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Celebrating 150 Years  |  Alumni Memories

Liz Thomson '96
Stentor Photo Editor (1993-1995); Photographer (1996)
 
Working in the 1990s, I feel we were on the cusp of the digital age. The office definitely had  the latest software and scanner that we needed, but compared to now, I'm sure it seems old. Also, one thing was we were still printing Stentor on recycled white paper and using the College's Print Shop. It was a big deal when the paper switched to newsprint and printing off-campus. I do remember every year at General Assembly meetings advocating for a digital camera, but we were always denied. At that time, they were so incredibly expensive. Another hot topic was getting paid for our work. We advocated that we weren't just like "any other' student organization. We were pre-professional journalists with weekly deadlines to meet and a high quality publication to produce. Even though other ACM schools had a compensation system, I don't think we ever got it. Later in the 90s, people knew what we did, when for a couple of years there wasn't a Stentor or a Forester yearbook being published.
 
My most vivid memory of working as photo editor for the Stentor was the dark, damp, and sometimes scary basement of Hixon Hall, where the darkroom was located. (Remember, this was way before the digital age.) While the writers and editors worked in Commons, I was alone with smelly chemicals, sounds from Garrick Players above me, and an alluring orange tinted light. Starting at about 10 p.m. on Sundays and working into early Monday morning, the darkroom was my weekly domain. But I loved seeing the prints develop in the trays, and I don't think the writers could experience the same process. Often during the winter months, I would be layered from head to toe, only to shed down to a bikini top and shorts. (Shout outs to my mentor Dede Gay as former photo editor.)

Another photo memory would be when Phipes got in big trouble and I was waiting (along with a writer) in the hallway of Young Hall to try and get a picture. The door opened and two to three guys came out and not in a very good mood. I was able to snap about three shots until I found myself sandwiched in between two of the guys. As any good photographer, I protected my camera before myself. In the end, the photo was front page.
 
The other memory is the weekly Full Moon runs at midnight. We'd pile into people's cars, squat a booth, and take a little time out from the writing, editing, and photo printing. We all had our "thing" that we ordered, but I can still picture an activity that involved milkshakes and whip cream. (You know what I'm talking about.) This would be a time to hang out and talk about the current issue. Later, I think the Full Moon runs stopped, but were replaced with disco ball dancing in the office.