Spartan Profiles: Dan Burg

MENSA SECRETARY

            When he scored 1,390 on his SATs, placing him in the upper two percent of the nation, he automatically qualified to be a member of American Mensa, the high IQ society based in Arlington, TX (see www.us.mensa.org). But Dan Burg, ’80, a Chicago patent attorney, did not join Mensa until 1981. Last August, Burg was elected Mensa’s national secretary, one of five elected officials in the governing executive committee. 'People find a sense of comfort here, almost a sense of family,' says Dan of the 45,000-member organization, open only to the nation’s top 2 percent in IQ. 'You don’t have to hide your intelligence. You can use big words and still find acceptance. You can use a pun and be pretty sure that everyone in the room got it.'

            Dan notes that Mensans include a complete spectrum of people 'ranging from CEOs to truck drivers, from social workers to scientists.' Famous Mensans include actress Geena Davis, former Ford chairman Donald Petersen, former WBA championship boxer Bobby Czyz, television anchor Barry Nolan of 'Hard Copy,' and Marilyn Vos Savant ('Ask Marilyn' in Parade magazine), whose 228 IQ Guinness lists as the world’s highest. 'We’re primarily a social organization, but we also do many community-based things,' notes Dan. 'We do blood drives, answer phones for public broadcasting stations, give scholarships and book donations, and we’re involved in many literacy projects.'

            Dan studied computer science at MSU, where he 'loved to take long walks along the Red Cedar River' and was in the Chess Club and in MSU Promenaders, a square dancing club. He has an MBA from Michigan and a J.D. from Wayne State.

             For the record, his GMAT and LSAT scores would also quality him for Mensa. 'One question you don’t ask around here is, ‘What was your score?’' he notes. 'It’s considered in poor taste.'

             That makes sense, considering that 'Mensa' was chosen from the Latin word for 'table,' to imply a round-table of equals. 'There’s much more to a person than how you score in a particular test,' says Dan. 'There are many other facets. But what we find here is what Robert Frost calls a ‘unique brand of wit and camaderie.’