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Member Survey

VOL 2  ISSUE 5           MAY  2008

May 1st                            May Day

May 5th                     Cinco de Mayo

Contents

LocSec Column The Tenth Story It was a dark and stormy night... Executive Committee Meeting Minutes   04/11/2008 Origins of May Celebrations -  They have many other meanings today

 

LocSec Column

Well, here I am, the new Local Secretary of Palm Beach Mensa.  I'm excited and, frankly, nervous about the tasks and opportunities ahead of me.

First, I'll briefly introduce myself.  My wife, Karen, and I moved to Florida from Connecticut in 1995.  We were members of Broward Mensa from the time we both qualified in 1997 until we moved to Boynton Beach in 1999.  Our daughter is also a member, qualifying in 2002.  I spend my days as a UNIX Systems Engineer (read that: "geek").  When I'm not doing that, I like to read and cook, and I've recently tried my hand at vegetable gardening, with mixed results.  Hey, it's a learning experience.  I also like fishing and archery -- though I'm not particularly good at either.  I'm a fan of Florida Panthers hockey and Baltimore Orioles baseball.

I decided that the next thing I should do is familiarize myself with the lay of the land.  I'll dedicate this month's column to some facts I learned about our group.  Did you know:

That at the time of this writing, Palm Beach Mensa has 347 members, ranging in age from 7 to 92 years?

That the average age of our members (calculated from those who would fess up to their age) is 53.4 years?

That our longest-time member has been a Mensan since October of 1961?

That we have 38 life members?  That's almost 11% of our members.

That we have 23 "Young Mensans" (members under the age of 18)?

That the chapter covers all of Palm Beach and Okeechobee counties, the majority of Martin, St. Lucie, and Glades counties, and parts of Hendry, Highlands and Osceola counties?  That's more than 5000 square miles, and it completely surrounds Lake Okeechobee!

That while the vast majority of our members live in the eastern part of Palm Beach County, we have members ranging from Boca Raton in the south to Ft. Pierce in the north? Our westernmost member lives in Okeechobee, while our easternmost lives on Singer Island.

I'm working on a Member Survey -- something to find out what you'd like to get from your Mensa membership, what sorts of events you've been to or would like to see, that sort of thing.  When it's done, I'll get a link added to it from the web site, http://www.palmbeach.us.mensa.org/.

I'd like to encourage those of you who haven't supplied email addresses to the National Office to do so, and keep your contact information up to date.  I'm looking forward to meeting more of you at various events, as we do our best to make membership in Mensa more fulfilling for all of us.

 

The Tenth Story

Good news from national - For the first time in about 20 years, membership in American Mensa topped 56,000 at the end of the fiscal year, March 31.

If you are considering a run for Region 10 Vice Chair or any other national office, now is the time to put forth your name and information to the National Nominating Committee. Region 10's representatives to the Nominating Committee are Nora Foust and Mike Tuchman, both from Central Florida Mensa. We usually do not have members from the same chapter on the NomComm, but these were the only two people who expressed a willingness to serve. (NOTE: If you are interested in being Region 10's third representative to the NomComm, please let me know ASAP. You must of course be a member in good standing. Have you paid your dues?)

Speaking of paying your dues: This might be a good year to consider doing a multi-year or life membership. Effective with the next dues year (2009-2010), there will be a $7 increase in the annual dues. At that time, multi-year and life memberships will also increase proportionally. So take a look at your finances and get however many "bargain" years as you can during THIS dues year.

Have you ever seen/read the INTERLOC? This is a Mensa publication which until now was sent to local group officers and others who requested it. It contains excellent articles from knowledgeable members from across the country. At the recent AMC meeting, a motion was passed to include the INTERLOC inside the Bulletin, enabling it to reach ALL members, not just officers.

An unusual thing happened to me returning from the AMC meeting in San Francisco. My US Airways flight was cancelled, so they put me on a United flight a couple of hours later. In the computer, this turned me into a one-way passenger on United and flagged my ticket so that I was pulled aside for "super security" scanning. Besides the usual screenings of myself and my carry-ons, I had to stand in a box and have air puffed at me, and then the screener wiped all the items in my purse and carry-on bag, then inserted the wiping pad into a machine that beeped. I felt like I was being screened for GSR on CSI! 

I asked him what he was looking for. "Explosives" was the answer.  

So, yes, picture this fat retired elementary school teacher being screened as a security threat. Now that you have had your laugh, I bid you adieu until next month.

Maggie Truelove, RVC 10

 

It was a dark and stormy night...

Yes, it surely was. On March 22, the night Elissa Rudolph was slated to give her presentation on "The Legacy of the Highwaymen," about Florida's very own artistic genre, the Sunshine State's landscapes painted by a group of African American entrepreneurs mid-20th century -- it was rainy, windy, and very dark. Although the night was black the presentation was bright and informative for the intimate audience that dared brave the weather. Elissa has promised to re-schedule her presentation.

 

Executive Committee Meeting Minutes   04/11/2008

Attendees:

Brian Johnson          Local Secretary/Editor

Rich Haney            Incoming LocSec

Tom Winchester         Treasurer

Karen Haney           Incoming Recording Secretary

Janice Johnson          Scholarship Chair/Proctor -- Palm City

Brian Reeves           Membership Director

Elisa Rudolph          Proctor Coordinator/Program Director -- Boca-Delray

Bobbie Kadlecz         Program Director - North

Greetings & Introductions

Introductions of newly elected officers:  Rich Haney, Karen Haney, Brian Reeves

LocSec Report

Brian Johnson recommends an emphasis on a greater number of events in each region of Palm Beach County Mensa.  Also, he recommends a push for inclusion/testing of new members and a need to entice members to renew.  Rich Haney gave a report on the statistics and range of Palm Beach Mensa, noting the need for creative ways to schedule events to cover all members.

Treasurer Report

Tom Winchester reports a stable income, with increases from testing revenues and bulletin advertising.

Editor Report

Brian Johnson reports that he will focus on the Editor's responsibilities since Rich Haney is our new LocSec.  He is looking for suggestions in improving and expanding the Palm Mensan.  Karen Haney will submit ExCom minutes for publication.  Regular events will be published, even if the location is not set, with contact phone number.  It was proposed to include brief synopsis/attendance information from each event. A glossary was requested, it will be added to the web site. 

Proctor Report

Elisa Rudolph reports that we tested 6 candidates in the first quarter ‘08.  Additional testing sessions are scheduled in May, August, and October.  Elisa has a facility for testing.  Janice Johnson is looking for a facility.  Additional proctors are in the process of being certified. Scheduled testing dates will be listed under events in the newsletter and on the web site.

Program Coordinator

An Event/Program Coordinator is badly needed.  e ExCom, and interested Mensans should encourage potential volunteers to become event coordinators.  Palm Beach County Mensa needs to put an emphasis on organizing activities and gatherings to fill our calendar and entice existing, new, and renewing members.

Young Mensa (YM) Coordinator

A YM Coordinator is needed.  The ExCom, and interested Mensans should be on the lookout for potential YM Coordinators at all events.

New Member Meetings

Brian Reeves will not be organizing New Member meetings, but will be contacting all new members to welcome them.  He will research commercial on-line chat/contact/networking options for use by Palm Beach Mensa, since a very common contact/communication tool is the internet.

Brian Reeves would like to start interviews of new and existing members for publication inn the Palm Mensan.

 

Origins of May Celebrations -  They have many other meanings today

May Day  -  There are four great festivals of the Pagan Celtic year and the modern Witches' calendar, as well. The two greatest of these are Halloween (the beginning of winter) and May Day (the beginning of summer). Being opposite each other on the wheel of the year, they separate the year into halves. Halloween (also called Samhain) is the Celtic New Year and is generally considered the more important of the two, though May Day runs a close second. Indeed, in some areas--notably Wales--it is considered "the great holiday".

Cinco de Mayo  -  Why should Americans savor this day as well?  Because 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashed the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east of Mexico City on the morning of May 5, 1862.

When the battle was over, the French were defeated.  The Mexicans had won a great victory that kept Napoleon III from supplying the confederate rebels for another year, allowing the United States time to build a grand army that smashed the Confederates at Gettysburg just 14 months after the battle of Puebla, essentially ending the Civil War.  Union forces were then rushed to the Texas/Mexican border under General Phil Sheridan. He made sure that the Mexicans got all the weapons and ammunition they needed to expel the French.  American soldiers were discharged with their uniforms and rifles if they promised to join the Mexican Army to fight the French.  The American Legion of Honor marched in the Victory Parade in Mexico, City.  Possibly, this action ensured the survival of the United States.