James T. Stephens

James T. Stephens was born on April 14, 1939, in Birmingham, Alabama.[3] His father, Elton Bryson Stephens, Sr., founded EBSCO Industries in 1944.[4][5][6] His mother, Alys Robinson, died in 1996.[4]

He graduated from Yale University, where he received a bachelor's degree in history in 1961.[3] He received an MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1964.[3]

Stephens served as a Lieutenant in the United States Army.[4] He joined the family business, EBSCO Industries, where he served as President from 1970 to 2005.[3] He served as its chairman from 2002 to 2017. [4][5]

He was inducted into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Alabama Academy of Honor in 2012.[3]

Stephens previously served as the chairman of the boards of trustees of the Highlands School, the Altamont School, and Birmingham-Southern College.[3] Additionally, he served as the chairman of the Greater Alabama Council of the Boy Scouts of America.[3]

He donated US$2 million to the United Way of Central Alabama.[3] He has endowed scholarships at Jefferson State Community College, Troy University, and Birmingham-Southern College.[3] He has also made charitable contributions to the God's Outreach Center in Harpersville, Alabama as well as UNICEF and Doctors Without Borders.[3]

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

He is married to Julie Stephens.[3] They have four children, Bryson, Trent, Bart, and Alys.[3]