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Youngstowner clears Mensa hurdle
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Phillip Lyle displays images of his musical and literary inspirations, (left-right) Karen Carpenter, in addition to Anne, Emily, and Charlotte Brontë, in his Youngstown home. Lyle recently became a member of Mensa.
YOUNGSTOWN — Of the hundreds of books in Phillip Lyle’s home, one in particular stands out among the rest.
“The Bible for Dummies” sits sideways on a shelf in his living room, surrounded by dictionaries, literature, special interest books and a few classics. As the name implies, “The Bible for Dummies” explains in clear English what you’ll find in the real Bible, with easy-to-use maps, pictures and charts.
Of all the words you could use to describe the 58-year-old, “dummy” is clearly not one of them. Lyle is a genius of sorts and was recently accepted into Mensa International, an organization for bright folks.
Lyle, of Susan Circle on the city’s West Side, called the Mensa test the hardest he’s come across. “It was devious, it was unsettling, it was relentless,” he said, “but I never felt overwhelmed.”
Read the full story in Monday’s Vindicator and on vindy.com