After graduating from Antlers High School, Charles Stephenson attended the University of Oklahoma and earned a degree in petroleum engineering.

Following service in the U.S. Army, where he became an officer, he joined Amerada Petroleum Corporation.

Between 1973 and 1982, Stephenson was part-owner and president of privately-held Andover Oil Company.

After the sale of Andover, he co-founded Vintage Petroleum, Inc., where he served as president, chief executive officer, and chairman of the board. 

The company grew from three employees at start-up to more than 750 with operations in four countries and reserves of approximately 500 million barrels.

Stephenson is a founder of the Sarkeys Energy Center and, through his foundation, has funded the construction of two research facilities at the Research Campus at the University of Oklahoma. C

harles and his wife Peggy made a $12 million donation to The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and in recognition of their support to the institution, a center has been named the Peggy and Charles Stephenson Oklahoma Cancer Center.

Listen to Charles tell his story and how his uncle interested him in the Energy business on the podcast and website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.