diff --git a/docs/api/wuttaweb/index.rst b/docs/api/wuttaweb/index.rst
index 1b1a61f..93ba626 100644
--- a/docs/api/wuttaweb/index.rst
+++ b/docs/api/wuttaweb/index.rst
@@ -26,4 +26,5 @@
    views.common
    views.essential
    views.master
+   views.people
    views.settings
diff --git a/docs/api/wuttaweb/views.people.rst b/docs/api/wuttaweb/views.people.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..89c6883
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/api/wuttaweb/views.people.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+
+``wuttaweb.views.people``
+===========================
+
+.. automodule:: wuttaweb.views.people
+   :members:
diff --git a/src/wuttaweb/forms/base.py b/src/wuttaweb/forms/base.py
index b7ca13c..1ecff26 100644
--- a/src/wuttaweb/forms/base.py
+++ b/src/wuttaweb/forms/base.py
@@ -815,8 +815,9 @@ class Form:
         if self.readonly_fields:
             schema = self.get_schema()
             for field in self.readonly_fields:
-                del schema[field]
-                dform.children.remove(dform[field])
+                if field in schema:
+                    del schema[field]
+                    dform.children.remove(dform[field])
 
         # let deform do real validation
         controls = get_form_data(self.request).items()
diff --git a/src/wuttaweb/menus.py b/src/wuttaweb/menus.py
index 92e8162..b07c0e4 100644
--- a/src/wuttaweb/menus.py
+++ b/src/wuttaweb/menus.py
@@ -97,11 +97,41 @@ class MenuHandler(GenericHandler):
         is expected for most apps to override it.
 
         The return value should be a list of dicts as described above.
+
+        The default logic returns a list of menus obtained from
+        calling these methods:
+
+        * :meth:`make_people_menu()`
+        * :meth:`make_admin_menu()`
         """
         return [
+            self.make_people_menu(request),
             self.make_admin_menu(request),
         ]
 
+    def make_people_menu(self, request, **kwargs):
+        """
+        Generate a typical People menu.
+
+        This method provides a semi-sane menu set by default, but it
+        is expected for most apps to override it.
+
+        The return value for this method should be a *single* dict,
+        which will ultimately be one element of the final list of
+        dicts as described in :class:`MenuHandler`.
+        """
+        return {
+            'title': "People",
+            'type': 'menu',
+            'items': [
+                {
+                    'title': "All People",
+                    'route': 'people',
+                    'perm': 'people.list',
+                },
+            ],
+        }
+
     def make_admin_menu(self, request, **kwargs):
         """
         Generate a typical Admin menu.
@@ -111,7 +141,7 @@ class MenuHandler(GenericHandler):
 
         The return value for this method should be a *single* dict,
         which will ultimately be one element of the final list of
-        dicts as described above.
+        dicts as described in :class:`MenuHandler`.
         """
         return {
             'title': "Admin",
diff --git a/src/wuttaweb/views/essential.py b/src/wuttaweb/views/essential.py
index 0d4ec35..f004201 100644
--- a/src/wuttaweb/views/essential.py
+++ b/src/wuttaweb/views/essential.py
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ That will in turn include the following modules:
 
 * :mod:`wuttaweb.views.auth`
 * :mod:`wuttaweb.views.common`
+* :mod:`wuttaweb.views.settings`
+* :mod:`wuttaweb.views.people`
 """
 
 
@@ -40,6 +42,7 @@ def defaults(config, **kwargs):
     config.include(mod('wuttaweb.views.auth'))
     config.include(mod('wuttaweb.views.common'))
     config.include(mod('wuttaweb.views.settings'))
+    config.include(mod('wuttaweb.views.people'))
 
 
 def includeme(config):
diff --git a/src/wuttaweb/views/master.py b/src/wuttaweb/views/master.py
index 8fa667f..a735cdd 100644
--- a/src/wuttaweb/views/master.py
+++ b/src/wuttaweb/views/master.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ from sqlalchemy import orm
 from pyramid.renderers import render_to_response
 
 from wuttaweb.views import View
-from wuttaweb.util import get_form_data
+from wuttaweb.util import get_form_data, get_model_fields
 from wuttaweb.db import Session
 
 
@@ -292,6 +292,7 @@ class MasterView(View):
 
         if form.validate():
             obj = self.create_save_form(form)
+            Session.flush()
             return self.redirect(self.get_action_url('view', obj))
 
         context = {
@@ -910,7 +911,8 @@ class MasterView(View):
             kwargs['columns'] = self.get_grid_columns()
 
         if 'data' not in kwargs:
-            kwargs['data'] = self.get_grid_data(session=session)
+            kwargs['data'] = self.get_grid_data(columns=kwargs['columns'],
+                                                session=session)
 
         if 'actions' not in kwargs:
             actions = []
@@ -961,7 +963,7 @@ class MasterView(View):
         if hasattr(self, 'grid_columns'):
             return self.grid_columns
 
-    def get_grid_data(self, session=None):
+    def get_grid_data(self, columns=None, session=None):
         """
         Returns the grid data for the :meth:`index()` view.
 
@@ -974,8 +976,27 @@ class MasterView(View):
         empty list.  Subclass should override as needed.
         """
         query = self.get_query(session=session)
-        if query is not None:
-            return query.all()
+        if query:
+            data = query.all()
+
+            # determine which columns are relevant for data set
+            if not columns:
+                columns = self.get_grid_columns()
+                if not columns:
+                    model_class = self.get_model_class()
+                    if model_class:
+                        columns = get_model_fields(self.config, model_class)
+                    if not columns:
+                        raise ValueError("cannot determine columns for the grid")
+            columns = set(columns)
+            columns.update(self.get_model_key())
+
+            # prune data fields for which no column is defined
+            for i, record in enumerate(data):
+                data[i]= dict([(key, record[key])
+                               for key in columns])
+
+            return data
 
         return []
 
@@ -1131,7 +1152,6 @@ class MasterView(View):
 
         kwargs['model_instance'] = model_instance
 
-        # if 'fields' not in kwargs:
         if not kwargs.get('fields'):
             fields = self.get_form_fields()
             if fields:
@@ -1181,8 +1201,13 @@ class MasterView(View):
         already be "complete" and ready to use as-is, but this method
         can further modify it based on request details etc.
         """
+        model_keys = self.get_model_key()
+
+        if 'uuid' in form:
+            form.fields.remove('uuid')
+
         if self.editing:
-            for key in self.get_model_key():
+            for key in model_keys:
                 form.set_readonly(key)
 
     def objectify(self, form):
diff --git a/src/wuttaweb/views/people.py b/src/wuttaweb/views/people.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cd56c83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/wuttaweb/views/people.py
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8; -*-
+################################################################################
+#
+#  wuttaweb -- Web App for Wutta Framework
+#  Copyright © 2024 Lance Edgar
+#
+#  This file is part of Wutta Framework.
+#
+#  Wutta Framework is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it
+#  under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free
+#  Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any
+#  later version.
+#
+#  Wutta Framework is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
+#  WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
+#  FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License for
+#  more details.
+#
+#  You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with
+#  Wutta Framework.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+#
+################################################################################
+"""
+Views for people
+"""
+
+from wuttjamaican.db.model import Person
+from wuttaweb.views import MasterView
+
+
+class PersonView(MasterView):
+    """
+    Master view for people.
+
+    Notable URLs provided by this class:
+
+    * ``/people/``
+    * ``/people/new``
+    * ``/people/XXX``
+    * ``/people/XXX/edit``
+    * ``/people/XXX/delete``
+    """
+    model_class = Person
+    model_title_plural = "People"
+    route_prefix = 'people'
+
+    grid_columns = [
+        'full_name',
+        'first_name',
+        'middle_name',
+        'last_name',
+    ]
+
+    # TODO: master should handle this, possibly via configure_form()
+    def get_query(self, session=None):
+        """ """
+        model = self.app.model
+        query = super().get_query(session=session)
+        return query.order_by(model.Person.full_name)
+
+    def configure_grid(self, g):
+        """ """
+        super().configure_grid(g)
+
+        # full_name
+        g.set_link('full_name')
+
+    # TODO: master should handle this?
+    def configure_form(self, f):
+        """ """
+        super().configure_form(f)
+
+        # first_name
+        f.set_required('first_name', False)
+
+        # middle_name
+        f.set_required('middle_name', False)
+
+        # last_name
+        f.set_required('last_name', False)
+
+        # users
+        if 'users' in f:
+            f.fields.remove('users')
+
+
+def defaults(config, **kwargs):
+    base = globals()
+
+    PersonView = kwargs.get('PersonView', base['PersonView'])
+    PersonView.defaults(config)
+
+
+def includeme(config):
+    defaults(config)
diff --git a/src/wuttaweb/views/settings.py b/src/wuttaweb/views/settings.py
index 4b72081..a85be38 100644
--- a/src/wuttaweb/views/settings.py
+++ b/src/wuttaweb/views/settings.py
@@ -26,12 +26,9 @@ Views for app settings
 
 from collections import OrderedDict
 
-import colander
-
 from wuttjamaican.db.model import Setting
 from wuttaweb.views import MasterView
 from wuttaweb.util import get_libver, get_liburl
-from wuttaweb.db import Session
 
 
 class AppInfoView(MasterView):
diff --git a/tests/views/test_master.py b/tests/views/test_master.py
index 55a8acb..3e793e7 100644
--- a/tests/views/test_master.py
+++ b/tests/views/test_master.py
@@ -36,9 +36,9 @@ class TestMasterView(WebTestCase):
 
         # subclass may specify
         MyModel = MagicMock()
-        master.MasterView.model_class = MyModel
-        self.assertIs(master.MasterView.get_model_class(), MyModel)
-        del master.MasterView.model_class
+        with patch.multiple(master.MasterView, create=True,
+                            model_class=MyModel):
+            self.assertIs(master.MasterView.get_model_class(), MyModel)
 
     def test_get_model_name(self):
         
@@ -52,9 +52,9 @@ class TestMasterView(WebTestCase):
 
         # or it may specify model class
         MyModel = MagicMock(__name__='Blaster')
-        master.MasterView.model_class = MyModel
-        self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_model_name(), 'Blaster')
-        del master.MasterView.model_class
+        with patch.multiple(master.MasterView, create=True,
+                            model_class=MyModel):
+            self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_model_name(), 'Blaster')
 
     def test_get_model_name_normalized(self):
         
@@ -73,9 +73,9 @@ class TestMasterView(WebTestCase):
 
         # or it may specify model class
         MyModel = MagicMock(__name__='Dinosaur')
-        master.MasterView.model_class = MyModel
-        self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_model_name_normalized(), 'dinosaur')
-        del master.MasterView.model_class
+        with patch.multiple(master.MasterView, create=True,
+                            model_class=MyModel):
+            self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_model_name_normalized(), 'dinosaur')
 
     def test_get_model_title(self):
         
@@ -94,9 +94,9 @@ class TestMasterView(WebTestCase):
 
         # or it may specify model class
         MyModel = MagicMock(__name__='Dinosaur')
-        master.MasterView.model_class = MyModel
-        self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_model_title(), "Dinosaur")
-        del master.MasterView.model_class
+        with patch.multiple(master.MasterView, create=True,
+                            model_class=MyModel):
+            self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_model_title(), "Dinosaur")
 
     def test_get_model_title_plural(self):
         
@@ -120,9 +120,9 @@ class TestMasterView(WebTestCase):
 
         # or it may specify model class
         MyModel = MagicMock(__name__='Dinosaur')
-        master.MasterView.model_class = MyModel
-        self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_model_title_plural(), "Dinosaurs")
-        del master.MasterView.model_class
+        with patch.multiple(master.MasterView, create=True,
+                            model_class=MyModel):
+            self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_model_title_plural(), "Dinosaurs")
 
     def test_get_model_key(self):
 
@@ -156,9 +156,9 @@ class TestMasterView(WebTestCase):
 
         # or it may specify model class
         MyModel = MagicMock(__name__='Truck')
-        master.MasterView.model_class = MyModel
-        self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_route_prefix(), 'trucks')
-        del master.MasterView.model_class
+        with patch.multiple(master.MasterView, create=True,
+                            model_class=MyModel):
+            self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_route_prefix(), 'trucks')
 
     def test_get_url_prefix(self):
         
@@ -187,9 +187,9 @@ class TestMasterView(WebTestCase):
 
         # or it may specify model class
         MyModel = MagicMock(__name__='Machine')
-        master.MasterView.model_class = MyModel
-        self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_url_prefix(), '/machines')
-        del master.MasterView.model_class
+        with patch.multiple(master.MasterView, create=True,
+                            model_class=MyModel):
+            self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_url_prefix(), '/machines')
 
     def test_get_instance_url_prefix(self):
 
@@ -242,9 +242,9 @@ class TestMasterView(WebTestCase):
 
         # or it may specify model class
         MyModel = MagicMock(__name__='Machine')
-        master.MasterView.model_class = MyModel
-        self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_template_prefix(), '/machines')
-        del master.MasterView.model_class
+        with patch.multiple(master.MasterView, create=True,
+                            model_class=MyModel):
+            self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_template_prefix(), '/machines')
 
     def test_get_grid_key(self):
 
@@ -273,9 +273,9 @@ class TestMasterView(WebTestCase):
 
         # or it may specify model class
         MyModel = MagicMock(__name__='Machine')
-        master.MasterView.model_class = MyModel
-        self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_grid_key(), 'machines')
-        del master.MasterView.model_class
+        with patch.multiple(master.MasterView, create=True,
+                            model_class=MyModel):
+            self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_grid_key(), 'machines')
 
     def test_get_config_title(self):
 
@@ -304,9 +304,9 @@ class TestMasterView(WebTestCase):
 
         # or it may specify model class
         MyModel = MagicMock(__name__='Dinosaur')
-        master.MasterView.model_class = MyModel
-        self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_config_title(), "Dinosaurs")
-        del master.MasterView.model_class
+        with patch.multiple(master.MasterView, create=True,
+                            model_class=MyModel):
+            self.assertEqual(master.MasterView.get_config_title(), "Dinosaurs")
 
     ##############################
     # support methods
@@ -365,6 +365,28 @@ class TestMasterView(WebTestCase):
             grid = view.make_model_grid(session=self.session)
             self.assertIs(grid.model_class, model.Setting)
 
+    def test_get_grid_data(self):
+        model = self.app.model
+        self.app.save_setting(self.session, 'foo', 'bar')
+        self.session.commit()
+
+        # basic logic with Setting model
+        with patch.multiple(master.MasterView, create=True,
+                            model_class=model.Setting):
+            view = master.MasterView(self.request)
+            data = view.get_grid_data(session=self.session)
+            self.assertEqual(len(data), 1)
+            self.assertEqual(data[0], {'name': 'foo', 'value': 'bar'})
+
+        # error if model not known
+        view = master.MasterView(self.request)
+        self.assertFalse(hasattr(master.MasterView, 'model_class'))
+        def get_query(session=None):
+            session = session or self.session
+            return session.query(model.Setting)
+        with patch.object(view, 'get_query', new=get_query):
+            self.assertRaises(ValueError, view.get_grid_data, session=self.session)
+
     def test_get_instance(self):
         model = self.app.model
         self.app.save_setting(self.session, 'foo', 'bar')
@@ -408,6 +430,19 @@ class TestMasterView(WebTestCase):
             form = view.make_model_form()
             self.assertIs(form.model_class, model.Setting)
 
+    def test_configure_form(self):
+        model = self.app.model
+
+        # uuid field is pruned
+        with patch.multiple(master.MasterView, create=True,
+                            model_class=model.Setting):
+            view = master.MasterView(self.request)
+            form = view.make_form(model_class=model.Setting,
+                                  fields=['uuid', 'name', 'value'])
+            self.assertIn('uuid', form.fields)
+            view.configure_form(form)
+            self.assertNotIn('uuid', form.fields)
+
     def test_objectify(self):
         model = self.app.model
         self.app.save_setting(self.session, 'foo', 'bar')
diff --git a/tests/views/test_people.py b/tests/views/test_people.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a6457b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/views/test_people.py
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8; -*-
+
+from unittest.mock import patch
+
+from sqlalchemy import orm
+
+from pyramid.httpexceptions import HTTPNotFound
+
+from wuttaweb.views import people
+from tests.views.utils import WebTestCase
+
+
+class TestPersonView(WebTestCase):
+
+    def make_view(self):
+        return people.PersonView(self.request)
+
+    def test_get_query(self):
+        view = self.make_view()
+        query = view.get_query(session=self.session)
+        self.assertIsInstance(query, orm.Query)
+
+    def test_configure_grid(self):
+        model = self.app.model
+        view = self.make_view()
+        grid = view.make_grid(model_class=model.Setting)
+        self.assertEqual(grid.linked_columns, [])
+        view.configure_grid(grid)
+        self.assertIn('full_name', grid.linked_columns)
+
+    def test_configure_form(self):
+        model = self.app.model
+        view = self.make_view()
+        form = view.make_form(model_class=model.Person)
+        form.set_fields(form.get_model_fields())
+        self.assertEqual(form.required_fields, {})
+        view.configure_form(form)
+        self.assertTrue(form.required_fields)
+        self.assertFalse(form.required_fields['middle_name'])