[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 85 (Thursday, June 25, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7213-S7214]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL E. STEPHENS

 Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Mr. Michael 
E. Stephens, the founder of ReLife, Inc., a nation-wide rehabilitation 
system, and the namesake of the Michael E. Stephens College of Business 
at the University of Montevallo in Alabama. Mr. Stephens is a 
remarkable man, a distinguished citizen and a leader in the field of 
health care and physical rehabilitation.
  Mr. Stephens was born and raised in Alabama and began attending the 
University of Montevallo in 1962. However, his path through college was 
a long, complicated one. Though Michael Stephens is today a highly 
successful entrepreneur, recognized for his many accomplishments and 
his generous civic spirit, his first attempt at college was incomplete! 
Instead, Mr. Stephens left the University in 1966 for a series of jobs 
in the insurance industry. Several years later, at the age of 26, he 
broke his neck in a horrible diving accident. Despite being told he 
would never walk again, with extensive rehabilitation--and steely 
determination--Michael Stephens overcame the most significant obstacle 
of his life. Amazingly, he fully recovered in less than a year, and 
almost ten years after he had begun his college education, Mr. Stephens 
returned to the University of Montevallo.
  Michael Stephens received his undergraduate degree in business from 
the University of Montevallo in 1973 and his Master's Degree in 1975 
from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He went to work in 
rehabilitative services for the Lakeshore Rehabilitation Hospital. 
Based upon his own experience, Mr. Stephens was committed to providing 
comprehensive services and quality care to people with physical 
disabilities. Under his leadership, Lakeshore Hospital became a world-
class rehabilitative center. By introducing new rehabilitative 
services, such as speech therapy, recreational programs, psychological 
counseling and outpatient job training, Mr. Stephens created a new way 
of dealing with disability. In fact, Forbes Magazine said, ``Stephens 
turned little Lakeshore into a model laboratory for his idea about 
rehabilitation.'' In the mid-1980's, he founded the Lakeshore 
Foundation, a non-profit organization designed to assist people with 
physical disabilities. Specifically, the Foundation focused on training 
athletes. Almost overnight, Mr. Stephens' athletic program grew. 
Lakeshore's athletes went on to become among the most successful in the 
paralympics: breaking records in all events and winning numerous gold, 
silver and bronze medals. His successful approach to rehabilitation led 
to his founding of ReLife, a publicly-traded national health-services 
corporation, in 1986.
  Through ReLife, Mr. Stephens realized his dream of reinventing 
rehabilitation. By 1992, ReLife ran over forty rehabilitation 
facilities. In 1994, when ReLife merged with HealthSouth Corporation, 
Michael Stephens focused his attention and considerable talents on 
other needs of his community. He became a member of the board of 
trustees of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and the Naples, Florida 
Philharmonic Center for the Arts. Additionally, he is a former member 
of both the President's Committee on Hiring the Handicapped and the 
National Association of Rehabilitation Facilities and is active in the 
Alabama State Health Coordinating Council. Mr. Stephens' business

[[Page S7214]]

prowess is not limited to rehabilitation: he also owns several car 
dealerships, a real estate development company and a champion horse 
breeding farm.
  His leadership was recognized by the University of Montevallo in 
1995, when he was awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters. Mr. Stephens 
serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University, and 
recently donated one million dollars to their capital funds campaign.
  As a result of business endeavors, community service, philanthropic 
projects and long-standing support for higher education, on October 9, 
1997, the University of Montevallo honored Mr. Stephens by deciding to 
re-name the business school the Michael E. Stephens College of 
Business. The citation issued by the University's Board of Trustees 
stated: ``His leadership and service deserve lasting recognition and 
are worthy of holding as exemplary to this and future generations of 
Montevallo students, faculty, alumni and friends.'' Mr. Stephens has 
promised to remain very active in the Stephens College of Business, and 
I believe that all of the current and future Montevallo students will 
benefit greatly from his involvement.
  On that day last year, Michael Stephens, loved and respected by all 
who have known him, was honored as a friend and leader to not only the 
University of Montevallo, but all the citizens of Alabama. I, too, want 
to honor Mr. Stephen's example of strength, vision, courage and 
community spirit. On behalf of my wife, Annette, an alumna of the 
University of Montevallo, we wish Michael Stephens our sincerest thanks 
and congratulations for his dedication to making a difference.

                          ____________________