July 30, 2003

MENSA chapter garners national attention

Dr. John Scultz receives Proctor of the Year award, 'Borealis' newsletter also honored

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer

      Northern Michigan MENSA received two national awards earlier this month at the high IQ society's annual meeting.
      The national society bestowed the Proctor of the Year award on Dr. John Schultz, Northern Michigan MENSA's proctor coordinator. The prestigious award recognizes Schultz's contributions to the 95 people he has tested in the region during the past three years. Schultz, a retired university professor and publisher, offers MENSA tests every six weeks and tests between 3-14 people per session.
      "I'm really honored to be recognized, it was quite unexpected," said Schultz, a Lake Ann resident who draws on his own experience of testing to create a comfortable atmosphere. "I knew I had been nominated by some of our members but I was really thrilled when I received the award."
      Borealis, Northern Michigan MENSA's newsletter, received an OWL award for best small group newsletter from the national MENSA society. Edited by Tom Kachadurian of Traverse City, a professional photographer and graphic designer, Borealis was praised as a "gorgeous newsletter" by the organization.
      The awards will be presented to Schultz and Kachadurian during an August 15 meeting by a MENSA regional coordinator from Columbus, Ohio.
      With a cover featuring one of Kachadurian's photographs plus six pages of articles ranging from personal reflections to restaurant reviews to club news, Borealis links the 90 Northern Michigan MENSA members. Published monthly, the newsletter also lists the myriad social activities available to group members. These activities range from canoeing and volunteering at the National Cherry Festival to brunches and evening games nights.
      The national MENSA organization also recognized Kachadurian for pioneering the electronic newsletter. Borealis is available every month at Northern Michigan MENSA's website in PDF format, saving the club significant postage costs.
      "I have always been a techno-guy and look for solutions in technology," Kachadurian said. "Because Northern Michigan MENSA is a small group we don't qualify for bulk postage discounts for our newsletter, which made postage the largest cost item."
      "PDF will truly be the future for small group newsletters," he noted.
      Area MENSA members have been informally meeting for nearly three years but the chapter began just a year ago. Northern Michigan MENSA now has 90 members in 21 northern Michigan counties. Anyone scoring in the 98 percentile or above on a standard, professionally administered intelligence test is eligible for MENSA membership.
      Nearly a dozen members are teens, half of these drawn from Traverse City Central and West high schools. Schultz plans to continue outreach efforts to schools in the group's region next year.
      "One of the biggest things I have tried to do this year is reach out and get more young people into the group," said Schultz, who has been a MENSA member off and on since 1967.
      Benefits of membership are not all intellectual. Kachadurian said a huge draw for him is the chance to socialize with curious, smart and open-minded people of different ages, professions and life philosophies. He has made numerous friends since joining the informal local group three years ago and wishes he had found MENSA sooner.
      "It is not uncommon to feel an immediate bond with fellow Mensans and the friendships cross all age and class boundaries," noted Kachadurian. "In the short time I have been a member, I find myself thinking more deeply and allowing myself the indulgence of pursuing a thought way past its useful boundaries."
      "In a way, I have found a place to be who I am, mentally," he added. "One of the things I love about being the editor of Borealis is that I am free to write as I wish. I can not only make jokes that have a very thin edge, my readers all get them."
      For more information on MENSA testing, contact Schultz at 275-6735 or check out Northern Michigan MENSA's website at www.nmm.us.mensa.org.