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Intertel (group)
Encyclopedia
Intertel is a high IQ society
specifically for people who test in the top one percent of IQ. Intertel believes that highly-intelligent people have special intellectual, emotional, and social needs which remain with them throughout life. Its theme is "participation and excellence" both within the organization and in public life. Intertel is a nonprofit, fraternal
organization that seeks to maintain a strictly nonsectarian, nonracial and nonpartisan attitude.
conflict in the United Kingdom
, its European chapters were organized under the name "NOUS Society" rather than "Intertel". Intertel was originally an abbreviated form of "International Legion of Intelligence", which is the origin of the term "ILIans" sometimes used to describe members.
At first Intertel attempted to take itself more seriously than Mensa
and operate with a higher degree of formality; officer titles included "Praetor" and "Quaestor" and there was a morals clause
for members. Also, members were originally required to be at least 21 years of age.
A number of internal battles have been fought among contending individuals and subgroups within Intertel as documented in detail by W. D. Stevens in The One Percent Solution which was published and sold by Intertel itself. At one point in the early 1970s there was a schism in which two different national offices claimed to represent the organization.
Members of the society come from varied cultures and all walks of life; the single attribute they all share is high intellectual ability.
The society selects officers and regional directors who function as the Executive Board — the governing body of Intertel. Many local groups meet regularly.
High IQ society
A high IQ society is an organization that limits its membership to people who are within a certain high percentile of Intelligence quotient test results. The oldest, largest and best-known such society is Mensa International, which was founded by Roland Berrill and Dr. Lancelot Ware in 1946...
specifically for people who test in the top one percent of IQ. Intertel believes that highly-intelligent people have special intellectual, emotional, and social needs which remain with them throughout life. Its theme is "participation and excellence" both within the organization and in public life. Intertel is a nonprofit, fraternal
Fraternal
Fraternal can refer to:*A fraternal benefit society is a non-profit, mutual aid organization that ensures members and their families and maintains an active lodge system. Members of a fraternal benefit society come together as local volunteer groups that conduct activities to benefit members and...
organization that seeks to maintain a strictly nonsectarian, nonracial and nonpartisan attitude.
Background
Intertel is the second oldest and third largest high IQ society in the world. Intertel was founded by Ralph Haines in 1966. The original incorporation of the organization took place on November 23, 1966 and official activity began on February 1, 1967. Because of a trademarkTrademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
conflict in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, its European chapters were organized under the name "NOUS Society" rather than "Intertel". Intertel was originally an abbreviated form of "International Legion of Intelligence", which is the origin of the term "ILIans" sometimes used to describe members.
At first Intertel attempted to take itself more seriously than Mensa
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
and operate with a higher degree of formality; officer titles included "Praetor" and "Quaestor" and there was a morals clause
Morals clause
A morals clause is a provision within a instruments of the contract which curtail, or restrain, or proscribe certain behavior of individuals or party to the contract...
for members. Also, members were originally required to be at least 21 years of age.
A number of internal battles have been fought among contending individuals and subgroups within Intertel as documented in detail by W. D. Stevens in The One Percent Solution which was published and sold by Intertel itself. At one point in the early 1970s there was a schism in which two different national offices claimed to represent the organization.
Membership
Since its founding in 1966 Intertel has grown to about 1,200 members in over thirty countries.Members of the society come from varied cultures and all walks of life; the single attribute they all share is high intellectual ability.
The society selects officers and regional directors who function as the Executive Board — the governing body of Intertel. Many local groups meet regularly.
Organization
Intertel is divided into the following geographic regions:- Region I: IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... - Region II: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, Eastern Canada (Ontario East) - Region III: DelawareDelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, Maryland, Pennsylvania, TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Washington DC, West Virginia - Region IV: ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, California, Hawaii, Nevada - Region V: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Territory of Puerto Rico
- Region VI: International
- Region VII: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming,
- Western Canada (Manitoba west)
- Region VIII: Arkansas, Kansas, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, Missouri, New Mexico, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Goals
The society has the following three goals.- to encourage meaningful intellectual fellowship
- to foster an exchange of ideas on any and all subjects
- to assist in research relating to high intelligenceIntelligenceIntelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
Sources and references
Notes- W.D. Stevens, The One Percent Solution: A History of Intertel 1966-1988 (a book published by Intertel in 1988)