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MAINESCENE
Volume 3, Issue 4 Spring 2012
Executive Committee LocSec Anne W. Allen (207) 577-6362
[email protected] Asst LocSec Susan Flaherty (207) 210-0657
[email protected] Treasurer Gerald Nessmann (207) 564-7875
[email protected] Publications Robert S. Lagos (207) 846-3063
Newsletter 1
LocSec Speaks By Anne W. Allen
Well finally we have Spring! ‘Lil darlin’ it’s been a long cold lonely winter…lalala’.
Now that we’re out of that season, we need to gear up for the next 3 fun seasons. We’re looking at a bunch of activities coming up for everyone to enjoy. You’ll see a Young Mensans event, some new trivia get-togethers in Brunswick and in Auburn, lunch in Bangor, etc. Try one out – just stop by and say ‘hi’. We’ll try to get some ever-popular meet-and-greets on the calendar also. It’s going to be a busy time from now till November, at least!
I’m really hoping we can get some volunteers to ramp up some local places to meet. If I were in Wells, I certainly wouldn’t travel to Downtown Portland for an event. And if I were in Dexter, I wouldn’t think that Brunswick was local. So we need some people in Southern Maine and Central Maine to step up. Give it a try. We (the officers) will help – and attend.
Raymond G. Taylor
Raymond is an accomplished
mathematician, attested to by his having won the Franz Edelman Award in 1997. More recently he was selected to receive the American Mensa Intellectual Benefits Award. These prestigious awards were given for his work developing a modeling software algorithm that larger school districts use to predict future growth needs. To date his integrated planning method has determined where 5.5 billion dollars of new school construction is located.
He was born in Pennsylvania and attended the seminary there, graduating in 1962, and since has attended many universities and obtained two PhDs. Raymond is a Priest in the Episcopal Church, and has always volunteered his services to the church. He was more recently the Rector for the Episcopalian Church in Malaga, Spain that employed six clergy members.
Raymond first came to Maine in 1977 accepting the Superintendant of Schools position for Skowhegan, and from there went on to become the Superintendant of the Augusta Schools. He moved away from
The Newsletter of Maine Mensa
Editor & At Large Kevin P. Tremblay (207) [email protected]
Proctor Coordinator Martin Perfit (207) [email protected]
Ombudsman Kathryn E. Masters (207) [email protected]
Region 1 RVC Andrew Heffeman (518) [email protected]
Newsletter 2
It’s an election year, too! Want to be a voting member of the ExComm? We meet in the following 4 months – February, May, August, and November. Otherwise we stay in touch by email, phone, and events. Interested in becoming a proctor? Ask for details. It’s a great way to meet new people
continued on page 2
and positively impact Maine Mensa. Our newest members are usually our most active.
So far our numbers have been essentially steady the last 5 years. We drop in April while some forget to pay their dues by March 31, but then we pick them back up throughout the year. We lose some by moving, and pick up some from testing. Such is life.
Anyways, it is always a pleasure being your LocSec (President) and I enjoy it probably more than I should considering how much it pays - hahaha! Drop me a line or call - would love to hear from you.
Bangor-Brewer Area Lunch
As threatened in a recent e-mailing, the long dormant Bangor Area lunch meets are about to resume. We’ll start in on Tuesdays or Thursdays in mid May. In the near future we’ll start alternating between Bangor/Brewer and Ellsworth/Bar Harbor.
Reservations will not be required but we will ask you to let us know if you plan to attend so we can arrange for suitable space.
My recent attempt to e-mail the entire
Maine membership using the national site system failed to reach more than half our members! Please notify me by any means to be sure of receiving notification of what we hope will become on-going events.
Martin [email protected]
Maine Mensa Election Year
We need a Nominating Committee consisting of 3 members by Sept 15th. We also need a 3 member Election Committee by November 1st. These 2 committees can be the
same people (and with the size of our group, they probably should be the same 3 people).
Since no member of either of these committees can be a voting member of the ExComm, or a candidate, we need 3 members out there to volunteer. ALL of your duties can be accomplished by EMAIL or PHONE.
Unless you’re going to be a candidate, or are ON the ExComm, you can be on this committee. We also need a chair. Don’t worry, the rules are easy to follow and the process is simple. It’s a good thing to sometimes give back to this organization through a little time of service. Contact Anne Allen if you’re interested.
Vacancies Program Chairman – This is a voting
position on the ExComm and has never been filled. Essentially it is the Chairman of all the Area Coordinators. In the Bylaws it states “The program Chairman shall be responsible for arranging for local group activities, and shall coordinate with and advise the officers and the Editor of these activities.”
Area Coordinators for Southern Maine and Central Maine - Ideally, you would try to get something going in your area at least once a quarter. It does not mean you have to hold the event. Just be the one that others contact about your area. If you do know of a restaurant where you can get together sometimes, and schedule it ahead on the Facebook page or website, that would be good.
Webmaster - Just keep the website functional and spiffy. Little time involved, just someone who cares and has the ability. Also monitor Facebook if needed.
Young Mensans News
Devin Herald, and his brother Dexter (as well as Mom and Dad) presented a program at the New Hampshire RG titled “Introduction to Modular Origami”. Only positive feedback came from their participation. It was a packed house – more adults than kids at this one!
Elijah Towne, and his Odyssey of the Mind Team, took FIRST PLACE in their division at the Maine State Competition in Wells.
continued on page 3
Newsletter 3
Maine to teach at University of North Carolina for the next twenty-five years. In 2000 he began teaching online for the university, and spent six months in southern Spain operating an olive farm, and six months in Maine each year while continuing to teach and mentor doctoral candidates.
I was fascinated by his olive farming adventures in Spain and to hear about how oil is extracted from the olive. Like many prized varieties of fruit, Raymond grows the Ajiblancho olive which is grafted onto a hardier wild olive rootstock. This black olive is grown for oil and is not as a table olive. These trees can be thirty feet tall and as wide. Every year approximately 40% of the new growth is pruned out so no branches are shaded, as olives will not set on shaded branches as Raymond explained.
Last year he took a position with the Maine Department of Labor in the Bureau of Labor Standards, as the Statistical Program Supervisor, allowing him to move back to Maine. Raymond said that Maine’s population is oldest in the nation and challenges our workforce. There are more accidents due to lifting and people hurting their backs, and issues surrounding long-term illness. He said, “There are different kinds of concerns than in the past. Logging, fishing and paper and pulp industries have seen the greatest decrease in jobs of all industries in Maine.”
Raymond joined Mensa in 1965. As a student, his professor asked if he would like to have lunch with him at the faculty club, which turned out to be a Mensa sponsored event. His professor asked if he would like to join, as his test scores indicated he could.
We are sure glad that Raymond is back in Maine. What a treasure he is!
Flower Essences and Music
A weekend surrounded by flowers and music is being offered August 10th to 12th. This will be a weekend of sensual pleasures for Mensa members and their guests at this event hosted by Kevin Tremblay, your editor of MaineScene, and Maine Mensa Member-at-Large. There will be guest speakers, ongoing pot luck and barbeques, poetry reading, stories and house and garden tours. Other events are in the works with more complete schedule of
CALE NDA R OF EVE NTSTRIVIA NIGHTSMonday, April 30, 2012 7:00 – 9:30 PMLilee’s Public House - LileesPub.comBrunswick, Maine
Mondays, May 14, June 11 & July 9, 2012 6:30 PMBuffalo Wings of Auburn, MaineHost: Anne Allen
First Tuesday of the Month, May 1, June 5….Ri-Ra Irish Pub, Portland, MaineHosted by Anne Allen & Susan FlahertyMAINE MENSA EXCOMM MEETINGAnglers Restaurant, 134 Elm Street, Newport, MaineMay 20, 2012 2:00 – 4:00 PMhttp://www.anglersseafoodrestaurant.com/newport.html
AMERICAN MENSA END OF TIME AGJuly 4 – 8, 2012 – Reno, NVSilver Legacy & Circus Circus Hotels – Activity SitesTo Register: www.ag.us.mensa.orgCAPE COD MINI-RGMay 11-13, 2012The Corsair Motel41 Chase Ave., Dennisport, MA http://caperg.orgM & I DINNER 2012Mensa, Intel and I.S.P.S DinnerGreat (Oriental) Buffet, 4th Fridays of the MonthNewington, NH RSVP Host Walter Wakefield (603) 436-7250COLLOQUIUM 2012May 4-6, 2012, Bioterrorism Strikes Home – Oakland Park, KSJuly 3, 2012, Social & Video Games – Reno, Nevada Http://www.colloquium.us.mensa.orgREGION 1 WEBPAGE
HTTP://REGION1.US.MENSA.ORG NATIONAL MENSA WEBPAGEHTTP://WWW.US.MENSA.ORG
AREA COORDINATORSMid-Maine – Lewiston/Brunswick Anne Allen
[email protected] (207) 577-6362
Newsletter 4
American Mensa, Ltd.1229 Corporate Drive WestArlington, Texas 76006-6103
STAMP
REQUIRED
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED Mailing AddressStreet Number and NameCity, State 98765-4321
Newsletter 5
Maine MensaPO Box 184Topsham, Maine
04086Phone (207) 557-6362
Mensa is an international organization of people with an IQ at or above the 98th percentile. Mensa provides a forum for intellectual exchange among members. Its activities include the exchange of ideas by lectures, discussions, journals, special-interest groups, and local, regional, national, and international gatherings. Mensa does not hold any opinions, or have, or express, any political or religious views. Opinions expressed herein are those of the individual contributors and of the editor and not of American Mensa Ltd or of Maine Mensa. For more information go
Editor’s YakBy, Kevin P. Tremblay
2012 is the end of the world as we know it with the Mayan Calendar ending, and prognosticators saying, so why wait to celebrate? Illuminate your life with Mensa fellowship to help guide your ascension into humankind’s next step in our evolution, to the celestial realms. A good way to prepare for your personal ascension is to attend the American Mensa End of Time Annual Gathering in Reno, in July.
Then over the weekend of August 10 – 12th I will host an event here in Ripley; Flower Essences and Music, with an aim to increase participants’ vibrational resonance for an easier ascension. But for more earth-bound guests there will be good food, song, and copious flowers, and dancing is allowed
In this edition of the MaineScene, Raymond Taylor is highlighted. Raymond was the Hospitality Host for our Mini Shopping RG held in Freeport. In the photo of him, he is receiving the American Mensa Intellectual Benefits Award. We are fortunate to have Raymond in our local group.
Newsletter 6
