Most wildlife enthusiasts have a special interest, and for Karl Stephan that special interest was beetles. A self-taught entomologist, Stephan's "unceasing enthusiasm for natural history interests" led to his reputation as an international authority on several families of beetles.
German-born, Stephan began collecting animals before age 10. His focus shifted to insects as World War II drew to a close and his family moved to a smaller house with limited resources. When the family moved to Canada in 1952, his collection of beetles traveled with him. Throughout his life, Stephan manufactured aircraft body parts in Canada, was a tool and die maker in Arizona, and an operator for the Latimer County, Okla. Rural Water District. Regardless of his occupation, beetle collecting remained his hobby. He is fondly remembered for always having a vial of alcohol in his shirt pocket to preserve insects.
Stephan's legacy has been preserved in many institutions, including Eastern Oklahoma State College, the Texas A&M Insect Collection and the Florida State Collection of Arthropods. While living in Red Oak, Okla., Stephan collected, processed, and donated 10,000 to 20,000 insects a year for the latter. Because of his work, Latimer County has been regarded as "one of the most thoroughly documented pieces of real estate in the U.S. for beetle diversity." Twenty-two species of beetles have been named in his honor. Stephan passed away in 2005.