By Bob Cox
June 2012
Travel can be expensive these days. To save you money, some major events
have been lumped together this year. The Annual Gathering is in Reno Nevada
July 4 - 8. Arrive a day early for the Colloquium on Social and Video Gaming.
There is also a one day Leadership Summit for LocSecs and Asst. LocSecs on
Sunday, July 8. For the Summit, registration is free. (You must be registered
for the AG.) Lunch and evening Hospitality are provided. AML will pay for Sunday night accommodation.
Some more money saving news: the AG hotels are having financial difficulties
and have reduced the room rates for some days at the AG. If you have booked at
an earlier rate, you will get still get the lower rate.
One weekend in May, I visited two North Carolina groups, Triad Mensa and Mensa of
Eastern North Carolina. In Triad, I had the pleasant privilege of presenting a
plaque from the group to Ellen Muratori for all that she has done, and continues
to do, for the vitality of the group. South Coast Mensa held their election of
officers and elected Dr. George Hartley as LocSec.
Seventeen students from our region are receiving scholarships ranging from $300
to $1,000 from the Mensa Foundation. Many of our Local Groups also give
scholarships. The Foundation gives a scholarship for every group that takes
part in the program. If you would be willing to be Scholarship Chair for your
group for the coming year, please let your LocSec know. In the new year, the
Chair will be looking for judges to read and score the essays. This is a great
way to be involved with just an hour or two in a small group setting or even in your own home.
This will be your last newsletter if your membership expired and you failed to
renew. Don’t let that happen. You could miss out on so much that Mensa membership
offers in your group, and on the larger scene. There are SIGs, publications, the Web,
and so much more. Renew today.
Enjoy Mensa.
Bob Cox was born and raised in Australia and still has a bit of
an accent. He moved to New Zealand in his early twenties and
joined Mensa there in 1975. He became active and served on the New
Zealand National Committee for four years as Membership Officer
and also as Mensa Selection Agent. He also chaired Conpac 83, the
Mensa World Congress held in New Zealand.
In 1984, Bob migrated to America and became a member of San
Francisco Regional Mensa, then the largest local group in the
country. He was very active in the local group and was soon in
leadership positions. He served for 2 1/2 years as SIGHT
Coordinator, was registrar for the 1st SFRM Urban RG and for
Asilomar. In 1988 he was elected Assistant LocSec for SFRM. In
1998 Bob Cox was elected to the AMC (becoming the first person to
serve on two National Committees) as RVC for Region 8. He held
this position for two terms. After Bob moved to Arizona, he served
for another two terms as RVC for Region 9.
During his eight years on the AMC, Bob attended all Regional
Gatherings in his region unless they conflicted with an AMC
meeting, conducting an RVC Rap Session at each. He also conducted
six full weekend Leadership Development Workshops (first known as
LOTS).
When Bob moved to Arizona, he became a member of Borderline
Mensa, a group with 40 members. He took over the editorship of the
Borderline M-Bassador (winning a small group Owl in his first
year). He was Editor from 1995 to 1998 when he became LocSec. Bob
served in that position until 2003 when he moved to South
Carolina. Borderline Mensa received a GoTYA award each year Bob
was LocSec. He also chaired four RGs and saw the group's
membership grow.
Bob served for five years as LocSec of Piedmont Area Mensa.
During this time, the group received four GoTYA awards and one
Prodigious Owl for being the fastest growing group in the country.
He chaired an RG and has served on the RG Committee each year a
Hotel Negotiator.
Bob has written well over 200 newsletter columns as Editor,
LocSec or RVC. He served for several years as National SIGHT
Coordinator. After judging scholarship essays for about 23 years,
he became Region 5 Scholarship Coordinator for two years. He has
served for many years on the Leadership Development Committee. Bob
Cox received a National Service Award in 2009 for contributing
greatly to the growth and betterment of Mensa.
