LETTERS
LETTERS
TEXOMA MENSA CHANGES GROUPS
North Texas Mensa to be 750-753 zip codes, E TX Mensa to be 754-759 zip codes, with some exceptions. Contact crdixon@mcc4u.com with “98 letter” in the title for jpg attachment showing changes.
#1 from Roger Powell
Charles:
I recently got a new membership package for North Texas Mensa. I pointed out the error and received the message below. Have you heard anything about "adjusting" the North Texas Mensa lines to include Sherman and Denison" Surely they would have notified ETM about it. Let me know. There is a Grayson County Coordinator for NTM, and she is a member of our group. What's up?
Roger
Roger Powell wrote:
Marie:
I think that there has possibly been a mistake made. I have been a member of Mensa since 1972. I am a member of East Texas Mensa, the Texoma Mensa Group, and a proctor. I suspect that you have received notice of my new membership in error, but thanks for the contact.
Roger Powell
#2 follow-up letters
Roger,
Thanks for keeping me in the loop. All I know is that at the November meeting the NTM president mentioned that our boundaries had been adjusted. Since the main business of the meeting was the NTM election of officers for the coming year, and I was on the election committee as well as the Membership committee, I let that bit of info slip by me without asking for elaboration or clarification.
I had expected that there would be some info in the next packet I got from National. I just now sent the outgoing president a message asking for clarification, since I have got no word from National explaining the changes. I will let you know what he says.
You can always "preference in" back to the group you were in, if you wish. But I believe I pick up a sense of frustration that you are trying to build up the Texoma group, and don't want to lose not only the three mentioned but any potential future members in the area in question. Do you have a list of zipcodes that your group covered?
I'm wondering if any others on my Nov 30 list were relocated from your group.
Regards,
Marie Blocher
From: Charles Dixon [mailto:crdixon@mcc4u.com]
To: Mensa American
Cc: Becca_Miller@idx.com; Powell Roger
Subject: 750 Zips moved from our group
Membership:
Three of our long-time members were moved out of our group this month, with no notice to us or them.
Roger Powell, Rebecca Miller, and Peter Selz show "moved out" with no change in address.
I helped Roger become a proctor and have supported his efforts to get the Texoma Mensa group started.
Please start over and include the people involved in whatever you are trying to do.
Charles Dixon, proctor, editor, East Texas Mensa
Charles,
Although I have been out of commission for quite a while due to a severe accident in which my leg was crushed, I am still around .. although not around and kicking! I am working on learning how to walk again, and will hopefully be back to the meetings soon. I certainly haven't dropped out, and hope that my membership is still is in force somewhere! Can someone check and make sure I'm back on the list?
Thank you for letting me know.
Becca
#3 NTM, AML, Rick Hess
From AML – J. Howard Prince 12-30-04
To: J. Howard Prince, Charles Dixon, etc
Copyright © 2004 East Texas Mensa. All rights reserved.
To: marieblocher@mybluelight.com
From: Roger Powell roger-powell@sbcglobal.net
Subject: Fwd: 750 Zips moved from our group
Marie:
It seems that East Texas Mensa does not know anything about what is going on either. I called the national office, but they will not be open until January 3. Charles Dixon is my ETM coordinator, fyi. He seems surprised by the adjustment in boundaries, as well. I will pass anything I learn on to you. I will not notify our members until this is resolved. To date, no one has been notified, either here or at ETM, of any adjustment. The three of us have not moved out, as Charles reports. Someone moved us without notification of that movement. Thanks.
Roger
Good morning, Charles,
I've copied Rik Hess on this one as he's been in discussion on this subject.
In 1998 when we were adjusting group boundaries, both you and Roger Durham agreed to a number of boundary changes (see attached jpg). When we implemented those changes, one of the bits was to transition Sherman/Denison to NTM -- this change was missed at the time. Rik discovered the error this year and contacted me. As the then-current LocSecs and RVC approved the change, we implemented it in November.
I'm fairly sure that Rik contacted all Mensans involved regarding this, suggesting that they contact the National Office if they would like to remain members of ETM. Rik, can you confirm this?
Please have any Mensans in the Sherman/Denison area who wish to preference ETM contact Stephanie Gilley at stephanieg@americanmensa.org
If you have any additional questions about this, don't hesitate to let me know.
Best regards,
Howard
J. Howard Prince
Information Systems Director
American Mensa, Ltd.
howardp@americanmensa.org 817/607-0060 x116
Howard, and all,
This change was approved through appropriate channels when it was agreed to by both LocSecs and the RVC at the time (1998). I was made aware that the implementation of the agreement was not complete after Roger Durham found a copy of the letter and gave it to me.
I requested a list of the members who would be affected by this change and sent emails to each of them at the address on file at the national office. Several of the members in this area had already been members of NTM by preference and I did not contact these people.
I regret any bad feelings that may have been engendered by this, and I do appreciate the work done by Roger Powell in trying to create a center of activity in Sherman, TX. But then too, NTM has had an Area Coordinator trying to work in the Sherman/Dennison area for some years.
We have been carrying a notice of the third Thursday "Texoma" dinner in Sherman in our calendar for the past couple years. As Charles and Roger Durham agreed in 1998, it makes more sense for members to be in the nearest local group unless they wish to preference somewhere else.
Wishing all a Happy New Year,
Rik Hess
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