For the second time, the Order of the Arrow met at the University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana. Another NOAC attendance record was set, this time with 5,112 delegates. The size was so large; it was actually unwieldy as any picture of registration or memory of a delegate can attest. Future meetings would be smaller… for a while.

The 1971 NOAC attendance record would stand until the 75th Anniversary NOAC in 1990 and the 401 lodges present will stand as the record for all time (because with mergers, there will never be enough councils with lodges to break this mark). Chief Scout Executive Alden Barber was the featured speaker. Barber had entered the Order as one of ten charter members of Tamet Lodge in 1942 at Camp Josepho in the Santa Monica Mountains of California.

Training retained a vital role at the conference. For the first time, Operation REACH, the BSA drug abuse awareness plan was included. There was a brotherhood flame that was kept burning throughout the Conference extinguished at the closing ceremony when the OA Distinguished Service Award (DSA) was presented and Goodman delivered his challenge to all Arrowmen.