May
2003
Dear Great Lakes & Ohio Valley Mensans,
What’s “contraction”?
It’s something bridges do in winter.
It’s something women experience when they’re approaching childbirth. It’s a
literary device (one I’ve used six times so far in this column).
And it’s something that happens to
American Mensa every year on the first of April, the end of our membership year,
when non-renewing members are stricken from the rolls.
To those of you who did not renew, this
column is my farewell. Since May newsletters are sent to members as of March
31, this is the last newsletter you will get, until and unless you renew. If
you truly intend to let your membership lapse, so be it—we’ll miss you. We’ll
also welcome you back if and when you decide to return, no retesting required.
Returning after lapsing simply requires that you send dues in the current amount
to the National Office, along with a signed statement that says, “I want to
renew my membership,” and your current address. (Providing your membership
number, found on the label for this newsletter, will speed the processing.) You
can also reinstate your membership on the
American Mensa
website by charging the dues on a credit card; for this, you will need your
membership number.
Not sure whether you lapsed? Look on
the label on your newsletter. If you see “2003” above your name, you’ve
lapsed. If you see a later year (or the word “Life”), all is well.
To those of you who are hanging around:
Thank you! We’re glad to have you in Mensa, and hope we can find ways to
continue to make your membership valuable to you. The 2003-04 membership years
promises to be an exciting one.
The year starts with an election. Those
of you who renewed by March 31 will have received two ballots in your April/May
Mensa Bulletin. This is your chance to vote and determine the direction our
society will take in the future. I urge each of you to read and consider the
ballot materials, generally get informed, and return your ballots for counting
so that they are received by the May 31 deadline.
This appears to be the year of
television for American Mensa. As I write this, Fox Television is planning to
air a two-hour show called “Test the Nation” on Monday night June 9, at 8 PM
EDT. American Mensa has worked with the producers of the show, and our
Supervisory Psychologist, Dr. Frank Lawlis, is scheduled to appear on the live show. We
hope that the publicity Mensa gets out of this show will provide a major
infusion of new members. Many local groups will hold “viewing parties” that
night; check your group’s activities calendar for details in your area.
The
2003 Annual Gathering (AG) will be held the first week in July in St. Paul,
Minnesota; make your plans now to attend! (If you’re planning for the future,
upcoming AGs are planned for Las Vegas in 2004, New Orleans in 2005, and Orlando
in 2006.) Smaller Regional Gatherings (RGs) will take place in this region as
usual; while Dayton’s RG will have already passed when you read this, there will
be RGs coming up May 2-4 in
Troy (suburban Detroit), MI (that’s now!),
July 25-27 in suburban Columbus, OH,
August 30-September 2 in suburban
Pittsburgh, PA, October 3-5 near
Cleveland, OH, and December 5-7
in suburban Cincinnati, OH. East Central Ohio Mensa will host two special
events in June, including a tour
of the Warther Museum on June 8, and its renowned
Road Rally on June 14.
Southeast Michigan Mensa will have its two annual “bashes,” in July and
January. While this year’s Mind Games will be over by the time you read this,
it will return next spring, hosted by nearby
Chicago Area Mensa.
There are two big events in this region
in May. As I mentioned above, Southeast Michigan Mensa will host
SEMMantics May 2-4 in
Troy, near Detroit; it is almost always the largest gathering of Mensans within
this region.
The end of the month brings a special
event that’s extra special this year—Queen Mary Lee Kemper hosts her annual
Queen’s Croquet in Vandalia,
Ohio the weekend of May 30-June 1. It’s extra special because two of our
region’s members, Virginia Boatman of Cincinnati and Phil Plottel of Western
Pennsylvania, will be getting married on Saturday—I offer my good wishes and
hearty congratulations to the happy couple.
I hope to see many of you at SEMMantics
or the Croquet.
