The 51st National Convention was held in Atlanta from August 22 - 28, 1969. It was Atlanta's first Legion convention and the biggest convention the city ever hosted as The American Legion begins its second half-century of service to our country.
The program included welcome letters from President Richard Nixon, Georgia Governor Lester Maddox, Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr., and Department of Georgia Commander Karl P. Conradi.
There were National Contests for Junior Color Guard, American Legion Color Guard, American Legion Firing Squad, Junior Band Contest, American Legion Motorcycle Drill Team, Junior Drum and Bugle Corps, American Legion Auxiliary Chorus and Quartet, American Legion Chorus and Quartet, American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps.
The American Legion Headquarters Hotel was the Regency Hyatt House Hotel, 265 Peachtree. Georgia Legionnaires stayed at the Cox Carlton Hotel, 683 Peachtree Street and Hotel Georgia Terrace, 659 Peachtree Street. Eight and Forty Headquarters Hotel was the Atlanta Marriott Hotel, Cain and Courtland Streets.
Reunions and Dinners included National Commander's Dinner for Distinguished Guests, American Legion Press Association (ALPA), Historians' Breakfast, FODPAL, American Legion Auxiliary States Dinner, Society of American Legion Founders, Past Commanders Luncheon, ANAVICUS, Eight and Forty, National Yeomen F, Twenty and Four, World War Nurses, and National Chaplain's Luncheon.
For the big parade, marchers moved down West Peachtree Street past the reviewing stand in front of the Regency Hyatt House and South to Marietta Street. They then went west to Cone Street or continued to their disbanding area.
The real excitement was at Georgia Tech Stadium on Sundat, August 24th, when four happy people discovered they had won new Ford convertibles donated by the Seagrum Posts. The drawing was held during the Drum and Bugle Corps finals. This year's drawing brought the total expenditure by the Seagrum Posts, (#807 Illinois, #658 Califofrnia, and #1283 New York), to well over $235,000 including 92 automobiles and the $250 cash prizes to each winner's posts. The winners of the 1969 drawing were Frank N. Sherman (Post 542, Kingston PA), Lloyd Elberling (Post 357, Ashby MN), Larry M. Wolcott (Post 157, Edgewood MD), and William E. Goodhard, Jr. (Post 1, Arvada CO).
