{"id":2677,"date":"2021-12-09T19:20:49","date_gmt":"2021-12-09T19:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/humanitieslab.goucher.edu\/stimson-project\/?page_id=2677"},"modified":"2022-11-21T16:09:08","modified_gmt":"2022-11-21T16:09:08","slug":"comments-on-stimson-over-the-years","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/humanitieslab.goucher.edu\/stimson-project\/comments-on-stimson-over-the-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Memories"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Stimson meant something different to every Goucher student who passed through its halls. Common to all students throughout the decades, however, was an understanding of Stimson’s importance as a social center to the college, and its unique atmosphere. To better speak to Stimson’s legacy, the website editors have gathered a compilation of images and archival contents from the Goucher Digital Library as well as reminiscences and photographs from alums gathered through our 2022 Stimson Survey. Unless otherwise noted, all student quotations are taken from the 2022 Stimson Survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1960s<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 1962 Donnybrook Fair <\/em>yearbook featured some of the architect’s sketches for Stimson and reported on the excitement surrounding the plans for the new residence hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Blueprint:
Blueprint: Wing of Residence Hall No. 4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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An architectural sketch of West Elevation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

As students moved into the new dorm beginning in 1962, there was an atmosphere of excitement because of the “modern” aesthetic of Stimson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wagner House, 1964 Donnybrook Fair Yearbook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Connor House, 1964 Donnybrook Fair Yearbook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Students sitting on wall outside of Stimson<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Class of 1926, at dinne<\/em>r in Stimson Hall dining room<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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“I also particularly remember the typing room. My freshman year, my time management skill was not yet well-developed… I would finish writing my paper at 11 pm, pop into the typing room with everyone else, and then be finished before them. I remember helping my roommate… finish typing her paper after I’d finished mine.”<\/p>\nAdele (Steiner) Golden, ’70<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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“[One of my favorite meals at Stimson were the] sit-down dinners at tables for 8 Monday-Friday”<\/p>\nMadelynne Billings Johnson, ’68<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u201c[A favorite memory of mine from the Stimson dining hall was] working in the dish room under a poster of Marlon Brando plus motorcycle from The Wild One. Also, in the dish room, saving up melon rinds and then throwing them in Garbage Grinder, one at a time from a distance, at the end of a shift.  Also, in the dish room, playing catch with the jello salads (they were super hard and quite rubbery).\u201d<\/p>\nCris Cheney, \u201868<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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“My last year, I dared to go to breakfast in my pajamas and robe. The breezeway was always cold, so we had to run through it in the winter to go to the dining hall.” Harriet Hemmerich Woods, ’70<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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“I do remember the shared pay telephone at the end of the hall. We all rejoiced when someone received a long-awaited phone call from a special guy.” Adele (Steiner) Golden, ’70<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

At this point in time, there were many class reunions taking place at Dorothy Stimson Hall. All were very positive towards the newly built Hall. One alum who stayed in Stimson for their class reunion of 1963 wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cTwo eager young boys hustled back and forth, carrying suitcases and guiding us to our rooms in Hester Corner Wagner House. Exclamations of delight with the beauty and comfort of this lovely building could be heard everywhere. The Commons Room, done in shades of purple and lavender (sounds ghastly, but was really quite effective) was a natural gathering place. Here we could check on who had arrived, discuss the ever-present problem of what to wear, and be served tea by Gillian Mock Brent \u201851\u2014a thoughtful touch which did much to revive the travel-weary.\u201d[1]<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

1970s <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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“Being able to be on the front desk as the receptionist on evening and weekend shifts. Got to know a lot of people.. And also as a line checker in the dining hall – knew all of the names of people that came thru!”<\/p>\nBarbara Zetlin Shepard, ’72<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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“[One tradition at Stimson was] fairy week where you were assigned to an upper class woman and there was a planned activity each day as a way for Freshmen to get to know others in the house.”<\/p>\nCharity Johnson, ’76<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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“Watching the Billie Jeanne King\/ Bobby Riggs tennis match with our house parents [is one memory I have from Stimson]”<\/p>\nAnne Quaile, ’76<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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“An odd memory…: The year of the Swine Flu, we all got vaccinated at the health center. Somehow, word spread that we should lie down in the hallways and moan dramatically afterwards… I can still see and hear the resulting demonstration!” “We took full advantage of our carpeted hallways. I think we were the only dorm that had them. Someone would plug in a popcorn maker, and as the aroma spread down the hall, we would pop out from our rooms in pjs or study clothes to share popcorn and other snacks.” <\/p>\nAmy Berkley Mantell, ’76<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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“I had a date with Richard Hoffberger. Being from Colorado, I was not familiar with that name. We dated in 1978 and broke up. On one of our dates, he came to take me to the Preakness. There was an elaborate, elegant, party at his parent’s home that we attended first. The photo of that day, is grainy but the memories of that day will always be remembered with unbridled joy! We reconnected many years later. One day, when we were going to the Preakness, we went to Stimson Hall first to try to recreate that similar photo. On December 19th, 2021, we were married.”<\/p>\nCynthia Lackner, ’79<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Cynthia Lackner and Richard Hoffberger in front of Stimson, 1978 (photo courtesy of Cynthia Lackner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Cynthia and Richard returning to Stimson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Connor House<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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1980s<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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“I was in the courtyard one night with my best bud and roommate right after it snowed. Everything sparkled and it felt like nature had performed magic. One thing I loved about Stimson was that my room junior and senior year had views of woodlands.”<\/p>\nRobin Yasinow, ’89<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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“I was a bit of a nerd and would meet my nerdy friends for breakfast every week day at ’10 of 8′.”<\/p>\nJulie Squire, ’87<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Wagner residents, 1989<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Quote from a student about Wagner House, 1986 Donnybrook Fair Yearbook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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“Every house had its own personality.”<\/p>\nRobin Yasinow, ’89<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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“When you were in the shower and someone was about to flush the toilet, the flusher needed to yell FLUSHING! or the person in the shower would be scalded.”<\/p>\nDawn Bateman, ’83<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Lewis House, 1989 Donnybrook Fair Yearbook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Lewis House, 1989 Donnybrook Fair Yearbook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\u201c[My favorite memory from Stimson is] doing group Jane Fonda aerobics in the lounge on the first floor.\u201d<\/p>\nClaudia Krasnoff, \u201886<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201c[A favorite Stimson memory of mine are] the telephones.  When you received a phone call, the house telephone was in a little booth near the bathroom. The receptionist would ring the floor, whoever was nearby would answer it, typically the poor students who lived right next door to it. If no one nearby answered, the phone would ring and ring and ring until one of us couldn’t stand it anymore.  When someone finally picked it up, they would scream down the hall, “Dawn (or other name), phone!”  You always knew when someone had a phone call!\u201d<\/p>\nDawn Bateman, \u201883<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Photos courtesy of Lynn Satterfield, ’83, Director of Alumnae\/i Affairs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1990s<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Alums and yearbooks from the 1990s remark on the gatherings that were often hosted in Stimson, as well as the closeness each house shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Conner was known as the party dorm. Shower curtains were hung in the doorways.”<\/p>\nAnonymous, ’99<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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“[A Stimson tradition was the] Sunday morning brunch . . . aka walk of shame”<\/p>\nDanielle Davis, ’92<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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“I started the second year Goucher went coed and Stimson had a couple dorms that were coed by floor, whereas some other buildings didn\u2019t. So we felt cutting edge in Stimson.” “I loved just showing up and easily finding a place to sit. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. The homemade bread was also amazing!”<\/p>\nSusan Blumberg-Kason, ’92<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhen receiving phone calls, a little bell went off in your room and you would have to run down the hall and pick up the communal phone in the stairwell at the end of the hall. Part way through my time at Goucher, they added phone jacks and I was able to pay to have a private phone in my room. It was such a luxury!\u201d<\/p>\nVashti Lozier, \u201890<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Winslow House, 1997 Donnybrook Fair Yearbook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Lewis House, 1998 Donnybrook Fair Yearbook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Lewis House, 1997 Donnybrook Fair Yearbook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Conner House, 1994 Donnybrook Fair Yearbook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

2000s and 2010s<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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“I was at Goucher during 9\/11. I remember eating dinner outside with my friends not knowing what was going to happen next.”<\/p>\nTravis Holland, ’02<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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“Sense of community, but also triples were rough. It was a right of passage that everyone went through. I’m sure a lot of people bonded over the “special” Stimson experience.”<\/p>\nJill Gesell, ’06<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Wagner House residents, 2002 Donnybrook Fair Yearbook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Conner House residents, 2001 Donnybrook Fair Yearbook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Wagner House residents, 2001 Donnybrook Fair Yearbook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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“Photo was me using the internet to learn how to tie a tie in my room at Connor.” Travis Holland, ’02<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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“Building the Sukkah in the courtyard outside the KDH and the KDH’s Sunday BBQs!” Jamie Talbot, ’05 “Lastly I remember 9\/11. I had only been on campus a few weeks, and was just starting to make friends and getting to know people. I was overwhelmed and knew I didn’t want to be alone. My 1st thought was to head to Stimson. The common areas in Stimson (where most of new friends lived), the J\/KDH [Jewish\/ Kosher Dining Hall] and Pearlstone became gathering places for people to gather and support one another.”<\/p>\nJamie Talbot, ’05<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Photo courtesy of Jamie Talbot, ’05<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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This April Fool’s edition of the Q from 2005 was the first of many to write a whole satire article about the halls where they focus on the “Stimson Smell.” <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\u201c[One Stimson tradition was] smelling like the Stimson dining hall every time you left a meal, always making jokes about how Stimson was like the outer realm of Goucher, and feeling like we were in a world of our own any time we were in Stimson\u201d<\/p>\nHannah Rose, \u201812<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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“I always enjoyed seeing and catching up with the various classmates and athletic teammates who happened to be in the dining hall at the same time. I was a particular fan of the pasta station, and one of the employees who cooked the pasta (Pat) always had a smile on his face and something comical to say.”<\/p>\nSarah Shepherd, 18<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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“Stimsgiving was a huge event! People loved the mashed potatoes. As for residential traditions I would say common room kickbacks were pretty frequent since that was where you were able to cook.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The courtyard was a nice place to eat, especially if the weather was nice or if you wanted to avoid the “stimson stench.”<\/p>\nNiav O’ Connor, ’18<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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An April Fool’s article from the Q in 2014, “Protests Against Stimson Re-Building Intensify,” pokes more fun at the residence halls for the ever-present mice and weird odors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Photo courtesy of Niav O’Connor, ’18<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, the Hall has been known to deteriorate to the extent that \u201cwhen demolishing the building was mentioned at a recent [2016] campus event, current students burst into spontaneous applause.\u201d[2]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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References and Photograph Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

[1] <\/sup>Jean Campbell Allen, \u201cAlumnae Council of Firsts,\u201d Goucher Alumnae Quarterly (V. 042, no. 1) Fall 1963<\/em>, 1963, 11, https:\/\/cdm16235.contentdm.oclc.org\/digital\/collection\/p16235coll16\/id\/11391\/rec\/6<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] <\/sup>Chris Landers, \u201cBuilding Momentum,\u201d Goucher Magazine Summer 2016<\/em>, 2016, 16, https:\/\/cdm16235.contentdm.oclc.org\/digital\/collection\/p16235coll16\/id\/23004\/rec\/9<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donnybrook Fair Yearbook 1962<\/em>, Goucher College Library, Special Collections and Archive, https:\/\/cdm16235.contentdm.oclc.org\/digital\/collection\/p16235coll5\/id\/18379\/rec\/1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donnybrook Fair 1964<\/em>, Goucher College Library, Special Collections and Archive, https:\/\/cdm16235.contentdm.oclc.org\/digital\/collection\/p16235coll5\/id\/18619\/rec\/5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Class of 1926, at dinne<\/em>r in Stimson Hall dining room.<\/em> n.d. Photograph. 1.29.079. Goucher College Archival Photograph Collection. Goucher College Library Special Collections and Archives, Towson, MD. https:\/\/cdm16235.contentdm.oclc.org\/digital\/collection\/p16235coll2\/id\/15<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students sitting on wall outside of Stimson.<\/em> Photograph. 1.38.009. Goucher College Archival Photograph Collection. Goucher College Library Special Collections and Archives, Towson, MD. https:\/\/cdm16235.contentdm.oclc.org\/digital\/collection\/p16235coll2\/id\/15.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students-Wagner house<\/em>. Photograph. 1.36.064. Goucher College Archival Photograph Collection. Goucher College Library Special Collections and Archives, Towson, MD. https:\/\/cdm16235.contentdm.oclc.org\/digital\/collection\/p16235coll2\/id\/15.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donnybrook Fair 19<\/em>86<\/em>, Goucher College Library, Special Collections and Archive, https:\/\/cdm16235.contentdm.oclc.org\/digital\/collection\/p16235coll5\/id\/22543\/rec\/6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donnybrook Fair 1989<\/em>, Goucher College Library, Special Collections and Archive, https:\/\/cdm16235.contentdm.oclc.org\/digital\/collection\/p16235coll5\/id\/23249\/rec\/4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donnybrook Fair 1997,<\/em> Goucher College Library, Special Collections and Archive, https:\/\/cdm16235.contentdm.oclc.org\/digital\/collection\/p16235coll5\/id\/24816\/rec\/1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donnybrook Fair 1998<\/em>, Goucher College Library, Special Collections and Archive, https:\/\/cdm16235.contentdm.oclc.org\/digital\/collection\/p16235coll5\/id\/25193\/rec\/4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donnybrook Fair 2001, Goucher College Library, Special Collections and Archive, https:\/\/cdm16235.contentdm.oclc.org\/digital\/collection\/p16235coll5\/id\/25806\/rec\/8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katz, Bree. 2005. “CIA Invesitages Deadly Stimson Smell” https:\/\/cdm16235.contentdm.oclc.org\/digital\/collection\/p16235coll19\/id\/14859\/rec\/1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kanter, Shaina. 2014. “Protests Against Stimson Re-Building Intensify” https:\/\/cdm16235.contentdm.oclc.org\/digital\/collection\/p16235coll19\/id\/16444\/rec\/2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stimson meant something different to every Goucher student who passed through its halls. Common to all students throughout the decades, however, was an understanding of Stimson’s importance as a social center to the college, and its unique atmosphere. To better speak to Stimson’s legacy, the website editors have gathered a compilation of images and archival […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"wp-custom-template-page-single-column","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2677","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanitieslab.goucher.edu\/stimson-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanitieslab.goucher.edu\/stimson-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanitieslab.goucher.edu\/stimson-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanitieslab.goucher.edu\/stimson-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanitieslab.goucher.edu\/stimson-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2677"}],"version-history":[{"count":153,"href":"https:\/\/humanitieslab.goucher.edu\/stimson-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2677\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3635,"href":"https:\/\/humanitieslab.goucher.edu\/stimson-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2677\/revisions\/3635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanitieslab.goucher.edu\/stimson-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}