PerMensa October 2014 Volume XXXI Number 10

Hello, My Fellow Mensans

We wish to give a warm welcome to: Avery, Reagan, and Sydney Hamilton of Abilene; Louis Heidma of Abilene; returning members, Charles Hurst of Midland; Joseph M Tucker of Midland; Robert and Rylie Turrrentine of Midland; Eric Burt of Big Spring; Travis M. Overton of Odessa; and Thomas Snapp of Abilene. Many thanks to Patti King for arranging a special event: the absolutely wonderful duo, Paul and Storm. It is always difficult to pull a program together and this was well done. Thank you very much.` This is your publication and my job is printing anything you have accomplished, read, seen, or written (and to help you SHINE). You can send your responses to either me, the editor: [email protected], or to Loc Sec, Robert Volkmann: [email protected]. As membership officer and soon to be Gifted Children's Coordinator, I really need ideas to make your Mensa experience better. Thank you. This is an election year for Permian Basin Mensa. If you plan to run for any office, I need campaign statements and your offer to run to our election Chair, Steven Holmquest.

Office Depot gives us a break on printing charges, so please consider giving them your business.

Thank you.

From the RVC:

After considerable thought, I have decided not to seek re-election as your Regional Vice Chairman next year. Two very good candidates have already filed to succeed me when my term ends at the beginning of July 2015: Bob Bevard of South Texas Mensa, my Assistant RVC and former national Development Officer, and Tasha (Taz) Criss of Gulf Coast Mensa, the former Teen SIG Coordinator and currently webwench for the Hell’s Ms SIG and GCM Editor as well as SynRG Chair for 2015. Other candidates may emerge as the 2015 election season goes on, but I’m confident that the region will continue to be well represented. There are several reasons for my decision not to run again. While I have enjoyed being your RVC, and continue to do so, I recognize that I am beginning to burn out, dealing with the same problems in the same ways, and I believe the region will benefit from new energy and new ideas. In addition, by next July I will have served as your RVC for more than 6 years, and I think it’s just time for someone else to have a turn. And finally, I have come to realize that as an RVC, I am not in a position to influence one of the biggest problems facing our organization, the constant dues increases that may be driving Mensa membership out of reach for many of our long-time members. While it is true that dues are set by a vote of the Board of Directors, that vote usually comes at a time when it is really too late for individual members to have much say in the matter. The budget is already set, and we have to provide enough money to pay for the items that have already been decided upon. The real work on both the budget and the dues rates is done by the Finance Committee, led by the Treasurer. I served one term on the Finance Committee, and when it became obvious that I did not share our Treasurer’s enthusiasm for higher dues, I was not asked to serve again. Consequently, I have filed as a candidate for national Treasurer, in the hope of being able to return Mensa to a course of fiscal restraint that will obviate the need for frequent dues increases in the future. I hope I can count on the same enthusiastic support I have received from you over the past 5 years. That’s all for now. Don’t forget North Texas Mensa’s upcoming RG in Irving, just east of DFW Airport, over the Thanksgiving weekend. For more information contact Deborah Lockhart, [email protected] or (214) 361-4665.

Roger Durham

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Mensaversaries Happy Birthday

Mike Craddock Big Spring 10/1971 10/01 David Nichols Odessa Paul H Pause Midland 10/1982 10/03 David Culver Mason Jean Ellen Campbell Abilene 10/1991 10/07 Cooper Neel Brownwood Anthony W Watkins Odessa 10/1995 10/11 Madeline Bailey Midland Ronnie D. Scott Midland 10/2000 10/11 Sue Tomlinson Reid Midland Elisabeth Noelke Mertzon 10/2008 10/19 Caleb J Frerich Midland Jackson Chapman Mason 10/2011 Joseph J Little Odessa 10/2011 10/19 Karis Beth Loop San Angelo Geunje Park San Angelo 10/2013 10/19 Mr. Max E Wright Midland Cole Patterson Abilene 10/2013 10/20 Sydney Neel Brownwood Jack Patterson Abilene 10/2013 10/22 Carol Jane Ramirez Odessa Timothy Ray Speer Midland 11/1979 10/31 John Dorman MD Midland Charles Acree, Jr Midland 11/1987 10/31 Rebecca D Miller Midland Charles Eubanks Odessa 11/2002 11/10 Jeffery Lambert Odessa Marcus Wilson San Angelo 11/2007 11/12 Ms Beverly I Thomas Pecos Patti R King Huntsville 11/2008 11/26 Wayne Pierce Dallas Jami T Chance Baird 11/2010 Caleb T Carter Abliene 11/2012 Jessica Rawls Andrews 11/2013 Mike Craddock Big Spring 10/1971 Paul H Pause Midland 10/1982 Jean Ellen Campbell Abilene 10/1991 Anthony W Watkins Odessa 10/1995

Loc Sec Speaks Fellow Mensans!

I invite you to utilize Mensa to learn about things and make connections. I do it, and it's fun! XCOR Aerospace will soon be sending suborbital planes out of the atmosphere over Midland. The people who do that, like Jeff Greason, are clever, creative, and interesting. I like meeting those people and learning about their work and passions. Are you curious about some topic and want to meet the interesting people who are leaders? Let me know. We can make it happen for you! Robert

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Permian Basin Mensa Events October 2014

Midland Thursday Lunch 12 to 1:30 PM Grand Buffet, 2510 W Louisiana Ave. (432) 688-8881 Coffee in San Angelo Saturday, October 11, 2014, 10:30 AM in Hardback Cafe Hastings Bookstore 4238 Sunset Drive, San Angelo, Texas 76904 Dine-Out in Midland Saturday, October 18, 2014, 7:00 PM Indian Food at Shahi Tandoor , located inside the Grand Texan Hotel 4300 W. Wall, Midland, Texas 79703, www.IndianFoodMidland.com , 432-618-9090 Dine-out in Midland Tuesday, October 21, 2014, 7:00 PM The Athenian Restaurant, The Colonnade at Polo Park Shopping Center 4610 North Garfield Street Suite B 11, (NE corner of Loop 250 & Garfield) Midland, TX 79705, 432-247-5280 Monthly Meeting and Program Saturday, October 25, 2014, 7:00 PM Program: Human Settlement Beyond Earth Speaker: Mr. Jeff Greason, President and Co-Founder, XCOR Aerospace Location: Petroleum Professional Development Center of Midland College 221 N. Main St, Midland, Texas 79701, (SW corner of Main St. & Illinois Ave.), Bring a dish to share Jeff Greason has nearly 20 years experience managing innovative technical project teams at XCOR Aerospace, Company (RRC), and Intel Corporation. He is the president and a co-founder of XCOR; leading an engineering team that has developed 11 different long life, highly reusable, liquid-fueled rocket engines using nitrous oxide, , and hydrogen peroxide oxidizers, with kerosene, alcohol, ethane, and other nontoxic propellants. Under Jeff’s leadership the company has also developed low cost liquid propellant piston pumps and two generations of piloted reusable rocket aircraft. Jeff is also the co-inventor of XCOR’s Nonburnite technology, which combines aerospace fabrication practices with materials common in the semiconductor industry. He has led XCOR’s projects by employing management techniques he developed at Intel that focus on increasing the design-build-test cycle as a means of speeding research and development. At Intel, he developed new generations of Intel computer chip designs for mass production, dramatically shortening the design, and production period. Intel management presented Jeff with a coveted Intel Achievement Award for his work on BiCMOS technology, which later became the basis for the Pentium processor. As a recognized expert in FAA/AST reusable launch vehicle (RLV) regulations, Jeff supervised XCOR’s reusable launch vehicle licensing efforts through completion in early 2003. Jeff has been a member of the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) RLV working group since 2000 and now serves on the full COMSTAC. He is a co-founder and vice-chairman of the Personal Spaceflight Federation, a trade association for innovative launch companies. In 2009 he was named to the President’s Human Space Flight Review Committee (Augustine Committee). In 2002 Time magazine named Jeff as one of their “Inventors of the Year” for his team’s work on the EZ-Rocket. He holds 22 U.S. patents and graduated with honors from California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

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Mirage Anonymous

My ears have been physically caressed in your absence My eyes dazzled from afar, Leaving me longing for just one taste

So, please, come a little closer... and be hideous Be angry and cruel and lascivious Be staggering drunk and violently ill Be cocky, self important and vain Plunder, plagiarize, lie like a bitch Cheat on your wife with a stripper Drop kick the cat and a few random kids Shoot up a crowd Set off a bomb

Be real for once and disillusion me Loosen my clinging grip On what I can't bear away

Thank you very much for this thought provoking poem. It is always great to print items from our members.

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ELECTED OFFICERS

Executive Committee : Robert Volkmann, Shirley Volkmann, David Nichols, and Mark McDonald.

APPOINTED OFFICERS

Local Secretary: Robert Volkmann (432) 570-6209; cell (432) 889-6858 Treasurer: Mark McDonald (432) 697-0358 Editor: Shirley Volkmann (432) 570-6209 Scholarship Chair: Mark McDonald (432) 697-0358 Program Chair: Open Bylaws Revision: David Nichols (817) 896-7621 Dining Out Chair & Membership Chair: Shirley C. Volkmann, (432) 570-6209 Elections Chair: Steve Holmquest (432) 699-7214 Testing Coordinator: Robert Volkmann (432) 570-6209; cell (432) 889-5868, Testing fee $40.00 Proctors: Dr. Ed Rowland, (432) 638-2781, Odessa, Robert Volkmann, Midland. (432) 570-6209; cell (432) 889-5868 Ombudsperson: Dr. Ed Rowland, (432) 638-2781, Odessa. SIGHT Coordinator: Open Web Master: David Nichols (817) 896-7621

AREA COORDINATORS San Angelo Coordinator: Dennis Hein, (325) 224-8186 Abilene Coordinator: Open

REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE RVC (Regional Vice Chair) Region 6: Roger Durham, [email protected]. Asst. RVC: Bob Brevard 210/695-2700 http://bevard.net/

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October 2014 Volume XXXI Number10 Contact: (432) 889-6858

MEETINGS, LUNCHES, DINE-OUTS Midland Thursday Lunch 12 to 1:30 PM Grand Buffet, 2510 W Louisiana Ave. (432) 688-8881 Coffee in San Angelo Saturday, October 11, 2014, 10:30 AM in Hardback Cafe Hastings Bookstore 4238 Sunset Drive, San Angelo, Texas 76904 Dine-Out in Midland Saturday, October 18, 2014, 7:00 PM Indian Food at Shahi Tandoor , located

First First ClassMail inside the Grand Texan Hotel 4300 W. Wall, Midland, Texas 79703, www.IndianFoodMidland.com , 432-618- 9090

ation Dine-out in Midland

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r. Opinions The Athenian Restaurant, The Colonnade at rs, and notare th precedingth the cost is includedis cost Subscription cost erfor issue, e sole membershipe sin Mensa, and is ffiliations. in the in PerMensa. Polo Park Shopping Center te fornon ntile on any of a l l irectors of Permian 4610 North Garfield Street Suite B 11, (NE corner of Loop 250 & Garfield) Midland, TX 79705, 432-247-5280 Monthly Meeting and Program Saturday, October 25, 2014, 7:00 PM Program: Human Settlement Beyond Earth Speaker: Mr. Jeff Greason, President and Co-Founder, XCOR Aerospace Location: Petroleum Professional

standardized Mensa IQ ais tests. nonprofit organiz Development Center of Midland College 221 N. Main St, Midland, Texas 79701, (SW corner of Main St. & Illinois Ave.), Bring a dish to share

members of Permian Basin Mensa: Business Card (2x2 quarterpage $10; -half $18; -full page- $35. Ra members are double. Mensa anis international organization for which th qualification ais score at or above 98ththeperce number of members. Mensa has no opinions, political ornor religious a Postmaster - If undeliverable,return to: American Mensa, Ltd., 1229 Corporate Drive West Arlington,76006 TX PerMensa theis official publication of Permian' Ba sent to membersgood in standing'. The subscription as part of the duesannual of American Mensa, Ltd. for members $10is non-members/yr and for $12/yis expressed in PerMensa are opinionsthe of the autho necessarily those of the theeditor, officers and d Basin Mensa, or of Mensa,American Ltd. The editor reserves rightthe to published edit materia Editor responsibleis for any unattributed material Deadline for submissions theis 20thday of the mon monthof publication. PerMensa advertising rates, p which exists as a means of assembly and communicati 6