Elton Bryson Stephens, Sr.

Elton Bryson Stephens, Sr.
Born August 4, 1911
Clio, Barbour County, Alabama
Died February 5, 2005
Occupation Business executive
Known for Founder of EBSCO Industries
Spouse(s) Alys Robinson
Children 2 sons, 2 daughters

Elton Bryson Stephens, Sr. (1911–2005) was an American businessman and philanthropist from Alabama. He was the founder of EBSCO Industries.

Early life

Elton Bryson Stephens, Sr., was born on August 4, 1911, in Clio, Alabama.[1][2]

Career

Stephens founded Military Service Co. in 1944, with only US$5,000.[2][3][4] The company sold magazine subscriptions to the United States Army.[3] It later became known as EBSCO Industries, a diversified company in "information services, publishing and digital media, outdoor products, real estate, manufacturing and general services."[2]

Philanthropy

Stephens established the Metropolitan Arts Council of Birmingham in 1986.[2] He donated US$15 million to the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, where he served on as Chairman of its Board of Trustees,[5] and where the Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center was named after his late wife.[2] Additionally, he donated US$1 million to the United Way of Central Alabama in 1997, joining their Million Dollar Roundtable.[2] He has made charitable contributions to the Birmingham Museum of Art, where the Stephens Family Gallery is named in his family's honor.[2] Moreover, the Red Mountain Expressway was renamed the Elton B. Stephens Expressway by the City of Birmingham on September 11, 1975.[2]

With his son James, Stephens donated US$2.5 million to the University of Alabama at Birmingham.[2] They also donated US$15 million for the construction of the Elton B. Stephens Science Center on the campus of Birmingham–Southern College.[2][6]

The Elton B. Stephens Science Center on the campus of Birmingham–Southern College.

Personal life

Stephens married Alys Robinson.[4] They had two sons, Elton B. Stephens, Jr. and James T. Stephens, and two daughters, Jane S. Comer and Dell S. Brooke.[4] His wife died in 1996.[4]

Death and legacy

He died on February 5, 2005.[1] His son James serves as the Chairman of EBSCO Industries.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 Jim Stephens, In Memoriam: Elton Bryson Stephens, 1911-2005, Serial Reviews, Volume 31, Issue 2, 2005, pp. 80-81
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Michael Tomberlin, Stephens family may be better known in Birmingham for generosity than $4 billion wealth, The Birmingham News, July 10, 2014
  3. 1 2 America's Richest Families: Stephens family, Forbes
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Connor Sheets, Who are the richest Alabamians now that billionaire Marguerite Harbert has passed?, The Birmingham News, March 23, 2015
  5. ↑ Alabama Symphony Orchestra Board of Trustees
  6. ↑ Birmingham-Southern College: Elton B. Stephens Science Center
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