Victor Serebriakoff

Victor Serebriakoff ( born October 17, 1912 in London, † 1 January 2000) was a British author and longtime chairman of Mensa International and responsible for the global spread of IQ society.

Life

Serebriakoff had always been an Englishman with Russian ancestors in the school the best student, but extremely unpopular with his classmates, so he left school because of his eagerness to learn because of bullying without qualifications and worked in a sawmill. With an aptitude test for the Second World War (the value of 161 can not be good with the usual in the German language IQ tests compare ) was granted him to have an extremely high IQ.

The English lawyer and scientist Lancelot Lionel Ware and the Australian Roland Berrill, also a lawyer, had the club Mensa founded in 1945 under the name " High IQ Club" as a crazy idea, and with a clear political ambition in England. But the thing did not really come from the spot, no politician wanted to be taught by them, the number of members languished there.

Serebriakoff was made ​​in 1949 by his first wife, who had read about something in the newspaper, on the then tiny club attentive. 1950 was one of the two founders, goods, even out of the car and the first meeting, took part in the Serebriakoff was attended by only four people, including himself and his wife. At this time, this became very ill and died in October 1953. Chance she was supervised by Win Rouse, a lady who was also a member of Mensa. Serebriakoff and they came closer, he married her. Such experiences led him later to exclaim: ". Mensa is where the egg -heads get laid "

As the then chairman Jo Wilson because of the so perceived by him wretchedness of the meeting, which after all were nothing more than dinner events with friends, openly flirted with the idea to close the club, Serebriakoff protested vehemently. Wilson said that it'll probably lie to Serebriakoff itself, something to do with it what this spontaneously accepted and in 1953 became chairman. He remained full-time manager in the sawmill, also invented innovative cutting machines and wrote a book about this business (under the name Viktor Serry ). He also wrote books on child rearing, puzzle books ( often under the Mensa logo) and a theory of thinking "brain ", to which he was particularly proud.

It's main zeal was henceforth but the club he transformed from a totally insignificant little club in a world-renowned organization that is active in many countries (eg the United States, today is the largest national association since 1960 or 61, depending on the source ) and more than 100,000 members counts. He also persuaded L. goods to re-enter after Berrills death in 1961, when the co- founder never again played a leading role. In the sixties to eighties he had numerous television and radio appearances in various countries, he organized the infrastructure for the settlement of tests and the advertising of new members. In his view, quixotic political ambitions he renounced it.

So he is not the founder, but the real makers of Mensa in its present form. Since 1982 he has been Honorary President. He died of prostate cancer. January Goodenough wrote a biography about him.

Works

( Data refer to German editions )

• Intelligence matters. The test for IQ and creativity (date? )
• The IQ self-test (1983 )
• Mensa. Puzzles for gifted children. (1985)
• Mensa square. Brain Teasers for the gifted. (1989)
• Test your IQ (1992 )
• Brain Training for brainiacs (2002, posthumous)
• IQ intelligence matters. (2002, posthumous)