Barbara and Rodney Stephens Collection

Inclusive Dates
circa 1946 – 1972
Abstract
Collection of thirty-six 16mm and 8mm home movies shot in Chicago and on vacations throughout the US. The films appear to have been shot by Shelly (Nichols) Vidmar and John Vidmar, Jr.
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Collection Items

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YPA vs. Jim Crow at Highland Park Swimming Pool, Pittsburgh, PA. 1949 - Cokeburg - Dance Group
Film
YPA vs. Jim Crow at Highland Park Swimming Pool, Pittsburgh, PA. 1949 - Cokeburg - Dance Group
1949
1953-55 circa: Chicago
Film
1953-55 circa: Chicago
1955
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Collection Identifier
C.2019-01
Extent of Collection
36 reels of 16mm and 8mm film.
Language Of Materials
English
Custodial History
Rodney Stephens brought the films to Northeast Historic Film in Bucksport, Maine for digitization and left them there after digitizing two reels. Because some of the films were shot in Chicago, NHF's Technical Services Manager Joe Gardner was in touch with CFA in August 2018 about the collection, and the films eventually arrived at CFA in December 2018. Stephens never responded to inquiries regarding setting up a legal agreement, so one was created with Northeast Historic Film to account for chain of custody.
Creators
Vidmar, Shelly (was created by)
Shelly Nichols was born in 1921, the daughter of Shelby Nichols, an opera singer who sang with the National Negro Opera Company and a founding member of the National Association of Negro Musicians. She earned a Fine Arts degree. Shelly had three children with her first husband, Boysie Stephens—Shirley, Rodney, and Gerald (G.B.)—who she raised in the Robert Brooks Homes on the Near West Side of Chicago. In the 1950s, she married John Vidmar, Jr., to whom she was married until her passing in 1998.
Vidmar, John Jr. (was created by)
John Vidmar, Jr. was born in West Allis, Wisconsin on February 15, 1922 to John and Mary Vidmar. He worked in the newspaper publishing business most of his life, and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He married Shelly Nichols Stephens in the 1950s and was step-father to Rodney, Shirley and G.B. Stephens. He was a resident of York Center Community Cooperative in Lombard, IL, from 1957 until his death in 2010. He spent his life fighting for political and social justice for workers.