Campaign will finance scholarships honoring former Madison East principal Milt McPike

Pat Schneider:

The late long-time principal of Madison East High School touched the lives of many students, some of whom say his influence on them was transformational.

So it’s not surprising that the East High class of 1995, looking to do something big to mark its 20th reunion, got to thinking about a scholarship honoring McPike.

Unexpected, perhaps, is how the idea caught fire, through word of mouth and social media.

Organizer Craig Karlen said that interest in mounting a campaign for the scholarship quickly spread from members of his class, to East High alumni more broadly and into the community.

That has allowed the effort to tap the skills of volunteers in media, fundraising and other fields to get the campaign rolling, he said.