Guest post by Dan Mansoor, Madison West Class of 1975

In the COVID-19 era, people are reaching out to family, friends, and neighbors. The Madison West Class of '75 held a brief (and their first-ever) Zoom™ video call on May 6 at 7 PM. Moderated by Dan Mansoor (from Cleveland), current principal Dr. Karen Boran was invited to give a brief update on the school.

Because of modest numbers – about 22 floated in and out during the hour call – everyone had the opportunity to share stories, ask questions, and provide updates. Alumni from the Class of '61 and Class of '80 crashed the party, the latter a critical care physician in New York City who gave us a powerful first-person account from the front lines of the COVID-19 fight. Close battle played out for the "log on" from the farthest distance. Michael Shapiro "voiced in" from the Province of Córdoba, Argentina, and Julie Beatty looked radiant in pajamas from Melbourne, Australia (10 AM). We had two alumni from Montana, two from California, two from Chicago and one from Verona! We also heard from Dr. Boran about the formation of the new Alumni & Friends of West and the immediate philanthropic needs of current students and their families during the coronavirus crisis.

We all looked a lot older than we did in 1975, but mostly due to slow bandwidth! The Class's 45th Reunion this summer is more and more in doubt. But count on another video call and a bigger party in 2021.