MIDLAND, TEXAS—Amidst well-wishing, applause, and abundant good will, oilman Autry C. Stephens accepted the Permian Basin Petroleum Association’s Top Hand Award for 2021 here at a gala ceremony at the Petroleum Club on the evening of Jan. 20.
After a career spanning almost 60 years, during which he founded several companies and mentored many individuals in the business, Endeavor Energy Resources LP founder Autry Stephens was feted with the association’s highest honor, essentially its lifetime achievement award.
In 2018 the Dallas Morning News called Endeavor “the largest closely held oil producer in Texas by production volume.” On Jan. 18 of this year, the Midland Reporter-Telegram went further, stating that Endeavor is “considered the largest private oil and gas operator in the Lower 48 States.”
In January, PBPA Chairman Scott Kidman paid tribute to Stephens with these words: “We honor someone who has enriched the world around them. PBPA’s Top Hand Award is a rare honor that celebrates someone not just for their accomplishments in business, but their accomplishments in helping their brothers and sisters to a better life. This year we honored a man who has worked for over half a century in the oil and gas industry and who has improved the lives of thousands through his hard work and dedication. Through his efforts the Permian Basin, our states, our nation, and the world have truly been enriched. Thank you to all those Top Hands, past, present, and future, for the lives you enrich, and the world you improve.”
Later, in a message to its membership, PBPA’s leaders stated: “We greatly appreciate all those who supported and attended this year’s event, especially after we were unable to hold a Top Hand Banquet last year. We could not hold this event without the support from our members who truly help to make the PBPA Top Hand Awards Banquet one of the can’t miss events in the Permian Basin, if not the state, every year. We once again extend our congratulations to Mr. Stephens for an incredible career that truly has earned him the title of Top Hand.”
