated April 12, 1993, and filed with the probate court shortly after his death on Feb. 5, 2005 -- the Stephens patriarch named his four children as his heirs. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Elton Stephens believes anyone can successfully sell anything. Stephens was taken to the suspects home in Remlap and held against his will for eight hours. She also initially said that the kidnapping was all her idea, not her boyfriends, but later said that was a lie. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). 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. Experiences, organizations, & how he spent his time. Burke was sentenced to 17 years in prison for kidnapping Elton B. Stephens Jr. last year, according to jail records. A Birmingham native, Harbert was the lone billionaire in Alabama, Forbes claimed last year. Tommy Spina, attorney for Stephens, said Burke could face an additional five years in prison if convicted of escape. What is Elton's ethnicity and where did his parents, grandparents & great-grandparents come from? . The woman who took part in the kidnapping of prominent Birmingham businessman Elton B. Stephens Jr. has been sentenced to federal prison. While many of those contributions resulted in Stephens' name or names being attached to projects (theAlys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center atUAB or the Elton B. Stephens Science Center at Birmingham-Southern College) most were made without any such lasting recognition. Elton's immediate relatives including parents, siblings, partnerships and children in the Stephens family tree. Investigators were able to track down the suspects by obtaining GPS location information that was on Stephens phone. He was born on October 24, 1926 in Hall Summit, Louisiana to the late Roy Henry and Tommie Lee Fletcher Stephens. At the time transfer from the neighboring agency, there was no documentation left to notify jail personnel that Burke had been sentenced by another court and was not to be released.. Elton Stephens of Cleveland, Blount County, Alabama was born on July 5, 1913, and died at age 71 years old in October 1984. Tabatha Nicole Hodges (Jefferson County Jail). 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. Birmingham and Mountain Brook police, as well as the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, responded. 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 Support worthwhile projects including but not limited to education, health, religion, needy, cultural arts, boys/girls clubs, law enforcement, conservation, nature, water resources. Founder and chairman of the board of EBSCO Industries, Inc., Elton Bryson Stephens was born August 4, 1911, to parents Clara Stuckey and James Nelson Stephens in Clio, Alabama. 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. Mr. Elton L. "Tebo" Stephens, 89, of Wadesboro, NC, went home to be with the Lord on Sunday, March 3, 2019. ( al.com) Citing a "veiled threat" from a "white conservative group . 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. Elton's Obituary . your email below for our complimentary daily grief messages. He left nearly all of his sizeable fortune and much of his property to a foundation bearing his name, to be overseen by his children. Where we share as we remember & make discoveries and connect with others to help answer questions. 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. Marston Bulow Stephens, age 96, of Bossier City, Louisiana passed away on Wednesday, February 22, 2023 surrounded by loving family. Later questioned by authorities as to how she came up with that amount, Hodges replied, it sounded like a big number.. 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. February 1976 . He was a native of Montgomery County, growing up in Mt. LIONEL STEPHENS OBITUARY. According to previous testimony and court records, the suspects entered Stephens Crest Road rental home about 2 a.m. [3], Stephens founded Military Service Co. in 1944, with US$5,000. James Lewis Stephens, 72, of Sallisaw, passed away Saturday, March 5, 2022, in Sallisaw. The Remlap pair remains behind bars on no bond. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). 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. The Biography piece is collaborative, where we work together to present the facts. 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. That company now sells coal in over 30 countries and had $621 million in sales last year, according to Hoover's. What schools or universities did Elton attend? - After four decades at Elton B. Stephens Co. (EBSCO), President and CEO F. Dixon Brooke Jr. announced his plans to retire at the end of this current fiscal year, June 30, 2014. Summary Elton Stephens of Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai County, Idaho was born on November 13, 1892, and died at age 83 years old in February 1976. . A graveside service will be at 11:00 am, Friday, March 8, 2019 at Hillcrest Cemetery, Lake Waccamaw, NC with Rev. Every memory left on the online obituary will be automatically included in the book. Updated: November 11, 2011 . James Stephens, Elton Stephens, Jane Comer, Dell S Brooke - $4 billion. October 11th, 2021. 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. Stephens told Burke he was scaring him and asked Burke how much money it would take to leave him alone. On the way to Remlap, the group stopped at a Full Moon Bar-B-Que drive-thru to get lunch. Once the money was deposited, the suspects drove Stephens back to his rental house. Share memories and family stories, photos, or ask questions. He also sold an odd mix of newspapers, suits, sandwiches, and Cloverine Salve, thereby setting a pattern he would follow with EBSCO in the years to come; it would not seem odd to him that a company known for its printing and distribution capacities could also excel in the manufacture of fishing line. Matthew Amos Burke, 35, was released from the county lockup at 3:23 p.m. Friday. Your email will not be used for any other purpose. Arrangements in Wadesboro are being handled by Leavitt Funeral Home. Keely on Tuesday, however, said the U.S. The family will greet friends prior to the service from 12:45 pm until 1:45 pm at the church. can stop at any time. 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. Elton has been found in 13 states including Alabama, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Utah. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Voice of Grace Ministries, 1221 Orange St., Vidalia, GA 30474. Investigators were able to track down the suspects by obtaining GPS location information that was on Stephens phone. Vernon where he lived until moving to Tarrytown in 1989. Stephens also founded theMetropolitan Arts Council in 1986 and was a major contributor to the Birmingham Museum of Art. All rights reserved (About Us). In 1995, by the time he was 84 years old, on May 19th, the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil - before 9/11 - took place in Oklahoma City. Stephens at some point asked kidnappers what it would take for them to leave him alone and Hodges replied, $400,000. 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. Funeral Home website by. At one point, earlier testimony showed, Burke told Stephens if he did anything to make Hodges feel uncomfortable, it wont end well for you.. Soon after, along came an EBSCO publishing and bindery company to help keep the racks full of reading matter, and later a printing plant. You can take any business, any product, anything and sell it, he says. 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 . He was a native of Montgomery County, growing up in Mt. EBSCO Industries. He served four years in the U.S. Army and returned to Mt. Updated: November 4, 2011 . We share yesterday, to build meaningful connections today, and preserve for tomorrow. 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 . 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