The Madison Astronomical Society has continuously operated as a club for over 90 years. But, like many organizations, MAS has traditionally paid only passing attention to documenting its own history.

Over the years founders have died, long time members have moved away or moved on, documents have been collected and then lost, and memories have faded.

Beginning in the spring of 2020, with the onset of the COVID pandemic, MAS finally took on the task of learning and telling its own story. During that period, a dedicated group sought out and interviewed dozens of MAS’s longest-serving members and ex-members, and those in the best position to speak to its history. We collected documents from present and past members, conducted a search of our own clubhouse, contacted children and grandchildren of late members, conducted extensive online searches of newspaper and university archives, and spent endless hours organizing and collating the data. The links below are the results of that effort. While it’s not a quick read, we think you’ll appreciate the richness of the group’s history and the personalities that have made the story worth telling in detail.