Annual Meeting, October 1, 1972

● In accordance with the resolution adopted unanimously at the annual meeting last year, the forthcoming annual meeting of the members of Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania will be held on Sunday, October 1, 1972, in the Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The program planned for the date of the annual meeting October 1, 1972, will include, not only the annual meeting proceedings, but also the graduation exercises of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead.

It will be appreciated if the members of the Corporation will now see to it that the Secretary’s Office has their present mailing addresses so that the regular letters of notice and the proxies can be sent to them to reach them shortly after September 1. The proxies are to be returned so as to reach the Office of the Secretary of the Society not later than September 15. As each member knows, he should complete and return his proxy promptly whether he is going to be at the meeting personally or not.

Early reports indicate that not only are many members of the Corporation planning to attend in person, but also other brothers from distant places are considering attending the annual meeting. For the information of the latter, we call attention to the fact that the capacity of the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh is approximately 14,000. We would not want to have persons come a long distance and not be able to get into the Arena. In view of these circumstances and since the auditorium will of necessity be filled on a first come first served basis, and we just cannot guarantee seats to everyone, you should know that within a 200-mile radius of Pittsburgh there are approximately 40,000 of Jehovah’s witnesses. Within a radius of 150 miles, the number is approximately 34,000, and if all of those within just a 100-mile radius of Pittsburgh attended the annual meeting, the Arena would be overfilled with the approximately 16,000 publishers within this area. So we feel that all should be practical in the matter, and our suggestion is that the general attendance, that is, those aside from the members and their families, be limited to those who are located within a 150-mile radius of Pittsburgh. Of course, we do not know how many of these will attend, and our sole purpose is to avoid anyone coming a long distance and being disappointed at not getting a seat. So we want you to know the facts regarding the capacity of the facilities that will be used. We expect the doors to the Arena to be opened at about 7:30 a.m., and the program to begin at 8:30 or 9 o’clock.