Posted on April 26, 2002 at 11:20 a.m.
BIRMINGHAM, AL — Health care executive and UAB alumnus Michael E. Stephens and civic leader and benefactor Marie S. Ingalls will be honored during University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) graduation ceremonies at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 4. Ceremonies will be held at Bartow Arena, 617 13th Street South. Some 800 of the 1,051 May graduates will take part. UAB President W. Ann Reynolds will deliver the commencement address.
Both Stephens and Ingalls will receive the honorary degree Doctor of Humanities during the ceremonies in recognition of their many contributions to the community.
Michael E. Stephens, president of S Enterprises Inc. of Indian Springs, is well known in Alabama for his support of worthwhile community projects and is recognized locally and nationally for his leadership in the non-profit sectors of the rehabilitation industry. He founded both the Lakeshore Foundation, a charitable organization that supports the development of programs for people with physical disabilities, and ReLife, a publicly traded company that merged with HealthSouth in 1994. Both efforts stemmed from his early work as executive director of Lakeshore Rehabilitation Hospital and his personal recovery from a disabling injury.
Stephens had begun a successful career in the insurance industry when in 1970 he suffered a spinal-cord injury in a diving accident. In 1973, after intensive rehabilitation during which he learned to walk again, he returned to the University of Montevallo to complete his bachelor’s degree in business. In 1975, he earned a master’s degree in health administration from UAB.
Stephens became executive director of Lakeshore Rehabilitation Hospital when it was still a small facility. In the next decade, he transformed the hospital into what Forbes magazine called, “… a model laboratory for his ideas about rehabilitation.”
He is chairman of the board of Trustees for the Lakeshore Foundation and supports several organizations, including the YWCA and the Birmingham Children’s Theatre. His many honors include the John S. Jemison Jr. Venture Award presented annually by the Birmingham Venture Club to the city’s entrepreneur of the year.
Marie S. Ingalls is an active member of numerous Birmingham civic and community organizations. She is a past president of the Alabama Kidney Foundation, the Baptist Medical Centers Foundation and the Women’s Committee of 100. She also has been involved with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, the American Liver Foundation, the Antiquarian Society, the Salvation Army, Alabama Goodwill Industries and the Arlington Historic House and Gardens Advisory Committee.
Her dedication and devotion to the arts is evidenced by her participation in and support of the Alabama Symphonic Association as well as her service on the UAB Alys Stephens Center Advisory Board. To honor her invaluable contributions, the City of Birmingham recognized Marie Ingalls as Woman of the Year in 1984. The Alabama Chapter of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives recognized her in 1991 as Outstanding Philanthropist. Most recently, she was honored by the Gallery of Distinguished Citizens.
Ingalls’ many contributions to UAB include serving on the Campaign for UAB and providing strong support for the Alys Stephens Center, the UAB Liver Center and the School of Nursing. In honor of her generosity and love of the arts, UAB named the grand foyer in the Alys Stephens Center the Ingalls Grand Foyer.
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