Born in Grant County on August 9, 1923, Mr. Stephens grew up on a farm near Prattsville, Arkansas, the youngest of six children. A child of the Great Depression and humble beginnings, Mr. Stephens learned the importance of hard work and how to earn his keep. Prior to attending college, Mr. Stephens joined his father on the family farm, and by the age of fifteen, held numerous jobs at the Barlow Hotel in Hope. Upon graduation from high school, Mr. Stephens attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946.

After graduation from the naval academy, Mr. Stephens joined his brother, Witt, in Little Rock at a municipal bond house. By 1956, Mr. Stephens and his brother bought the Fort Smith Gas Company, calling it Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Company, and an oil and gas exploration firm, renaming it the Stephens Production Company. Stephens, Inc. became the umbrella organization for the businesses, and later Stephens Media Group. Mr. Stephens served as Chief Executive Officer of Stephens, Inc. for 29 years, until 1986.

In addition to becoming one of the world's most successful entrepreneurs, Mr. Stephens was extraordinarily charitable. In 2002, he donated $48 million dollars to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, the largest donation the University of Arkansas has ever seen. Mr. Stephens also gave $20 million to the Episcopal Collegiate School, $20.4 million to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, $5 million to Harding University, and $10 million to his alma mater, the U.S. Naval Academy. Mr. Stephens once said, "There are only two pleasures associated with money. Making it and giving it away.'' For 20 years, Mr. Stephens was the primary contributor for The Delta Project, a program aimed at educating underprivileged children in the Arkansas Delta. Mr. Stephen's immense generosity did not end with education. Mr. Stephens was also a remarkable supporter of the arts, and permanently donated to the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock his personal collection of artwork that include the likes of Degas, Monet, Picasso and Wyeth.

Mr. Stephens also had a tremendous love for golf as evidenced by his enviable handicap of five. He was invited to join the prestigious Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia in 1962, and served as the chairman of the institution from 1991-1998.

Mr. Stephens's contributions to his community and the state of Arkansas did not go unnoticed. In 1965, Mr. Stephens was honored with the Distinguished Alumnus Citation from the University of Arkansas and in 1985, was bestowed an honorary law degree by the University. He received the Horatio Alger Award in 1980 and the J. William Fulbright Award for international trade development in 1989. Mr. Stephens was not only a proud member of the Arkansas State Golf Hall of Fame, but also the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.

From a Grant County farm boy raised during the depression, Mr. Stephens turned a small business acquisition into a global enterprise. Mr. Stephens will not only be remembered for his savvy business entrepreneurial skills, but also for his tremendous generosity to underprivileged children, education, and a tremendous appreciation of the arts. 

I extend my deepest and sincerest sympathies to his sons, Steve and Warren; his daughter-in-law Harriet, his six grandchildren, Caroline, Jackson, Mason, Miles, John, and Laura; two great grandchildren, Sydney and Bruce; and two adopted children, Kerry LaNoche and James Stephens.