Mensa History
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1946
An exclusively British club 1946 - 1960, a society for bright people found by, Roland Berrill, a Barrister &
Dr. Lance Ware, a Scientist and Lawyer.
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1960
The establishment of a branch in America in the fall of 1960.
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1961
In 1961, a referendum was held to determine if a formal constitution should be written. That vote, in August
1961, failed (153 for, 418 against, 3 abstentions).
1961 - 1962, almost all matters continued to be handled through the governing (British) board in London
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1963
November 1963 Annual General Meeting in London, the membership approved a policy on the structuring of an
"international" Mensa, and separation of the international board from the British board.
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1964
The first “formal” international constitution was approved in June 1964 (2,206 for, 264 against);
In September 1964, the first election was held, with the Wilson/Serebriakoff panel receiving the most votes
(by about 4 to 1).
Another provision of the 1964 constitution was the establishment of Mensa as a legal entity.
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1965
Intermensa, Ltd. was incorporated as a “holding company” on May 7, 1965. Maurice Salzedo, a solicitor and
active British Mensan, became Secretary of the Corporation.
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1969
In late 1969, a major reshuffling of the International General Committee (IGC) took place, following which
several substantial constitutional amendments were proposed, approved and enacted.
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1970
Although the people and the “job titles” were in seemingly constant flux throughout the 1970’s, the IGC
nevertheless remained essentially intact.
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1980
In 1980, however, the inequities of the U.N.-style system (from the large groups’ perspective) had generated
serious problems.
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1981
Hyman Brock (the Chairman of Mensa Canada at that time) brought the major players together in Miami and a
compromise (“The Miami Pact”) was hammered out on October 31, 1981.
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1982
End of April 1982, Two boards were created: the IGC (International General Council), consisting of the
International Chairman and the CEOs of all recognized national Mensas (with some qualifications).
The Society was officially without officers from May 1, 1982 until July 1, 1982, when the newly-elected
officials took office.
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1985
In 1976, Mensa International, Ltd., another corporate entity, was incorporated in England. It co-existed
with Intermensa, Ltd. from 1976 to 1985.
Intermensa, Ltd. was dissolved in May 1985 in favor of MIL for legal reasons.
Detailed History
Mensa was, for all intents and purposes, an exclusively British club from its beginnings in 1946 up until
1960. The establishment of a branch in America in the fall of 1960, with its subsequent rapid growth,
brought forth the inevitable issue of co-existing national Mensa groups versus one international group (with
many branches). Since Roland Berrill had felt that a formal constitution was unnecessary, Mensa had never
had anything but the most rudimentary official structure. As Mensa grew, however, the adequacy of the
informal governmental and organizational structure came under fire and discussions began on the adoption of
a formal constitution. In 1961, a referendum was held to determine if a formal constitution should be
written.That vote, in August 1961, failed (153 for, 418 against, 3 abstentions). For the next few years,
almost all matters continued to be handled through the governing (British) board in London.
At the November 1963 Annual General
Meeting in London, the membership approved a policy on the structuring of an “international” Mensa, and
separation of the international board from the British board. This policy provided for the drafting and
membership approval of a constitution, with subsequent elections to fill the posts created by it. The first
“formal” international constitution was approved in June 1964 (2,206 for, 264 against); it provided for 8
officers (Chairman, General Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Officer, Developments Officer, Editorial
Committee Chair, Research Committee Chair and Premises Committee Chair). It further provided for one
representative from each of the recognized national Mensa groups (United Nations style - without regard to
group size). In September 1964, the first election was held, with the Wilson/Serebriakoff panel receiving
the
most votes (by about 4 to 1). The “panel,” or “slate” system of voting is still used in International Mensa
elections today (although there had not been a contested international election in many years until
recently).
Another provision of the 1964 constitution was the establishment of Mensa as a legal entity. After
considerable work, Intermensa, Ltd. was incorporated as a “holding company” on May 7, 1965. Maurice Salzedo,
a solicitor and active British Mensan, became Secretary of the Corporation. It is interesting to note that
in 1965, the name “Mensa” was already in use in another corporate name and thus the preferred “Mensa
International, Ltd.” could not be used.
In late 1969, a major reshuffling of the International General
Committee (IGC) took place, following which several substantial constitutional amendments were proposed,
approved and enacted. Although the people and the “job titles” were in seemingly constant flux throughout
the
1970’s, the IGC nevertheless remained essentially intact. By 1980, however, the inequities of the U.N.-style
system (from the large groups’ perspective) had generated serious problems. The United States, with over
30,000 members (and a large financial obligation to International Mensa), had but one vote, the same as the
Ivory Coast, which had only 10 members and virtually no financial obligation. Following a period of
contentiousness, and several unsuccessful attempts to create acceptable drafts of a revised constitution,
Hyman Brock (the Chairman of Mensa Canada at that time) brought the major players together in Miami and a
compromise (“The Miami Pact”) was hammered out on October 31, 1981.
The subsequently-approved constitutional
changes and election dramatically altered the composition of the international governing body. Two boards
were
created: the IGC (International General Council), consisting of the International Chairman and the CEOs of
all
recognized national Mensas (with some qualifications). This body generally acts in an advisory capacity to
the
second board, the IBD (International Board of Directors). The IBD consists of the International Chairman,
Director of Administration, Director of Development and Treasurer (the four elected International Officers),
along with representatives (“Nat Reps”) chosen by each recognized national Mensa meeting a specified minimum
membership level. The number of votes allocated to each national Mensa is based on its membership, with no
group carrying more than 40% of the votes and no Nat Rep carrying more than three votes. The IBD sets
policy,
giving consideration to IGC advice. Ongoing management decisions are made by the Executive Committee,
consisting of the four elected officers plus the CEOs of American and British Mensa.
The vote approving the
above changes took effect at the end of April 1982. The Society was officially without officers from May 1,
1982 until July 1, 1982, when the newly-elected officials took office. Nevertheless, for continuity
purposes,
the outgoing IGC voted to allow the incoming officers to assume their duties on an unofficial basis as of
May1, 1982.
In 1976, Mensa International, Ltd., another corporate entity, was incorporated in England. It
co-existed with Intermensa, Ltd. from 1976 to 1985. Intermensa, Ltd. was dissolved in May 1985 in favor of
MIL for legal reasons.
Finally, the requirements for voting representation on the IGC/IBD have been modified
numerous times throughout the years. In the following sections, no attempt has been made to confirm that the
individuals listed were actually entitled to vote at all times during their tenure. Moreover, appointed
officers often had voting rights prior to 1982, but it has proven too difficult (so far) to determine which
ones had voting rights during any specific meeting. Finally, no attempt has been made to compile a
comprehensive history of each National Mensa; only basic information has been compiled, and even that has
sometimes been based on less than iron-clad data.
As a general caveat to the reader, the information in this
"International" section is not as reliable as the information in the American Mensa sections, even though I
have spent over a thousand hours researching and compiling this information. My goal has been to make the
data
as reliable as possible, and most of it is reasonably accurate. The information should be useful for most
purposes and for general enlightenment. With the reader’s assistance in seeking out corrections and
additions,
I’m confident that future revisions will be more comprehensive, accurate, and reliable.