William T. Stevenson

Natural Gas Operations

Laureate 2000

William Taylor Stevenson was born in Leavenworth, Kansas on June 10, 1900. He contracted Polio at an early age and that forever impaired his mobility. Later in life, Stevensons associates were apparently not aware of his physical handicap because of his gentle mannerisms and magnetic personality.

Stevensons entrepreneurial work began at an early age. He was 13 when he began selling and delivering the Saturday Evening Post around his neighborhood in Leavenworth, KS. His parents provided him with a pony to ride so he could deliver his papers. The two of them often shared an ice cream cone together after payday. It was no long before he employed 12 other boys to cover his hometown area. This experience served as an early sign of Stevensons business sense, drive, and dedication to work.

Stevenson graduated from the University of Kansas in 1923. After a brief banking career in Potter, Kansas, he joined the staff of Arthur Andersen & Company in Kansas City. This employment introduced him to the natural gas business in Kansas, Kentucky and Missouri. From this position, Stevenson set a pattern that Texas Gas Transmission Corporation would follow in the future of hiring CPAs from Arthur Andersen & Company who would eventually become Texas Gas executives.

Stevenson was hired by the Kansas-Missouri Pipeline Company and moved to Owensboro in 1929. This job led Stevenson to the Kentucky Natural Gas Company and later the Kentucky Natural Gas Corporation. His dedication and work in accounting and finance placed him at the top of Kentucky Natural Gas Corporation as vice-president and treasurer. Stevenson also became the President of Western Kentucky Natural Gas Company during his career in Owensboro.

With the merger of Memphis Natural Gas Company and Kentucky Natural Gas Corporation into Texas Gas Transmission Corporation, Stevenson was named executive vice president. He was elected President of Texas Gas in May of 1951. Stevenson continued many of the traditions J.H. Hillman, Jr., began as the first president of Texas Gas Transmission Corporation, as well as set the stage for growth and expansion as the natural gas industry continued to develop.

Stevenson, a quiet man of relatively modest tastes with an infectious smile, was well liked by his associates. His interests outside of the natural gas business included serving as President of the Owensboro Chamber of Commerce, as a leader of the Kentucky Independent College Foundation, serving as a member of the board of directors of the Owensboro National Bank, and Director of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.

Stevenson and his wife, Dorothy, had two sons and a daughter. He enjoyed working in his rose garden, and would often bring bouquets of roses to the office. He also enjoyed touring around Owensboro in his Ford Thunderbird convertible. Mr. Stevenson died on May 22, 1957, of a heart attack in Owensboro. Newspapers from the Atlantic to the Pacific carried news of his passing. W.T. Stevenson will always be remembered around the nation as an ardent advocate and loyal friend.