Welcome New Members

Memphis Mensa - 37 years old and growing!

Welcome to Mensa and/or Memphis Mensa.  The Memphis group is an eclectic bunch of people who love to congregate to share opinions, reminisce with old friends, make new friends and just about any other reason that the imagination can conceive.

We hope to see you at some of our upcoming events, so check them out on our on-line calendar, choose something that sounds interesting and join us for the camaraderie.  You can also sign-up to receive an e-mail of events that spring up after the monthly newsletter has been published, as well as e-mail reminders of published events.

Our monthly dinner meeting is the second Tuesday of each month and usually includes a guest speaker.  We have a happy hour (Temperance) every Friday night and this is a great way to make new friends in a relaxed atmosphere.  Some of the attendees choose to drink a soft drink or iced tea, rather than an alcoholic drink, so don't feel like drinking is a necessity to enjoy Temperance.  The restaurant where we meet also has a large selection of food items and some members have dinner or munchies while enjoying the conversations.

Memphis Mensa has an on-line forum that you can sign-up for by e-mailing the webmaster at webmaster@memphismensa.org.  This is a non-moderated forum and discussions can sometimes become "heated."  Keep in mind that most of the participants are also good friends who may be arguing over the latest topic one day and enjoying a beer together the next.  Sometimes over-zealousness regarding a particular topic may be misconstrued as bickering or fighting among members, but this is not the case.  We do ask that all forum members avoid the use of profanity, slander and name-calling.

Mensans love to use acronyms and we have an abundance of them that are used in conversations, on the website, the forum and in the newsletter.  So you won't be puzzling over what's being said, we've provided a Mensanary of common acronyms to get you up to speed on our special vernacular.

If you have any questions about Memphis Mensa, please e-mail our membership officer at:  membership@memphismensa.org or contact any of our officers listed on the Contact Us page.

Memphis Mensa - Then and Now

The earliest records located indicate that there were only four Mensans in the state of Tennessee in 1962, with three of them living in the Memphis area.  In the August 1971 issue of InterLoc, Harper Fowley (the RVC) announced that "Memphis Mensa has been organized and has named Robert D. Russell as LocSec."  By the end of November, there were 11 members in the Memphis group and Bryan Cottingham was the LocSec.

In June of 1972, Brian C. Moth became the LocSec and there were 25 members in the local group.  According to the January 1973 Mensa Bulletin, "the Big SIG in Memphis is the Memphis Mensa Mutual, an investment group that has shown a 61% profit in 16 months."  At the end of 1972 the group had grown to 33 members.

During 1973, the untitled newsletter of the local group became the Memphis Mensa Newsletter, membership numbers remained the same and the monthly meeting was held on the third Friday of each month.

By 1974, Memphis Mensa had by-laws, elections were being held each February and Eunice Fitzgerald was listed as the proctor and as the Tennessee Coordinator for Gifted Children.  The group had grown to 57 members by the end of 1974.

In 1975, the name of the newsletter was changed to the Mensapause and the group continued to grow to 74 members.  Sometime during 1976, the Mensapause ceased to be published and there is no record of any newsletter again until around March of 1977, when the Memphis Mensa Newsletter reappeared, edited by Dr. Dawn Willis.  Growth continued and by October 1977 there were 92 members.  In 1978, the membership count was recorded at 103.  Harry Chapman was the LocSec and Joe Davis was the editor of the newsletter.

The first Memphis RG was held in May of 1982.  RG activities included a lecture on body language and a trip to the Pink Palace Museum to view the "Treasures of Egypt."

Today Memphis Mensa has 253 members: 187 male and 66 females.  Forty-three personals have been members of Mensa for over 20 years and five of our members joined Mensa over 35 years ago.

Members of the Memphis group are located in four states with 204 living in Tennessee, 22 in Arkansas, 26 in Mississippi and one in Missouri.

The newsletter is the Memphis Mensa Newsletter and the monthly meeting date is on the second Tuesday of each month.  There are nine proctors testing for the group.  Local group activities include Temperance (Friday night happy hour), an assortment of parties and lectures, a monthly Gifted Children's event, Firearm Friendly SIG and various other activities scattered throughout each month.

Thanks to Mr. Vince Bonzagni, the American Mensa Historian (1996), for the historical information on Memphis Mensa.

Mensanary

AMC - (American Mensa Committee) The Board of Directors of American Mensa.  These members are elected by the members of American Mensa.

AML - (American Mensa Ltd.) The corporation which includes all members located in the United States.

AG - (Annual Gathering) The yearly "get together" of all groups.  The 2009 AG will be held in Pittsburgh, PA.

ExCom - (Executive Committee) The governing body of the local group.  The ExCom of Memphis Mensa consists of five members (LocSec, Asst. LocSec, Treasurer and two Members-at-Large.  Members of the ExCom are elected each February by the membership of Memphis Mensa for a term of one year.

FSM - (Fold, Staple & Mutilate) The monthly get-together to assemble the local newsletter.  Beer, soft drinks and pizza are served to the workers and a good time is had by all.

GC Coordinator - (Gifted Children Coordinator) A local member, appointed by the ExCom, to work towards the promotion of programs aimed at gifted children.

LocSec - (Local Secretary) The "President" of the ExCom.  This person is elected by the current ExCom members.

LOTS - (Local Officer Training Seminar) A course offered to officers and those interested in becoming officers of local groups.  LOTS are run by members of the AMC and others having experience in running local groups.

M's - (Mensans) An abbreviation often used to refer to Mensans.

MERF - (Mensa Education and Research Foundation) MERF sponsors scholarship programs, participates in research projects, rewards excellence in research on giftedness and publishes the Mensa Research Journal.

NomCom - (Nominating Committee) The 3-member committee which nominates the candidates who will run for office on the ExCom.  The NomCom is appointed by the current ExCom.

Proctor - Persons appointed by American Mensa to administer the Mensa test.  Proctors must meet certain qualifications before they can be appointed.

RG - (Regional Gathering) A weekend event sponsored by local groups around the country.  These events are usually held at a hotel in the host city and events include speakers, games, dancing and lots of hospitality.  On any weekend there is probably at least one RG being held somewhere in the country.

RVC - (Regional Vice-Chairman) A voting member of the AML representing members in one of the geographic locations of the country.  (Memphis is located in Region 5).  The RVC serves as a liaison between local groups and the national office, and is an advisor and resource for local groups.

SIG - (Special Interest Group) This is a group of Mensans who share an interest in a certain topic, occupation, etc.  There are both national and local SIGs.

SIGHT - (Service of International Guidance and Hospitality to Travelers) Members who wish to assist other Mensans who are traveling.  The scope of assistance ranges from giving information on local attractions, supplying area maps, etc. to the offer of overnight accommodations to traveling Mensans.

Unless otherwise stated, all definitions are pertaining to local group persons/officers/activities.