Stevens, Charles L. (Charles Lewellen), 1873-1946

A musician, bandleader and vaudeville performer, Mr. Stevens served as Director of the Beaumont Concert Band and as Secretary-Treasurer of the San Antonio Musicians' society. Other members of his family sometimes performed with him. Mr. Stevens was also a long time employee of the San Antonio Police Department.

Charles Lewellen Stevens was born in 1873 in Cuba, New York. He was a musician, bandleader and vaudeville performer, and played with a number of musical groups including the San Antonio Band and the Beaumont Concert Band (he was also director). In addition, he served as Secretary-Treasurer of the San Antonio Musicians' Society, Local 23 of the American Federation of Musicians. From 1918 to 1943, Stevens worked for the San Antonio Police Department. He died in San Antonio in September 1946.

Stevens was married twice. His first wife, the former Minna Antoinette Erbe, performed in vaudeville shows with him. Minna Stevens was also an authority on home building, decoration and furnishing. Before her death in 1953, she worked as a secretary for H.C. Thorman, the developer of Olmos Park Terrace and President of both the San Antonio Real Estate Board and the San Antonio Home Builders' Association. Charles and Minna Stevens had two children before they divorced in 1922. Mr. Stevens' second wife's name was Katherina (Katie).

Other members of the Stevens family also played music. Mr. Stevens' sister Lucy Stevens Silby was an accomplished pianist. Stevens' son, Barton, and daughter, Dorothy, both performed on stage. However, the activities of the Stevens family in San Antonio went beyond music and show business. Stevens' daughter, Dorothy Stevens Chamberlain, pursued a career at the Brooks Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, where she was singled out for superior performance.