PLATO Weekly Update

July 29, 2025

REMINDER! Word of mouth is PLATO's best advertising so please help spread the word by forwarding this email to family and friends who can visit the JOIN PLATO webpage to learn about the benefits and how to join. And, members can learn more about how to spread the word here.

CURRICULUM

SUMMER COURSES
NEXT MONTH! Fixed Income Portfolios Including How to Buy Inflation Protected Securities will meet virtually for three Thursdays in August from 12:30-2:00pm starting August 14.

Also, Military History of the Civil War continues to allow drop-in participation; the course meets at Oakwood University Woods Campus on Wednesdays from 10:00am-12:00pm through August 13. Contact the course coordinator for room details.

FALL COURSES

Tuesday, August 19: The Fall Course Schedule will be posted on the Courses webpage and registration begins the same day. 

The Week of September 15: Most Fall Courses will begin.

A PLATO PILOT PROGRAM
To provide PLATO members opportunities to gather informally to explore topics or activities of interest at any time throughout the year

NEW! Attend a PLATO discussion group to share perspectives on current immigration and deportation issues on August 8, 2025, from 10:00am-12:00pm at Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ located at 1501 Gilbert Road, Madison. Baxter Richardson will facilitate this opportunity for 12-15 PLATO members. Click here to RSVP by Wednesday, August 6.

STAY TUNED... to learn how to host an informal gathering on a topic you are curious about or an activity you enjoy – because odds are that it will be of interest to other PLATO members too!

SPECIAL EVENTS

THIS WEEK! First Friday Breakfast – August 1, 9:00-11:00am at Yola's Café on Commerce Drive. Learn more and RSVP here.

NEXT WEEK! Second Friday Breakfast – August 8, 10:00am-12:00pm at the Memorial Union Terrace. Learn more and RSVP here.

NEW! Mark your calendar for Pre-Civil War Quilts: Secret Codes to Freedom on the Underground Railroad on Tuesday, September 9 from 1:30-3pm at Oakwood Village University Woods Arts and Education Center. In her lecture, Connie Martin tells the history of the Underground Railroad and how quilt codes and their meanings were used to communicate. Registration is not required, parking is free, and guests are welcome. Learn more here.

SAVE THE DATES – review this flyer for lecture dates through November 2025!

Learn about timely topics with recorded PLATO Lectures offered by PLATO members and local, national, and international special guest presenters.

BIKE RIDES
Explore Madison's neighborhoods with self-guided bicycling routes.

FIELD & THEATER TRIPS
REMINDER! The Verona Pick-Up & Drop-Off location has changed. If you are going on the Where Nature and Architecture Converge field trip on August 25, please note that the new location is at the Verona Park and Ride Lot which is located off Exit 81 on south bound US Highway 151 or Exit 79 north bound on US Highway 151 and Old PB. Click here for a printable map. Please contact Sandi Hasse with any questions you may have at sandi.haase@wisc.edu.

THE AGORA
The Agora, PLATO’s biennial literary and arts journal, 
celebrates members’ creativity and diversity of thought.

REMINDER! Work is underway to produce The Agora, Volume 9, which PLATO members can look forward to reading this fall in hard copy and/or online. Members will be sent a hard copy in the mail unless they have opted-out of receiving it, with one copy sent per member household. Please be sure your address is up to date in your PLATO member profile so that your copy is sure to reach you.

Members who would prefer to read The Agora, Volume 9 online can opt-out of receiving a hard copy by mail by sending an email to info@platomadison.org by Friday, August 15, 2025.

View highlights from the past season on the The Agora Features webpage.

SOCIAL JUSTICE EVENTS & READINGS
Select from a range of topics and formats for your viewing or listening pleasure, curated by PLATO's Diversity Awareness Committee. 

DID YOU KNOW? for July 29 – August 11, 2025

As a Black female technology innovator who started her career in the early days of the internet, one of Lisa Gelobter’s most notable jobs was as an engineer for the earliest interactive multimedia platform, Shockwave. Gelobter helped develop the software behind the very first online videos.

Visit the Social Justice page to learn more about Lisa Gelobter and past DID YOU KNOW? Features.

DID YOU KNOW? – spotlighting notable historic events and contributions made by non-mainstream individuals and organizations you might not have learned or read about. Suggestions for inclusions are welcome (send to Kathy at: ksmichaelis@gmail.com).