November 2020

SEEING THE END of this year coming up is one of the happiest parts of this year! I haven’t thought about wishing for time to go faster since I was a child — either while waiting for Christmas to finally get here or during those last two months before I was old enough to get a driver’s license. Patience is not one of my strong suits, and waiting to get through this pandemic so I can hug and visit family and friends has been

2020 HASN’T been the best year for us, we do have a reason to celebrate. It is the 60th anniversary of the founding of American Mensa, our diamond jubilee anniversary. It was on Sept. 30, 1960, that the founding meeting of what would become American Mensa took place in the home of Peter A. Sturgeon. There were 22 members of Mensa living in the United States at that time, and five of them attended the meeting at Peter’s home in Brooklyn. Can you imagine

In this time of COVID-19, I worry about the fact that we haven’t been able to see our friends and family in Mensa. Which got me to reminiscing about some of the events I’ve attended and members that I have met over the years. I have had the honor and pleasure of meeting some amazing people due to my Mensa membership. I will always remember my first impression, the two proctors who provided the Mensa test. Margaret Lowry and Joan Johnson were delightful and friendly

There's a weird dichotomy in being a Mensa volunteer. I’m a member and want to have all the things that members have — fun, friends, exciting opportunities for different events — but as a leader, I’m called to look at the big picture for the health and the future of the organization. As are all the AMC members. Our membership numbers were up slightly this year, but most recent years have seen small declines. Because we are listening to both members and those who

“One person can't feel all that at once, they'd explode.” – Ron Weasley from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix That is how I currently feel, about to explode. Right now, I’m angry, ashamed, sad, deflated, lost, hopeful, searching, lonely, optimistic, and scared. What makes it more difficult is that I am unable to reach out to friends and family to talk and hug it out. It was bad enough when the lockdowns began. The initial shock of having to stay at home took some

IT IS WITH GREAT SADNESS and also great relief that we have announced the cancellation of the 2020 Annual Gathering in Kansas City, Mo. This is the first time in our history we have had to take this step. We have had an AG every year since the first North America Mensa Annual Gathering in 1963. There’s great sadness because we will all miss seeing our friends and family from across the country, as well as the hugs, camaraderie, great speakers, and more. Please join

SO MUCH has changed in our world since I last spoke with you. COVID-19 is spreading around the world. It’s officially a pandemic. The AMC and the National Office have been working together on an action plan so that we may respond and assist our members and Local Groups during this crazy time. The staff have been working from home. The AMC meeting was held telephonically so we could properly distance as has been recommended. We have local and national events coming up that we have

Well, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow and that is supposed to mean an early spring. Even in California, it doesn’t appear that way with the dreary days and cold weather. I like knowing about the weather. Not to the point of studying meteorology, but more knowing about the patterns and where they affect other areas. It is something that interests me, and like many Mensans, I have a lot of interests. What I find fascinating about Mensans in general is they don’t follow the

Happy February to all. There are times when I struggle to find a topic to discuss in my column and other times when I’m excited to share news with our members. This month I’m excited to share that electronic testing will be available starting this month. Why am I excited? It’s just another venue for testing, or is it? Those who have paid attention know that this is a project that I have been working on since 2012 when I became the National Testing Officer. It has

Happy New Year, everyone! My hope is that your holidays were filled with laughter and smiles. During our December AMC meeting, I spoke to the board about trust. Not only trust in ourselves, but trust in our volunteers, staff, members, and officers.  We are a team. Our activities and duties are so integrated with each other, it is important that we trust each other to do our jobs to make things work better. Communication is key in this, not only talking but listening. When you are