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STEPHEN ELLIS

Born March 30, 1932 ---New York City

Stephen Ellis was the younger son of noted NY attorney, Emil K. Ellis and Thelma Ellis. His father, Emil K. Ellis, was reputed to be New York's finest trial lawyer during the 1930s through the 1950s. He represented such clients as Rita Hayworth, Greta Garbo, Vice President Albin Barkley, Max Jacobson ("Dr. Feelgood"), Walter Winchell, the Judge Crator estate, etc.

Stephen attended Public Schools #9 and #6 in New York City. He and his brother, Gilbert I. Ellis would winter in Miami Beach, Florida with their mother. In Miami Beach, they both attended Ida M. Fisher Jr. High. When he reached high school, Stephen transferred to Dwight Preparatory School in New York. Upon graduation, Stephen attended Tulane University and later transferred to Long Island University where he obtained a B.A. degree and an M.A. degree in mathematics. He worked his way through college giving weekend performances at multiple hotels in the Catskill Mountains as a magician and sometimes as a hypnotist. He obtained a J.D. degree from Blackstone Law School.

In 1952, during the Korean War, Stephen was drafted into the United Sates Army. He served at the Army Chemical Center in Edgewood, Maryland, on civilian component duty in Columbia, South Carolina and later at Fort Bragg, North Carolina where he was sent to "Spy School". This was the period of time when the Office of Secret Service ("OSS")from WWII had been terminated and was prior to the start of the CIA. Stephen was given orders to report to General Hull's Psychological Warfare group in Tokyo.

His troopship, however was re-routed to Pusan, Korea, where he was made a part of the 38th Infantry Division. After brief combat, Ellis was awarded a battlefield commission and sent to his original assignment in Tokyo.

Upon separation from service with an Honorable Discharge, Stephen appeared on a popular TV show called "What's My Line". He was offered two Hollywood screen tests as a result and moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, at which he failed miserably.

In July 1957 he married Sandra Stewart and in 1959 they had a son, Craig Steven Ellis. Ellis became a teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) He taught math and science at San Fernando Jr. High, Portola Jr. High, Monroe High, Birmingham High and Beverly Hills High.

Needing to supplemet his income, Ellis began selling life insurance at night for Pacific Mutual Life. Shortly threafter he was recruited as an agency Manager for Home Life of NY, as a loan correspondent for Southwestern Life and for the Triare Foundation. He additionaly became licensed in Calfornia as a Real Estate Broker and a General Contractor.

Using his burgeoning knowledge of real estate and finance, Ellis became partners with Kent Fish of Orange Cove Orchards. With Kent Fish, Ellis built and became one of the owners of the Dream Inn Hotel in Santa Cruz, California, he became one of the owners of the San Francisco Airpoter Inn and the Marc Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco. Ellis also became the owner of 80 Acres of naval oranges in Orange Cove, CA. In 1974, all of his assets came crashing down due to some economic problems of his partner, Kent Fish.

In 1974, Ellis started Los Angeles Helicopter Airlines, a scheduled FAA and PUC airline traveling from Los Angeles International Airport to Burbank Airport to City of Commerce and Anaheim. Ellis sold the airline in 1977 but he had restored his financial substance.

In 1979, Sandra Stewart and Ellis were divorced. Ellis put together a business of buying other businesses in financial straits, reorganizing them, refinancing them and selling them for a profit.

In 1979, Ellis had a ghostly experience and became an avid researcher of the paranormal.

In 1985, Ellis met and married Judith Fontaine. Fontaine was the owner and operator of the West Coast's largest modeling agency. Fontaine was a widow with two eleven-year-old twin daughters, Debbie and Frieda Fontaine. Ellis became their step-father. While married to Fontaine Ellis started buying and building homes in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles.

In 1997, Ellis was appointed by the State Controller's office and the Superior Court of Los Angeles as a Probate Referee for a four year term of office. Ellis has since been reappointed for three subsequent four-year terms of office.

In 2011, Ellis wrote the book, "Explaining the Unexplained" which was an analysis of paranormal phenomena using a scentific and analytic approach. Many readers termed Ellis the "Paranormal Scientist".