Mid-Hudson Mensa

Mid-Hudson Mensa began in the 1960s as part of the Greater New York Mensa chapter until, under the leadership of Loc Sec Ronnie Brown, it became a separate chapter in November 1982. The chapter stretches geographically north to areas surrounding Greene County, south to Orange County and is bordered east-west by Massachusetts / Connecticut and Pennsylvania / New Jersey (map).

In 1993, Mid-Hudson Mensa started a scholarship fund, maintained by The Community Foundation Of Dutchess County. The National MERF Scholarship contest is held every fall and the chapter ordinarily participates: our Scholarship Chair takes responsibility for assembling a team of club members interested in evaluating the submitted essays.

In 1995, some innocent, humorous election-year banter started an inside joke still popular today. Because elections were uncontested, campaign statements were semi-serious, with one candidate promising to put a live marmot on the head of another. As a result, marmots have become the unofficial mascot of Mid-Hudson Mensa and continue on as part of the folklore of the club.

For many years beginning in 1988, Mid-Hudson Mensa ran its Regional Gathering, "Autumn In New York," at the Ashokan Field Campus in Ulster County. This proved a unique setting since participants sleep in bunkhouses and had the full use of the grounds for outdoor activities. Since the management of this facility is changing hands, the leadership of the club is now open to suggestions and ideas for a possible alternate venue.

Mid-Hudson Mensa Bylaws

Bylaws (Adobe PDF file) were last revised in 2008.