(Written and posted 6/8/07)
Northwest Passages
RVC Column for July Newsletters in Region 8
by John Recht, Region 8 RVC
rvc8@us.mensa.org
The end times have come. My first term on the American Mensa Committee (AMC) as the Regional Vice Chair (RVC) for Region 8 has concluded. The 500 words that I was allotted for my annual report in the June issue of the Mensa Bulletin were insufficient for me to say all that I wished to say about the experience of serving as RVC, so I will use a few more in this space to say what a wonderful two years it has been for me, to have had the opportunity to work with and for such an extraordinary group of people as you all are. I offer my sincerest thanks to each and every one of you, and I will always treasure the memories of this time in my life.
One item from my annual report bears repeating here: at the 2007 Oregon Mensa RG, I presented Regional Service Awards to Diana Maul, Regional Scholarship Chair; Debra Reiger, Assistant RVC; and Dan Burg, Assistant RVC. Each of them has done a great deal on behalf of Region 8 during the past two years, and I commend them most highly for the dedication they have shown on behalf of Mensa. My thanks go out once more to Diana, Debra, and Dan, and to all of the hard-working volunteers in our region.
One more item of old business remains: in my column last month, I described an icebreaker that I thought up for the Oregon Mensa RG. Well, the RG was a huge, memorable success, but the icebreaker sank with barely a trace. Only one person actually finished it. The idea, of course, was to get people talking, but the icebreaker proved a little too complicated. From a logic standpoint, it was easy to solve. It took a minimum of three, and a maximum of 15 questions to learn all the attributes of any person. And in the process of asking for their attributes, there would be many opportunities to begin a conversation, or so I imagined. Back to the drawing board.
On to new business: by now you very likely know that three members of Region 8 were elected to serve on the new AMC. My congratulations to Dan Burg upon his election to Second Vice Chair, and to Scott Rainey upon his election to Secretary, as they join me in my second term as RVC. For Dan it is actually a reelection, because he served as Second Vice Chair during the 2003-2005 AMC term. Dan has also served as Secretary. Scott served on the AMC previously for two terms as Region 8 RVC. It will be my pleasure to have them as colleagues for this term, and we three look forward to doing our best on your behalf.
As you read this, I am on my way to Birmingham for the AG. Hope to see you there, at what is truly the best event that American Mensa has to offer! Check it out at www.ag2007.org/, and come if you still can. I'll tell you about it in my next column....
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