​Class of 1997:
 
Kelda Roys is an attorney, an entrepreneur, a real estate broker, and a former Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly (2009-2013). After she graduated from East High, she attended New York University where she designed her own major in politics, drama, and cultural studies, and received a B.A. degree in 2000.  She received a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School, focusing on civil rights and international law, and was a participant in the Wisconsin Innocence Project. During and after college, Roys worked full time as a real estate agent at The Marketing Directors, Inc., and more recently started a venture-backed real estate tech company, called OpenHomes.  During law school, she worked at several international law firms, including Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and a firm in Istanbul, Turkey. After law school, she served for four years as the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, and has served on the board of many community organizations, including Wisconsin Citizen Action, Wisconsin Women's Council, ACLU of Wisconsin, Madison Repertory Theater, Wisconsin Public Interest Law Foundation, and the State Bar of Wisconsin's Legal Services Committee.

​Class of 1952:
Peter Jones Barrett (February 20, 1935 – December 17, 2000) won Olympic medals for sailing in 1964 and 1968. He is the Sailing Hall of Fame (2012).  Despite his thick glasses, and lack of an athletic build, Barrett played quarterback at East High school. He was known for his strength and determination. He was a brilliant student (and son of East High Assistant Principal Barrett), who went on to teach mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin, and earned several degrees (including a law degree) on the side. As a Finn sailor, he was known for his willingness to share his go-fast secrets with his nearest competitors, even during the Olympic trials.  In the 1964 Olympics in Japan, Peter Barrett started the final Finn race with a gold medal virtually assured. After the start, he took the stern of a starboard tack boat. Hiking flat out, he thought he felt a little “tick” as the boats passed, indicating his shoulder might have touched the other boat’s rudder. The other skipper didn’t react. But the knowledge that he might have committed a foul was enough to make Barrett drop out.  Says Peter Harken, of Harken, Inc., “He was the greatest sailing sportsman ever.”
 

Class of 1988:

Tari (Attoe) Kelly has been living in NYC for over 16 years, performing on Broadway in such shows as Show Boat, The Boy From Oz with Hugh Jackman, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Anything Goes with Sutton Foster, and is currently in the smash hit musical Something Rotten!  She toured the country in the First National Tour of Little Shop of Horrors starring as Audrey opposite Anthony Rapp as Seymour.  In addition to those credits she has performed in numerous regional theatres including over 10 shows at the Fireside in Fort Atkinson where some of her favorite roles include Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress, Amnesia in Nunsense, and Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof.  While attending East High Tari was very involved in Forensics (Play Acting), various choirs, and the school plays and musicals.  She is proud to be a Purgolder.

Class of 1977:
Bradley Whitford is an American film and television actor. After he graduated from East High School, he majored in English and Theater at Wesleyan University (B.A. 1981) and went on to the Juilliard School. He has played White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on the NBC television drama The West Wing, Danny Tripp on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Dan Stark in the Fox police buddy-comedy The Good Guys, Timothy Carter, a character who was believed to be Red John in the CBS series The Mentalist, and antagonist Eric Gordon in the film Billy Madison, and many other roles. Whitford was nominated for three consecutive Emmy Awards from 2001 to 2003 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role on The West Wing, winning the award in 2001. This role has also garnered him three consecutive Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. He received a second Emmy Award in 2015 for his role in Transparent and two Oscar nominations in 2018, for his roles in The Post and Get Out. He is a strong supporter of liberal politics in Wisconsin and California.

Class of 1987:
Melissa Sargent was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in In November 2012, winning 83% of
the vote to represent the 48th Assembly District (the north and east sides of Madison and the Village
of Maple Bluff). She was elected by the incoming Democratic freshman as co-chair of the Freshman
Democratic Caucus, and has many other awards for her public service accomplishments. She has
been appointed to serve on 6 legislative committees including: Energy and Utilities, Aging and Long
Term Care, Mental Health Reform, Financial Institutions, Small Business Development, Joint
Legislative Audit Committee. ​Melissa Sargent was born and raised in Madison and is a proud
graduate of East High School and UW-Madison.  She owns and manages OPA Color, LLC, a small business dedicated to high quality art reproduction utilizing Giclee printing. (www.opacolor.com).  She has four sons, all attending Madison Public Schools, and has still been a tireless advocate for environmental and education issues in our region.