Carlile Richmond Stevens

Carlile Richmond Stevens of Granite Shoals, Texas, passed on Friday, February 24, at 91. He was born on July 20, 1931, in Pasadena, California, the third child of Norman and Winona Bassett Stevens. Carlile attended Southwestern Academy. He was a hard worker on the family’s farms. He graduated from Ramona High School, class of 1949, and Stanford University in 1953, with a degree in physics. Since college he has gone by Steve Stevens.

He paid for college by putting on science shows with his brother Robin and sister Toni. During the show, he stood on the 2-million-volt Tesla coil he built, while the 2 x 4 he held over his head caught fire from the electric current! He met his first wife at Stanford, Audrey Williams, and kept ties to his Stanford fraternity brothers and attended reunions over the many years.

As a scientist and inventor, Steve used his genius with electronics to found multiple companies and earn more than 50 patents. He and his brother Robin designed and built the Flight To Mars ride at California’s Pacific Ocean Park. He founded Multisonics, to pioneer computer driven traffic control systems and other inventions. He was one of the first commercial users of an Intel chip in the 1960’s. His long-term business partner, Bill Alling, died in 2015. They split everything they made over 20 years, an amazing partnership. Steve invented a fluorescent light ballast which would have saved the US over $100 billion in energy costs. But they licensed it to a large corporation that had the hidden agenda to keep it from coming to market, to not compete with their products. After a 14-year legal battle, Steve and Bill finally won a multimillion-dollar settlement. By this time, 1997, Steve had moved to Texas. His second wife of 35 years Pat (Patricia Ann Mason) died in 1995. He married Karen Stevens in 1996.

He was an enthusiastic supporter of the Round Mountain Volunteer Fire Department, and active in the Highland Lakes Men’s Chorus, Blenders Barbershop Chorus, and Kiwanis. He had a great voice and loved singing since college, where he formed the What Four quartet.

He is preceded in death by his two brothers, Dale and Robin, and his first wives, Audrey and Pat.

He is survived by his wife Karen, sister Toni, his children: (with Audrey Williams) Stanton (Valerie), Adrian (Mark); and (with Patricia Mason) Sandy (Alan), Todd (Roslyn), Lisa (David); and children by marriage to Karen Stevens, David (Mary) and Heather. He had eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Steve was impressively smart yet had a big heart. He always saw the best in people and encouraged them to work toward their dreams. Unfailingly positive, he looked forward to future good for himself and everyone he worked with. He helped many people succeed, both as employees and partners. He spoke to large audiences about how to build their home businesses and reduce their taxes. He was good-looking and charismatic. This, with his undeniable intelligence and expertise, was key when he testified as an expert witness in trials related to electronics. He changed the world with his inventions, and when blocked by corporate greed, he fought the corporations and won. He left behind a loving family and many friends across the Marble Falls area, as well as in California and all around the world.