Remember when?

[Old]

I was refreshment overseer in our circuit. We had an unspoken contest with the cafeteria dept. We had a most excellent  brother in charge of the cafeteria, the food provided for a minimal cost was great. I preferred in the cafeteria.

In the refreshmant line we offered freshly grilled hambugers, three types of pizza, three different fresh sandwiches, tater-tots, soft Ice cream , ice ceam bars, ice cream a la mode for for cake, pie and several items I can't recall.

Refreshments gross allways exceded the return from the cafeteria. These funds went a long way to cover CA expenes. It was fun , hard work but the atmosphere was competitive, not good. 

At the last full cafeteria DC (was no longer in refresfments) we had six food lines, four general cafeteria meals as well as an oriental line and one Mexican line. This again became more competitve. I really thought it was a great improvement when we weaned our selves off food service.

 

[Pjdriver]

I didn’t read all the post so forgive me if I repeat things.

The wt/awake were 5 cents. Books 25 cents. 
Those who reviewed the questions for baptism did so from the “Lamp“ book as a group, not individually.

Speaking of intermission between the talk and the wt study. One brother, foreign speaking, was the chairman, after the talk announced: 

“Now we will have “intercourse” for 15 minutes”.  I’ll never forget it. The old sisters perked  up like prairie dogs.  

 

Edited July 21, 2020 by Pjdriver

[Tortuga]

9 minutes ago, Pjdriver said:

“Now we will have “intercourse” for 15 minutes”. 

Social intercourse is an acceptable term.

[daydream]

I forgot they're not really dogs. 

 

[Cherie]

This sounds unlikely to me and yet I have a memory at my very first Circuit Assembly in Norco, Ca of the brother announcing from now on, Assemblies were going to begin with a prayer. This was in 1972. Yes? No?

[Tortuga]

1 minute ago, Cherie said:

This sounds unlikely to me and yet I have a memory at my very first Circuit Assembly in Norco, Ca of the brother announcing from now on, Assemblies were going to begin with a prayer. This was in 1972. Yes? No?

I was baptized at Norco in 1972. I don't remember any announcement about prayer.

[jwhess]

The Public Talk on the Sunday program used to start right after the lunch intermission.  It was felt that since this was a "public" event and non-witnesses were invited to hear the advertised lecture, that they may not have anticipated joining in a religious ceremony.  So to avoid such discomfort or objection, we used to begin the Public Talk without a prayer.  Later we realized that this is OUR convention or assembly and not the public's so we began using an opening prayer for this part of the program.

 

Here are 1966 and 2013 programs

 

 

[Jay]

One thing I can say is the break was really long, more friends, more food! 😉

Edited July 21, 2020 by BrotherJay

[Miss Bea]

1 hour ago, Cherie said:

This sounds unlikely to me and yet I have a memory at my very first Circuit Assembly in Norco, Ca of the brother announcing from now on, Assemblies were going to begin with a prayer. This was in 1972. Yes? No?

It have been the public talk they were speaking of. 
I can remember when we changed from not saying a prayer for the public talk, to saying one. 
PS.  Should have really checked before I posted. Our Resident Historian just back up my memories with the facts! 

Edited July 21, 2020 by Miss Bea

[Eejay]

2 hours ago, Cherie said:

Assemblies were going to begin with a prayer. This was in 1972. Yes? No?

Seems about right:

 

km 9/72 p. 8 Question Box
● When are we to start having prayer before our public meetings?
If your congregation has not yet begun to do so, this week is a good time to start. Since we look to Jehovah as our Instructor for his blessing and guidance, it is appropriate for our meetings to be opened and closed with prayer. (Isa. 54:13; John 6:45) This is true whether the meetings are attended only by regular members of the congregation or are ones to which the public has specially been invited. If two meetings are held, one after the other, then prayer is offered at the beginning and end of the entire program.
 

[Pjdriver]

Remember the circuit assembly program went into the night....8-9PM

I think people were tougher back then. 

[Old]

Just now, Pjdriver said:

Remember the circuit assembly program went into the night....8-9PM

I think people were tougher back then. 

Yes, in our case 300 miles over ice covered roads to listen to an evening program that lasted unitl 9 PM. In those days a 9 PM closing might take place at 9:30.

[Loopy]

I just wonder how tuff the friends were to handle the 8 day assemblies. 
 

I go for 3 days and it takes me a week to recover. 😳

 

 

 

[Pjdriver]

4 hours ago, Mephibosheth said:

Social intercourse is an acceptable term.

Yeah, too bad he didn’t say that. Regardless that’s not what most were thinking....probably because he was known for bloopers. And they were usually funny. Great brother, tho. 

[jwhess]

35 minutes ago, Loopy said:

I just wonder how tuff the friends were to handle the 8 day assemblies. 
 

I go for 3 days and it takes me a week to recover. 😳

In this series of photos, we see what the sisters did behind the scenes for food prep, others spent 8 days in a tent after traveling by car for a week to get there, then if you got inside to the bleachers you sat in the sun with the kids for 8 hours or maybe you had to kneel or squat on the grass in the infield....❤️

 

 

 

[jwhess]

1 hour ago, BrotherJay said:

One thing I can say is the break was really long, more friends, more food! 😉

The sound department appreciated the extra time to get their equipment ready for the afternoon sessions...🙂

 

This was the 1963 District Assembly in buffalo, NY

 

 

 

Edited July 21, 2020 by jwhess

[dove]

1 hour ago, jwhess said:

The sound department appreciated the extra time to get their equipment ready for the afternoon sessions...🙂

 

This was the 1963 District Assembly in buffalo, NY

 

 

 

Was that at War Memorial Stadium...I was there...

[Miss Bea]

When we changed from no prayer to public meeting, to prayer, if I remember right, the public talk speaker was no longer referred to as Mr. So and So. After that, it was Brother So and so! 

[dove]

And our programs named the speakers of each talk...

[jwhess]

1 hour ago, Dove said:

Was that at War Memorial Stadium...I was there...

Yes it was, but I made a dating mistake.  You can see on the photo it was 1965 not 1963.  I am sorry, for the error.

 

Here are copies of the program and building....👍

 

 

[Good-O]

I remember as a very young girl in the ministry, early 1950s, the memorized 6-8 min "Sermon" with the 4 scriptures you read to the HH and the HH let you read them.  Once a HH asked me a question I couldn't answer so I started my presentation all over again!  I remember first using the Testimony Card as well.  Such good memories.  After every Tuesday night book study the conductor made us all take a turn in giving our presentation to each other.  I remember not liking that.  Taught me a lesson though.  Learn that presentation!  

[dove]

2 hours ago, jwhess said:

Yes it was, but I made a dating mistake.  You can see on the photo it was 1965 not 1963.  I am sorry, for the error.

 

Here are copies of the program and building....👍

 

 

That's okay...I didn't remember the exact year, just that we were there...many times...

[dove]

On 7/19/2020 at 8:16 PM, Mephibosheth said:

I remember working the Sound at the KH when I was barely a teenager. 

We had a lot of problems with sound in those days...was it you?..

[Qapla]

Back in 1973 I attended the International Assembly held at the race track in Hallandale, Fl. 

Quote

UNITED STATES

June 20-24: Detroit, Mich., Tiger Stadium.

June 27–July 1: Chicago, Ill., White Sox Ball Park. Hallandale, Fla., Gulfstream Racetrack. Hammond, Ind., Hammond Civic Center (Spanish only). Inglewood, Calif., The Forum (Spanish only). Jersey City, N.J., Roosevelt Stadium (Spanish only). Los Angeles, Calif., Dodger Stadium. Miami, Fla., Dinner Key Auditorium (Spanish only).

 

Being South Florida, it is HOT at that time of the year. In 1973 my Mother had health problems and my Dad was not yet interested in the Truth ... so, it fell to me to see to my Mother's health needs at the Assembly (yes, at this point in time it was not called a "Convention"). One of the things she needed was A/C and the race track was an outdoor venue.

 

Since this was the only English language Assembly in Florida that year there were more than enough Brothers who worked in TV and Radio that they didn't need a 20 year old window washer in the sound/TV department (I have been doing sound at Assemblies and the KH since I was 12) - so, I ended up in the Attendant department. I told the Brothers of my Mother's need to be in the A/C and that I was needed to help care for her. They assured me they had an assignment "just for me".

 

The brother led us past many places that had nice spots with shade and a breeze to a room with glass doors. It had A/C inside. He told me that they had already  assigned "a few" other young brothers to this assignment but none of them wanted to take it because they were not "around their friends" (translated as "look for sisters"). I assured him I would be glad to take the assignment. To my surprise, when we entered the cool room what did we find ???

 

  The Orchestra!!!  

 

At this point in time, I was not yet playing in the orchestra - but I thoroughly enjoyed music ... especially LIVE!

 

Inside this room, along with the orchestra was a man (he was not dressed in meeting clothes) who was setting up an array of microphones throughout the room. I asked the brother who took me to the assignment about this man - he assured me that he was a Brother and had permission to record the music and left me there to my attendant duties.

 

I got my Mother settled in and watched the orchestra get set and begin checking the tune on their instruments. About that time the brother setting up the mics came over and introduced himself. He had an accent I couldn't quite determine the origin - needless to say, it wasn't "American" and it wasn't Hispanic (like many of those in South Florida). He told me he was from Sweden.

 

At lunch time he offered to help me get my mother's meal and asked me to have lunch with him and his "group". Come to find out, he was one of the brothers in charge of a tour group of JW's from Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark! When we got to the table with our lunch (we had those tables where you stood and ate) he introduced me to his daughter   she was an absolutely gorgeous  blond haired - blue eyed girl about 18 years old and slightly shorter than me. She was with her friends ... about 15 or 20 more blond haired - blue eyed beauties all in their late teens and early twenties.

 

At the time, I was single - and planned on staying that way for a while - but, I couldn't help but think about all those young brothers who turned this assignment down so they could "girl scout" ... and here I was having lunch each day with a table full of young attractive single sisters who were not all as eager as I was to stay single.

 

Anyway, in the end, we enjoyed a great program, got to sit in the A/C and not have to worry about getting a seat, got to hear all the music "LIVE" and enjoyed the company of what today we would call "delegates".

 

Fond memory, indeed.

 

 

 

Now, does anyone know (Jerry? John?)  when the Aid book was first released? Was it the same year as the Large Print Bible?

Edited July 21, 2020 by Qapla

[jwhess]

1 hour ago, Qapla said:

Back in 1973 I attended the International Assembly held at the race track in Hallandale, Fl. 

 

Being South Florida, it is HOT at that time of the year. In 1973 my Mother had health problems and my Dad was not yet interested in the Truth ... so, it fell to me to see to my Mother's health needs at the Assembly (yes, at this point in time it was not called a "Convention"). One of the things she needed was A/C and the race track was an outdoor venue.

 

Since this was the only English language Assembly in Florida that year there were more than enough Brothers who worked in TV and Radio that they didn't need a 20 year old window washer in the sound/TV department (I have been doing sound at Assemblies and the KH since I was 12) - so, I ended up in the Attendant department. I told the Brothers of my Mother's need to be in the A/C and that I was needed to help care for her. They assured me they had an assignment "just for me".

 

The brother led us past many places that had nice spots with shade and a breeze to a room with glass doors. It had A/C inside. He told me that they had already  assigned "a few" other young brothers to this assignment but none of them wanted to take it because they were not "around their friends" (translated as "look for sisters"). I assured him I would be glad to take the assignment. To my surprise, when we entered the cool room what did we find ???

 

  The Orchestra!!!  

 

At this point in time, I was not yet playing in the orchestra - but I thoroughly enjoyed music ... especially LIVE!

 

Inside this room, along with the orchestra was a man (he was not dressed in meeting clothes) who was setting up an array of microphones throughout the room. I asked the brother who took me to the assignment about this man - he assured me that he was a Brother and had permission to record the music and left me there to my attendant duties.

 

I got my Mother settled in and watched the orchestra get set and begin checking the tune on their instruments. About that time the brother setting up the mics came over and introduced himself. He had an accent I couldn't quite determine the origin - needless to say, it wasn't "American" and it wasn't Hispanic (like many of those in South Florida). He told me he was from Sweden.

 

At lunch time he offered to help me get my mother's meal and asked me to have lunch with him and his "group". Come to find out, he was one of the brothers in charge of a tour group of JW's from Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark! When we got to the table with our lunch (we had those tables where you stood and ate) he introduced me to his daughter   she was an absolutely gorgeous  blond haired - blue eyed girl about 18 years old and slightly shorter than me. She was with her friends ... about 15 or 20 more blond haired - blue eyed beauties all in their late teens and early twenties.

 

At the time, I was single - and planned on staying that way for a while - but, I couldn't help but think about all those young brothers who turned this assignment down so they could "girl scout" ... and here I was having lunch each day with a table full of young attractive single sisters who were not all as eager as I was to stay single.

 

Anyway, in the end, we enjoyed a great program, got to sit in the A/C and not have to worry about getting a seat, got to hear all the music "LIVE" and enjoyed the company of what today we would call "delegates".

 

Fond memory, indeed.

 

 

 

Now, does anyone know (Jerry? John?)  when the Aid book was first released? Was it the same year as the Large Print Bible?

The blue "Aid to Bible Understanding" book was released twice.  The first release was just the alphabet from A through E in 1969 at that year's International assemblies.  My wife went to Atlanta and I was in Kansas City (we got engaged in Dec of that year).  The whole Aid book was released in 1971.  The large print Bible was released that same year.

Edited July 22, 2020 by jwhess