Midland wildcatter and military veteran Autry Carl Stephens, founder of Endeavor Energy Resources and recipient of the Top Hand Award from Permian Basin Petroleum Association, died at the age of 86. Endeavor said its board chairman died Aug. 16 and will be succeeded as chairman by his daughter, Lyndal Stephens Greth, an attorney who served as vice chairman. She is a 1993 graduate of Lee High School and earned degrees from SMU and Baylor law school.
Lance Robertson, president and CEO, said, “Over many decades his vision and discipline inspired so many and were the driving forces behind what makes Endeavor unique. Autry embodied the wildcat mentality of courage, grit and tenacity associated with the Permian Basin. He leaves a legacy that will continue to shape the future of our company, community, and the oil and gas industry for years to come.”
A native of DeLeon, Stephens earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in petroleum engineering from University of Texas and began his career with Humble Oil and Refining in 1962. He became a sole proprietor in 1979 and launched Endeavor in 2000 to focus primarily on drilling vertical wells in Spraberry in Midland Basin. And in 2016 Endeavor began its transition as a leading horizontal operator. Today it’s one of the nation’s largest private oil producers at 420,000 boed with 2,250 active vertical wells and 1,380 drilled, completed and online horizontal wells.