By Janette Clements
Town Hall South Board Chair

On May 10, 2024, the Town Hall South Speaker Series (THS) came to an end after 53 seasons with the uplifting lecture of actor, producer, director, and best-selling author Henry Winkler.

THS was conceived and organized in 1969 by WPC members Edna Brown and Ruth Bayley, with the encouragement of Pastor John Galbreath, as part of the Outreach Mission of the church. The THS mission was two-fold: (1) to provide an educational enrichment program to the community through quality lectures while engaging the community in meaningful discussion of the issues of the day, and (2) to provide service to the community through philanthropic gifts to a wide range of local organizations.

In furtherance of the THS mission, THS presented daytime lectures to the South Hills community from its inaugural season in 1969-1970, during which actor Vincent Price graced the stage, to its final season in 2023-2024. Significantly, THS was run by a board of dedicated volunteers (all of whom were women) who personally researched, evaluated, and selected each speaker, ensuring that THS consistently engaged speakers of the highest caliber covering a wide range of topics.

In furtherance of its philanthropic mission, THS donated a significant portion of its net profits to local charities after each season. Since its inception in 1969, THS donated over $650,000 to community organizations in need.

In September of 2024, the THS board voted to concentrate THS’ final donations on two worthy organizations – Sojourner House and City Mission of Washington County.

Although the speaker series, a long-standing South Hills community treasure, must end due to substantial increases in speaker fees and related expenses, as well as decreases in ticket sales for daytime lectures (trends that existed for many years), the THS board hopes the community will continue THS’ efforts to encourage education, community fellowship, and engagement on important issues of the day. Most importantly, we celebrate the significant contribution THS made to the South Hills for over 50 years. It was a remarkable run!

Thank you to Edna Brown, Ruth Bayley, and Pastor John Galbreath for creating the speaker series in 1969, positively impacting our community and beyond for decades.