The Stephens Project

Established in memory of Stephen H. Snell and Stephen E. Patrick, the Stephens Project seeks to document the stories of the lives of William & Mary LGBTQ+ alumni, faculty, staff, and students. It is a long range (multi-year) oral history project coordinated by William & Mary Libraries, which will record the personal experiences of individuals while concentrating on their years at or associated with William & Mary. The project will focus on memories related to William & Mary and their impact on later life. This includes descriptions of queer life and community during their time at William & Mary, coming out stories, the impact of being queer at William & Mary, experiences related to the Crim Dell Association (formerly William & Mary GALA, Inc.) as well as student, faculty and staff groups, and other memories.

The Stephens left a legacy of documenting the history and the community that is the Crim Dell Association and the College of William & Mary. Consequently, many generations of students, alumni, faculty, staff, and scholars may learn from, and be enriched by, the experiences of others. The Stephens Project is that legacy which ties the past with the present in order to transform the future.

Interested in participating?  Contact us to volunteer! A number of people have already been interviewed and we hope to interview many more. These interviews can be either in person or virtual, and we will discuss options for interview formats and restrictions with each narrator.

We also actively collect material for the archives. Many of the archives in Special Collections can be attributed the generosity of many people who have given personal or family papers, organizational papers, treasured books, and other items over the years.  We continue to rely primarily on donations, both monetary and material, to build our collections. Whenever possible, gift titles are previewed for suitability before being accepted. If you are interested in donating materials, you can contact spcoll@wm.edu. We will contact you to discuss the interview or potential donation of material further.

Interested in supporting the project? It was Stephen Snell’s wish to establish the William & Mary GALA Oral History Project in conjunction with Swem Library at his beloved College of William & Mary. Contributions may be made to the W&M GALA Oral History Project (Allocation #3168).