The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Matthew Amos Burke, 34, and Tabatha Nicole Hodges, 33, are charged with burglary, kidnapping an adult for ransom, extortion and theft of property. North America. 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. Share. A small-town boy, 11 Elton quickly learned the value of money. The heiress of Birmingham-based Harbert Corporation magnate John Murdoch Harbert III, her husband of 43 years who died in 1995, Harbert left her brood a massive inheritance. Vernon, and was a 1968 graduate of Montgomery County High School. He served four years in the U.S. Army and returned to Mt. Matthew Amos Burke, 35, pleaded guilty . Worthy Cemetery. Elton Stephens believes anyone can successfully sell anything. Vernon, and was a 1968 graduate of Montgomery County High School. "[2], Stephens established the Metropolitan Arts Council of Birmingham in 1986. A nine-digit bank account would keep anyone sitting pretty for generations, but it doesn't automatically guarantee a claim to the title of richest Alabamian. Eventually the group left the house with Stephens in a vehicle with Burke, and Hodges following in another vehicle with her two kids. Once the money was deposited, the suspects drove Stephens back to his rental house. He was a native of New Orleans, LA and graduated from McDonogh #35 High School and Xavier University. Because private wealth is not a matter of public record, there's no telling if a sleeper billionaire is holed up somewhere in a rural Alabama cabin, or perhaps even sitting at the helm of one of the state's other successful companies. But Stephens's son, current EBSCO board chairman James T. Stephens, told AL.com in an email statement Friday that the Forbes figure was "grossly overstated," though Forbes has not amended or withdrawn its report. "I can't say enough about what the Stephens family has done and continue to do for this community," she said. Elton B. Stephens, Jr., the retired CEO of EBSCO Industries, was reportedly kidnapped from his bed last Friday and held for ransom. The suspect asked Stephens, What are you doing my house? which startled and confused Stephens. 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. Read more about the life story of Elton and share your memory. . He served four years in the U.S. Army and returned to Mt. BIRMINGHAM, AL the accused kidnapper of prominent Birmingham Businessman Elton B. Stephens, Jr. has pleaded guilty in federal court to multiple charges. Taking 5 years to build, the 4,200-foot-long suspension bridge was an engineering marvel of its time - 11 men died during construction. Dr. Sarah B. Kalish officiating. Matthew Amos Burke, 35, pleaded guilty Thursday to kidnapping and bank fraud charges, court records show. The average age of That led them to the location where Stephens had been taken. To the present, it is the symbol of the City that is known throughout the world. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) Two people are behind bars after allegedly kidnapping Birmingham businessman and philanthropist Elton B. Stephens Jr. and forcing him to wire hundreds of thousands of dollars to them after stealing his vehicle, multiple guns, and jewelry last week. A graveside service will be at 11:00 am, Friday, March 8, 2019 at Hillcrest Cemetery, Lake Waccamaw, NC with Rev. The most disturbing images were of children - a daycare center was hit by the bomb. Tabatha Nicole Hodges, 33, was sentenced Thursday to 12 years for her part in the 2020 abduction of Stephens. He also left one of his grandsons a few hundred thousand dollars' worth of stock. Vernon where he lived until . Evans-Skipper Funeral Home - Donalsonville. I get the chance to remember the Share yesterday to connect today & preserve tomorrow, Copyright 1999-2023 AncientFaces, Inc. All Rights Reserved, ADVERTISEMENT According to previous testimony and court records, the suspects entered Stephens Crest Road rental home about 2 a.m. Our primary concern is, of course, the safety of Mr. Stephens and his family, Spina said. The family will greet friends prior to the service from 12:45 pm until 1:45 pm at the church. Burke and Hodges also are charged in state court, where their cases are awaiting grand jury action. Elton R Stephens Elton Stephens (1933 - 2006) Jump to: . to the family or plant a tree It was Eltons frustration with borrowing money early in his business career that led him in 1981, at the age of 70, to begin a second career as a financier. Elton Stephens died at age 70 years old on January 8, 1997. After graduating from law school, Elton found that he could earn only $75 a month as a lawyer while selling magazines would bring in some $100 a week. 2023 Ronald V. Hall Funeral Home. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. "EBSCO and the members of the family have been integral to the growth of the museum.". 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. In fact, there are several potential billionaire Alabama residents, and because details about their private finances are not publicly available, it is next to impossible to verify just how much money they have. [2] For charitable contributions to the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Stephens Family Gallery is named in his family's honor. Looking for Elton Stephens online? The state charges against Burke were dismissed Friday after a grand jury did not indict him. 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. The family, which inherited Stephens's wealth after his death in 2005, has never before discussed its finances with the media. At one point, earlier testimony showed, Burke told Stephens if he did anything to make Hodges feel uncomfortable, it wont end well for you.. A small-town boy, 11 Elton quickly learned the value of money. [5] His wife died in 1996. Stephens was taken to the suspects home in Remlap and held against his will for eight hours. Elton B. Stephens. The "international orange" color was chosen because it resisted rust and fading. 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 museum has a Stephens Family Gallery. Garry Drummond, the controversial current CEO of Drummond and one of only two Drummond heirs still living as of July 2013, reportedly owned all of the capital stock in the massive coal company by then, Bloomberg reported, citing a report by business research outfit Dun & Bradstreet Corp. "If that's correct, Garry Neil is a billionaire," Bloomberg wrote. [2] They also paid $15 million for the construction of the Elton B. Stephens Science Center on the campus of BirminghamSouthern College. 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. 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. When I was four, I had pneumonia, and I remember my father often standing over my crib and entertaining me, Elton once recalled fondly. The deadliest incident of domestic terrorism ever, Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, and Michael Fortier were convicted of the bombing. Liberty County. 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. 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. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Elton Stephens. October 11th, 2021. Elton China's passing at the age of 79 on Sunday, December 5, 2021 has been publicly announced by Stephens-Maree-Tracy Funeral Home in Walterboro, SC.Legacy invites you to offer condolences and share But it is highly likely that the Harberts will no longer be able to claim that the richest living Alabamian is a member of their privileged family tree. He was released only after he wired $250,000 to a bank account of the alleged kidnappers. 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 Hodges gave them consent to search the residence and thats when authorities found several guns, a Yeti cooler, a camera and cash that had been taken from Stephens home. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. They had two sons, Elton B. Stephens Jr. and James T. Stephens, and two daughters, Jane S. Comer and Dell S. Brooke. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Soon after, along came an EBSCO publishing and bindery company to help keep the racks full of reading matter, and later a printing plant. In order to avoid impeachment, Richard M. Nixon announced that he would resign on August 8th, the first President to do so. 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. 44 birth records, View 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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Updated: November 9, 2011 . 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 born on June 21, 1934 in Minster, Ohio to the late Frank & Rose (Jacobs) Meiring. 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 . Link to family and friends whose lives he impacted. He was charged with obstruction of justice, failure to uphold laws, and the refusal to produce material subpoenaed by the committee. Outstanding Student in Biomedical Equipment Technology - Justin Hollis . The city and state honored Stephens' support of civic projects by renaming the Red Mountain Expressway the "Elton B. Stephens Expressway" on Sept. 11, 1975. You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, 2023 McKenzie Mortuary. 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 no paperwork indicating he was to remain held on a federal conviction, sheriffs officials said Tuesday. Her co-defendant 35-year-old Matthew Amos Burk was sentenced last month to 17 years. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. Region. 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. He served four years in the U.S. Army and returned to Mt. can stop at any time. Photos, memories, family stories & discoveries are unique to you, and only you can control. Facebook gives people the. 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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Matthew Amos Burke and Elton B. Stephens Jr. The Stephens other daughter is Jane Comer, who was honored in 2002 for her own support of the arts. Select the pencil to add details. 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. 22 years longer than Surviving is a son, Charles Garry (Barbara) Stephens of Fuquay Varina, NC; grandson, James Edward (Madison Pace fianc) Stephens of Fuquay Varina, NC; a nephew, Albert M. (Carol) Kennedy of Schwenksville, PA; and a niece, Cecilia Kennedy (Donald) Mayall of Pennsburg, PA. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Birmingham and Mountain Brook police, as well as the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, responded. USA. 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. Authorities went there on Saturday, Sept. 12, and both Burke and Hodges were there. Eventually the group left the house with Stephens in a vehicle with Burke, and Hodges following in another vehicle with her two kids. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. STEPHENS Lionel H. Stephens, a retired educator and computer analyst, died Friday, July 27, 2012 at the age of 76 in Baton Rouge, LA. Stephens told Burke he was scaring him and asked Burke how much money it would take to leave him alone. There is no early parole. The binding plea agreement calls for Burke to be sentenced to 17 years in federal prison. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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's currently 80 years old and is the richest man in Alabama. When we share what we know, together we discover more. 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 . Burke was sentenced to 17 years, and Hodges to 12 years, in the federal penitentiary system. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be made to First United Methodist Church, 118 E. Morgan St., Wadesboro, NC 28170. He chose the magazine route and kept selling and hiring others to sell. He was a member and deacon of Voice of GraceMinistries in Vidalia. All rights reserved (About Us). Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama 35201. Investigators were able to track down the suspects by obtaining GPS location information that was on Stephens phone. According to records, Burke had charges with the state, which were dismissed after a court appearance on Friday. 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. 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