Welcome everyone.

(If members of the Archives Committee are present - introduce them)

AA Members seem to have a warm place in their heart for AA history. Perhaps it’s because our stories
define our own history when we disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened and
what we are like now.
AA also has a very strong verbal tradition. Much information is passed on by word of mouth. This has
both its good and difficult sides. How do you know what is fact and what is myth? There is a great deal of
myth that circulates by word of mouth in AA, and is accepted as fact when it is factually incorrect.
A great deal of effort has been taken to ensure that what will be presented to you has been verified in
one or more reliable written reference sources.
Also, to more accurately relate the past to the present, Consumer Price Index (or CPI) conversion factors
have been used to convert past dollar amounts to the equivalent of today’s dollar values. For example,
$3.50 was needed in 1939 to purchase the Big Book. That would be equivalent to $54 today.

1
Brief Biographies - The Co-founders Of AA And Their Families
First we’ll cover some brief biographical information on the co-founders of AA and their spouses.
In reality, all four can legitimately be considered founders of the AA Fellowship.

2
The Wilson Family
We’ll begin with Bill W and his family followed by Lois and her family.

3
William Griffith Wilson (Bill W)
We’ll begin with Bill W and his family followed by Lois and her family.
Bill was born on November 26, 1895 in East Dorset, VT. His sober date was December 11, 1934. As
best as can be determined, he favored hard liquor and had a taste for gin. Bill is shown here in the
classic photo distributed by AA.
Bill was also a chain smoker and developed emphysema which led to his death. He passed away on
January 24, 1971 at age 75 and 36 years sober, in Miami Beach, FL It was also his and Lois’ 53rd
wedding anniversary.
Bill W was the architect and author of AA’s 3 Legacies of Recovery, Unity and Service, and all the written
works that explained them. This was an amazing achievement. He had no training at all as a writer. In
1990, Life Magazine named Bill W as one of the 100 most important Americans of the 20th century.
Similarly, in 1999, Time Magazine named Bill W as one of the 100 international heroes and icons of the
20th century.

4
The Wilson (formerly Barrows) House - Bill W’s Paternal Grandmother - Helen Barrows - 1896
Bill was born in a room behind a bar in the Wilson House (formerly called the Barrows House). It was a
village hotel run by his grandmother, Helen Barrows (shown on the right holding Bill).
Bill was named after his paternal grandfather William C Wilson who was quite prominent in the
community.

5
Young Bill W
Here we see Bill at age 4 on the left and age 10 on the right.

6
Bill W’s Two Sisters
Bill had a younger sister, Dorothy, born in 1898. Her future husband, Dr Leonard V Strong, played a key
role in helping Bill find sobriety and receiving financial assistance from John D Rockefeller Jr to help
write the Big Book.
Bill also had a half-sister, Helen Evans, born in 1916. She was the first paid staff worker at the
Grapevine. A biographical article about her appeared in the June 1979 Grapevine
Both of Bill’s sisters were non-alcoholics.

7
Bill W’s Father And Mother - Gillman Wilson And Emily Griffith
Bill W’s parents, Emily Griffith and Gilman Wilson, were married in September 1894. The marriage
turned out to be a stormy one. They separated in 1905 and divorced in 1907 when Bill was around 12.
Bill considered his parent’s divorce a “great disgrace and great stigma.” There is evidence that his
father’s drinking was a very prominent cause of the divorce.
In 1906 while on a picnic, Bill and his sister Dorothy, were informed by their mother that their father had
gone for good. The news was devastating to Bill. His mother Emily left the following day for Boston, MA
to attend an osteopathic medical school. During most of the remainder of her life she seemed rather
distant from Bill.
Bill’s father had previously moved to western Canada in 1905 and Bill did not see him again for 9 years
until the summer of 1914.

8
The Griffith House - Bill W’s Maternal Grandfather - Gardner Fayette Griffith - 1906
After his parents divorced Bill and his sister Dorothy were lovingly raised by his maternal grandparents
Fayette and Ella Griffith.
Bill’s grandfather Gardner Fayette Griffith was a second father to him and had a way of bringing out the
best of Bill’s skills.

9
Bill W’s Paternal Grandparents - c 1915
This family photo shows Bill W with his sister Dorothy, his mother Emily and his paternal grandparents
Helen and William C Wilson. Bill’s great-grandmother is in the center of the photo.
According to Bill’s sister Dorothy, their grandfather was an alcoholic and found sobriety through a
profound spiritual experience.

10
Burr And Burton Seminary - Manchester, Vermont - 1909
In 1909, at age 14, Bill’s grandparents decided to send him to the prestigious Burr and Burton Seminary
in Manchester, VT for his secondary education. He boarded at the school for 5 days a week and returned
home by train to East Dorset on weekends.
Bill and Ebby T (Thacher) spent one year together at Burr and Burton. 25 years later Ebby would carried
a message of recovery to Bill W when Bill had finally hit bottom.
In 1912, at the beginning of the school year at Burr and Burton, Bill W was president of the senior class,
star football player, star pitcher and captain of the baseball team and first violin in the school orchestra.

11
Bertha Bamford - 1912
On November 18, 1912, Bill W's schoolmate and "first love" Bertha Bamford, died from hemorrhaging
after surgery at the Flower Hospital in NYC. She was the daughter of the rector of the Manchester, VT
Zion Episcopal Church.
Bill learned about her death at school on November 19th and It began a 3-year episode of depression,
which severely affected his performance at school and home.
In January 1913, Bill W failed nearly every mid-year exam and was forced to drop out of school. By April,
It was clear that he could not graduate from Burr and Burton. He moved to Boston to live with his mother.

12
Bill W’s Mother Emily - c 1913
In the late summer of 1913, after an absence of several months, Bill W returned to Burr and Burton and
took the senior exams. He failed his German class and could not receive his diploma. Bill’s mother,
Emily, argued with the principal who would not budge.
Bill then went to live with his mother and sister in Arlington, MA (a suburb of Boston) where he made up
his German course. In the fall of 1913, Bill W’s mother, Emily, decided that he should become an
engineer and attend MIT. He attended Arlington High School to prepare for examinations for MIT. He
was essentially repeating his senior year.

13
Norwich University - 1913
Unable to pass the MIT entrance exams, in the fall of 1913 Bill enrolled at Norwich Military Academy in
Northfield, VT. Norwich was considered second only to West Point in the quality and discipline of its
military training. Total enrollment was 145 students. Still suffering from severe depression, Bill was
absolutely miserable at Norwich.

14
Lois Wilson
Now we’ll discuss the family of Bill W’s wife Lois Burnham Wilson.

15
Lois Wilson
Lois was a brilliant and artistically talented woman. She was a co-founder of Al-Anon Family Groups
together with her neighbor and friend Anne B (Bingham). She is shown here in the classic photo
distributed by Alanon Family Groups.

16
Lois’ Parents - Dr Clark and Matilda Hoyt Burnham - c 1888
Lois’ parents, Dr Clark Burnham and Matilda Hoyt Spellman, were married in 1888. Lois was the eldest
of six children from a distinguished and affluent family. Her parents were openly affectionate and loved
having the children around for family activities.
Born in Lancaster Pennsylvania, Lois’ father was a prominent physician and honors graduate from
college and medical school. His father Nathan Clark Burnham was a lawyer and physician and also a
minister in the Swedenborgian Church which had recently come to America. He would later perform the
marriage ceremony of Lois and Bill.
Lois’ mother was from an affluent family. Her close cousin Laura was married to John D Rockefeller Sr.
She managed the business affairs for her husband’s medical practice.

17
Young Lois Burnham - 1988
Lois was born on March 4, 1891 at 182 Clinton St in Brooklyn, NY a spacious brownstone in the affluent
section of Brooklyn Heights, New York. A back room served as her father’s medical office.
At this time Brooklyn was a separate city. It became a borough of New York City in 1898.

18
Emerald Lake Vermont - c1895
Lois’ maternal grandfather lived his later years in Manchester, Vermont. He encouraged Lois’ parent to
purchase his home. A few years after they became enamored with a roomy cottage on Emerald Lake in
East Dorset, Vermont.
They vacationed there from May to November each year. Emerald Lake was also a popular summer
vacation spot for the family of Ebby T (Thacher). Over the years of extended summer vacations the two
families became very close friends.

19
Young Lois Burnham
Lois is shown on the left in a classic style of baby photo that was popular among well-to-do families in
the late 1800s. The photo on the right shows Lois as a youngster at Emerald Lake in Vermont.
She was quite the tomboy and loved to fishing, swimming, sailing, climbing trees, catching frog and
picking berries during long early morning walks.

20
Lois’ Brothers And Sisters - c 1911
Lois was the first Burham child and then came Rogers, Barbara, Katherine (or Kitty) and Lyman.
Tragically Lois also had a bay sister Mathilda who was sickly since her difficult birth, and who died before
she was a year old.

21
Lois Burnham (2nd from left) at Packer Collegiate Institute - 1910
Lois’ father ensured that all the children had the best of educations. A young Lois began her education
with a new form of pre-school education imported from Germany and called “kindergarten.” She then
attended Friends School and Packer Collegiate for grades 1 through 12.
Lois is shown here, second from the left, as a teenager while in Packer Collegiate, an all-girls school..

22
Not Especially Interested - 1914
Bill and Lois first met in the summer of 1913. and spent some time together while both their families
vacationed at Emerald Lake in VT. Lois (who was 4 ½ years older than Bill) was not especially interested
in him when they first met.
They were introduced to each other by Lois’ brother Rogers who became close friends with Bill and
served as Best Man at Lois and Bill’s wedding.

23
Secretly Engaged - September 11, 1915
In the summer of 1914, the relationship between Bill (age 18) and Lois (age 22) changed into a romance.
In the following year their romance blossomed and on September 11, 1915 they became secretly
engaged.

24
Young Lt Bill W - 1917
On April 6, 1917 the US declared war on Germany and entered WW I.
In May 1917, Bill W, who was attending Norwich University Military Academy, left for officer’s training at
Plattsburg, NY. After eight weeks of artillery training at Ft Monroe, VA, he was commissioned a 2nd
lieutenant in the 66th Artillery Corps and sent to Ft Rodman outside of New Bedford, MA.
That summer, Bill (at age 22) had his first drink of liquor at Emmy and Catherine Grinnell’s house in New
Bedford. It was a Bronx Cocktail made up of gin, dry and sweet vermouth and orange juice. He got
thoroughly drunk, passed out, threw up and was miserably sick the next day. Bill wrote to Lois that he
loved the experience with alcohol.

25
Bride And Groom On Their Wedding Day - January 24, 1918
Lois and Bill were married January 24, 1918 at the Swedenborgian Church of the New Jerusalem in
Brooklyn, NY. Her grandfather performed the ceremony and, as mentioned earlier, her brother Rogers
served as best man. The photo shows Lois in her wedding dress.
Unable to have children, Lois and Bill were prevented from adopting. They found out later that it was due
to Bill’s drinking reputation.

26
Diary of Two Motorcycle Hobos - 1925 to 1926
When Bill returned from overseas after WW I in 1919, his alcoholism progressed rapidly. Lois often
arranged month-long or more walking trips thru ME, NH and VT partly to give them time to think and
partly to get Bill away from drinking.
In April 1925, Bill and Lois began a 1-year motorcycle camping trip on a 3-wheeler Harley-Davidson with
sidecar to evaluate businesses.

27
Bill W As Market Analyst - 1925 To 1926
Among the places Bill and Lois visited were GE in Schenectady, NY and Portland Cement in Egypt,
Pennsylvania. By winter, they were in Florida and then headed north into Canada. Bill was one of the
first “market analysts.” His alcoholism progressed further downward.

28
Return To New York City - Spring 1926
In the spring of 1926, Bill and Lois returned to Brooklyn for the marriage of Lois’ sister, Kitty.
Bill’s drinking problem was openly discussed with his benefactor, Frank Shaw, at business conferences
between him and Shaw. For the next few years fortune threw money and applause Bill’s way.

29
Diary Of Two Motorcycle Hobos - 1925 To 1926
In the summer of 1926, Bill and Lois departed for another six months of investigating businesses. Lois
later chronicled their travels in a book titled “Diary of Two Motorcycle Hobos.”
They could have traveled first class on Bill’s expense account and $20,000 line of credit ($241,000
today). Instead, they drove a second-hand DeSoto Lois outfitted with curtains so that they could sleep
along side of the road.
For the next few years Bill was quite successful financially. However, his successes would later be
ended by a worsening drinking problem. Over time, Bill sank into a form of drunken hostility that
poisoned his relationships.

30
The Smith Family
We’ll continue with Bill W and Lois’ story later in the presentation when we discuss the founding of AA.
First though we’ll discuss some biographical information of AA’s other co-founder Dr Bob, his wife Anne
and their families.

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Robert Holbrook Smith, MD (Dr Bob)
Dr Bob was born August 8, 1879 in St Johnsbury, VT to Judge and Mrs. Walter Perrin Smith. He had a
much older foster sister, Amanda, who became a history professor at Hunter College, NY.
Dr Bob’s sober date is celebrated as June 10, 1935. That date is also celebrated as the beginning of the
AA Fellowship.
As best as can be determined, Dr Bob favored hard liquor and had a taste for scotch.

32
Young Smitty and His Father
Dr. Bob’s son, “Smitty” shared a love of automobiles with his father and described him as devoted to
being a doctor and a "man's man" who was very courteous and had a great sense of humor. He was
quiet, cautious, conservative and insisted on keeping things simple. Unlike Bill, he had very few writings
that survived him.
Dr Bob had a tattoo, likely from his Dartmouth College days, that was a blue and red dragon winding
around his left arm from shoulder to wrist. And he loved to play poker. Dr Bob was quiet, cautious,
conservative and insisted on keeping things simple.
He died of cancer at City Hospital in Akron On November 16, 1950, at age 70 and 15 years sober. His
wife Anne had died the previous year.
In addition to being a co-founder of AA, Dr Bob served as a board Trustee from its inception up to 1944
and again from 1949 to the time of his death.
Unlike Bill, Dr Bob only had a limited number of writings that survived him. Two Grapevine articles that
he wrote during the 1940’s were titled “Tolerance” and “The Fundamentals - In Retrospect.” The articles
are classic Dr Bob - simple and straight to the point.

33
Dartmouth College - “The Drinkingest Ivy League School” - 1902
Dr Bob graduated from Dartmouth College in 1902. Dartmouth had a reputation as “the drinkingest of the
Ivy League schools.” Dr Bob’s picture is in the upper right corner.
After graduation, he went through three years of drifting and selling heavy hardware in Boston, Chicago
and Montreal. He entered the University of Michigan in the fall of 1905 as a 26 year old pre-med student
and drank much more heavily.
In the spring of 1907, he left the university due to his drinking to take a 1-month “geographic cure” on a
farm owned by a friend. Later that fall, after being allowed to take his exams, Dr Bob was forced to leave
the university because of his drinking.

34
Dr Bob As An Intern - 1910
Dr Bob transferred as a junior to Rush Medical College near Chicago. His drinking became so bad that
his fraternity brothers called for his father. Despite his drinking, Dr Bob (at age 31) received his medical
degree with high marks. However, prior to graduating, the Dean of the medical school required him to
return for two more quarters and remain absolutely dry.
After graduation, Dr Bob received a highly coveted two-year internship at Akron City Hospital and for two
years had no problem with drinking.

35
City Hospital of Akron - 1912
In 1912 Dr Bob joined the medical staff at Akron City Hospital and set up practice at the Second National
Bank Building. He remained there until he retired from practice in 1948.
After his internship, Dr Bob didn’t take very long to return to old drinking habits. By early 1914 (after
being hospitalized at least a dozen times) he was unable to get sober. His father sent a physician from St
Johnsbury to bring him home to Vermont and Dr Bob stayed there for about 4 months. He did not touch
a drink again until 5 years later - oddly enough in 1919 when prohibition started.
In 1929, Dr Bob went back to school to study under the Mayo brothers in Rochester, MN. He also
studied at the Jefferson Medical School in Philadelphia, PA and became a surgeon proctologist.

36
Anne Robinson Ripley
Dr Bob’s wife Anne was loved and revered by the Akron, OH members and by Bill and Lois. In a July
1949 memorial Grapevine article, Bill W wrote that Anne was “quite literally, the mother of our first group,
Akron #1 and in the full sense of the word she was one of the founders of AA.”

37
Anne Robinson Ripley - 1882
Anne Robinson Ripley was born March 21, 1881 in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, IL to Joseph and
Joyce Pierce Ripley. She was one of four children and grew up in a family of railroad people. It was a
very sheltered atmosphere, although there wasn’t much money at that time.

38
Anne Robinson Ripley - 1898
Anne was small and reserved and had a cheerfulness, sweetness, and calm that remained with her
throughout her life. She attended Wellesley College on a scholarship, because her family couldn’t have
afforded to send her there otherwise.
Dr Bob met Anne in 1898 during his senior year at St Johnsbury Academy while she was a student at
Wellesley. Anne was spending a holiday with a college friend. It was the beginning of a courtship
between Dr Bob and her that lasted for 17 years. There is some historical evidence that concerns about
Dr Bob’s drinking was a contributing factor to their lengthy courtship.

39
Anne Robinson Ripley - January 25, 1915
No one today can be absolutely certain of the reason for the delay. There were years of schooling, work,
and internship ahead for Dr Bob. There was also the possibility that Anne had a healthy fear of entering
the state of holy matrimony with a drinking man. Perhaps she waited until Bob gave evidence of being
sober for a time before she agreed to marry him.
However, they saw each other and corresponded regularly during this 17-year period, while Anne taught
school in Oak Park.
On January 25, 1915 Anne and Dr Bob were married in Chicago, IL in the home of Anne’s mother “at
half after eight o’clock” (as the wedding invitation read). They took up residence at 855 Ardmore Ave,
Akron, OH.
The first three years of their marriage were ideal, free from any of the unhappiness that was to come
later. Dr. Bob continued to stay sober, and any lingering doubts Anne might have had were stilled.

40
Robert (Smitty) Smith - June 5, 1918
On June 5, 1918 Dr Bob and Anne’s son, Robert (Smitty) was born. But the year of Smitty’s birth was
also the year of a national event that had a very different impact on Dr. Bob’s life - the 18th Amendment
was passed - Prohibition.

41
Dr Bob Starts To Drink Again During Prohibition - 1918
Before the 18th amendment went into effect, Dr Bob was not aware that the government would oblige
him by allowing doctors almost unlimited supplies of grain alcohol for “medicinal purposes.”
Many times during those “dry” years, Dr. Bob went to the phone book, picked out a name at random,
then filled out the prescription that would get him a pint of medicinal alcohol.

42
Son Smitty and Adopted Daughter Suzanne (Sue) - 1923
Anne and Dr Bob also an adopted daughter, Suzanne (nicknamed Sue) born February 15, 1918 and
adopted in 1923.
They also had a pit bull dog named Roger shown in the center of the left picture. Roger was a bit wild
and had to be muzzled to keep from attacking neighbor’s dogs.
Smitty and Sue’s biographies are in a book titled “Children of the Healer.” Both were the earliest
witnesses to the founding of AA in Akron OH.

43
Smitty And Sue - Two Different Paths
Smitty and Sue’s were the same age. World War II and then marriage, took Smitty from home and to
Texas, where he remained to live the rest of his life.

44
Smitty And Sue - Two Different Paths
In September 1941 ,Sue married Ernie G (Galbraith) whose Big Book story is “The Seven Month Slip.”
He was almost twice Sue’s age. Both Dr. Bob and Anne objected to Sue’s marriage very strongly. Ernie
could not stay sober and the marriage was a disaster.

45
A Terrible Tragedy
Ernie and Sue had two children, a son Mickey and a daughter Bonna who suffered from mental illness
compounded by alcoholism and drug addiction.
Tragically, on June 11, 1969, Bonna committed suicide after taking the life of her 6-year-old daughter
Sandy. Ernie G died two years later to the day.

46
AA Historical Sources - Co-founder Biographies
Both Dr Bob and Bill W have very informative biographies.
“Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers” contains the life story of the AA’s co-founder, interwoven with
recollections of early AA in the Midwest.
“Pass It On” contains the Story of Bill W and How the AA Message Reached the World.

47
The Co-Founders of AA and Grapevine Memorials
The pamphlet titled “The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous” contains brief biographies of Dr Bob
and Bill.
The Grapevine memorial issues published about our two co-founders are still available today and are
historical gems of biographical information that you won’t find anywhere else. The AA Grapevine is one
of the most under-appreciated, yet richest, sources of AA historical information.

48
Milestones Prior To AA
In the next series of slides, we will discus a number of milestones prior to AA that directly or indirectly
influenced the founding of AA.

49
Origin of the Word “Alcohol”
Let’s look at the historical origins of some words we are very familiar with today. Those words are
“alcoholism” “alcoholic” and “skid row.” We will also cover how alcohol and alcoholism was generally
dealt with prior to the founding of AA.
The origin of the word “alcohol” goes far back in history and comes from the Arabic word “al-kuhul.” The
word originally meant any fine powder. The alchemists of medieval Europe later applied the word
“alcohol” to essences obtained by distillation and this led to its current usage. However, it was not until
the 18th century (or 1700s) that the word “alcohol” came to designate the intoxicating ingredient in liquor.

50
Anthony Benezet - “Mighty Destroyer Displayed” - 1774
The earliest American writing on alcoholism was a 1774 essay by Anthony Benezet titled “Mighty
Destroyer Displayed.“ Benezet was an American educator, an abolitionist and a temperance advocate. In
these early days of the temperance movement, the word “temperance” was used, more often than not, to
encourage moderation in drinking not abstinence from drinking.
There were still many hard lessons about alcoholism waiting to be learned.

51
A New Republic On A Binge - Late 1700s To Early 1800s
The late 1700’s marked the beginning of the most severe national problem with alcohol in the history of
our country. Right from its birth, the newly formed republic of the United States was truly on an alcohol
binge of immense proportion.
American alcohol consumption increased enormously from the late 1700’s to early 1800’s and became a
national problem of such magnitude that many of the prominent historical figures of the time (such as
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams) urgently called for a
national change in drinking practices.

52
Myth: Dr Silkworth was the first US physician to call alcoholism a “disease”
The first American physician to call alcoholism a disease was Dr Benjamin Rush. He was a member of
the Continental Congress, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and Surgeon General of the
Army during the American Revolution. He is often called both the father of American psychiatry and
father of the American temperance movement.
In 1784, Rush wrote a paper titled “An Enquiry into the Effects of Ardent Spirits on the Human Body and
Mind.” He described habitual drunkenness as “a progressive and odious disease” and that total
abstinence “suddenly and entirely” was the only effective treatment.
In 1810 Rush also called for the creation of what he called “sober houses” where alcoholics could be
confined and rehabilitated. This was the forerunner of Treatment Centers.
It’s a bit ironic that Dr Bob, during some of the worst years of his drinking, received his medical degree
from Rush University which was named in honor of Dr Benjamin Rush, a pioneer in the treatment of
alcoholism.

53
American Temperance Societies
One reason for the growth in US alcohol consumption in the 1700s and 1800s was that, due to the lack
of hard currency, alcohol was used as a form of currency in business for bartering and trading. It was
also a common practice of the time for employers to provide their employees (which included children)
with daily rations of distilled liquor as part of their pay. Drinking preferences also shifted from beer and
wine to distilled liquor.
Problem drinking spanned all ages (from children to seniors). By the 1820s, average US consumption
was 7 gallons of pure alcohol per person each year. Today, average US consumption of alcohol is
around 1.8 gallons per person per year.
In the early 1800’s, religious and political leaders viewed drunkenness as a national curse. Momentum
was picked up by religious leaders who changed the notion of “temperance as moderation” to
“temperance as abstinence.” This began the growth of American temperance societies.

54
The Washington Temperance Society - April 5, 1840
One of those temperance societies was quite similar to AA and existed almost a century before AA.
On April 5,1840, a group of six drinking club friends (William Mitchell, John Hoss, David Anderson,
George Steers, James McCurley and Archibald Campbell) from Chase’s Tavern in Baltimore, MD formed
a total abstinence society. Pledging “not drink any spirituous or malt liquors, wine or cider” they named
themselves the “Washington Temperance Society” (in honor of George Washington). They later became
known as “Washingtonians.”
They required a pledge of total abstinence and attendance at weekly meetings where members would
tell their stories of drunkenness and recovery. As a body, they recognized no religion or creed and were
politically neutral. Each member was supposed to help alcoholics who were still drinking. They sought
out new prospects (or what they called “hard cases”). Their weekly meetings were held at Chase’s tavern
until the owner’s wife objected to the increasing loss of their best customers. They had a 25-cent
initiation fee ($6 today) and member’s dues of 12 ½ cents per month ($3 today).
On November 19, 1840, the Washingtonians held their first public meeting. Growth of the movement was
extremely rapid. Widespread and enthusiastic support came from numerous temperance societies. The
Washingtonians had great success in mobilizing public attention on temperance by relaying their
“experience sharing” of alcoholic debauchery followed by glorious accounts of personal reformation. A
leader of the movement noted, “There is a prevalent impression, that none but reformed drunkards are
admitted as members of the Washingtonian Society. This is a mistake. Any man may become a member
by signing the pledge and continue so by adhering to it.”

55
The Washingtonian Decline - 1847
By mid-to-end 1843, the Washingtonian movement peaked after having reached all major areas of the
US. Estimates of its membership vary and are contradictory. The sole requirement for membership was
to sign a “total abstinence pledge.” Members included primarily of teetotalers, temperance advocates,
and a large segment of adolescents (under age 15) and drinkers of various types whose numbers far
exceeded that of the “drunkards.” A reliable estimate of the number of alcoholics in the mix is impossible
to derive. Over the lifetime of the movement, hundreds of thousands signed pledges but the number of
rehabilitated alcoholics was likely under 150,000.
It is estimated that Washingtonians “spent its force” by 1847 and began its downfall. The society
originally favored “moral suasion” to achieve reformation of the alcoholic through abstinence. However,
as the Washingtonian membership makeup changed rapidly and radically to consist mainly of non-
alcoholic temperance advocates, sentiments shifted away from reformation of alcoholics to the pursuit of
a legal means to prohibit alcohol. Washingtonian practices came to be viewed as outmoded and interest
waned. There was no sudden or massive collapse. When the novelty and emotional appeal of the
Washingtonians became outmoded, they simply faded from the scene over time.

56
Myth: Washingtonian Involvement In Politics, Religion And The Abolition Of Slavery Caused Their
Downfall
“AA Comes of Age” (pg 125) cites issues such as religion, politics and abolition of slavery as root causes
of the Washingtonian decline. While there were certainly cases of this, there is no compelling evidence to
support or conclude that these issues had a major role in the Washingtonians downfall. They appear to
be a myth.
Prohibition was certainly a very divisive issue among the Washingtonians as were power struggles
among its leadership. However, the major causes of the Washingtonians downfall were a direct result of
their departing from their original membership makeup (which started out as all alcoholics) and their
departing from their original primary and single purpose (which started out as one alcoholic helping
another alcoholic who was still suffering). It’s a powerful lesson on the vital importance of AA’s Traditions
to the ongoing survival of the AA Fellowship.
The claim that the Washingtonian downfall occurred due to their involvement in politics, religion and the
abolition of slavery stems from Bill W when he first wrote about the Washingtonians in an August 1945
Grapevine article. It was his first article in a long series that explained the Traditions.
The prior month’s July 1945 Grapevine included a Michigan member’s article on the Washingtonians that
contained a number of factual errors. Bill accepted the article as factual and carried the errors into his
Tradition 10 essay in the 12&12. When Bill W writes something it is often interpreted as gospel. But Bill
as a genuine human being made his share of human errors in his writings.

57
Myth: Washingtonian involvement in politics, religion and the abolition of slavery caused their downfall
Past AA General Service Board Chairman Milton A Maxwell wrote a splendid research paper on the
Washingtonians in 1950 while he was an Assistant Professor at the State College of Washington.
Maxwell’s article later became a primary source for Grapevine articles written in October 1962, February
1971 and January 1991. There are several other Grapevine articles about the Washingtonians.
It should be noted, however, that the articles do not go through a vetting and verification process to
validate and confirm their content. So one should be careful in interpreting their historical accuracy.

58
Myth: Washingtonian Involvement In Politics, Religion And The Abolition Of Slavery Caused Their
Downfall
As an example, the October 1962 Grapevine article about the Washingtonians illustrates the difficulties
of using the magazine as a reference source. It is mainly due to the editorial license that is interspersed
among source references.
The October 1962 Grapevine article about the Washingtonians states: “What happened to them? By an
AA ‘coincidence’ there arrived at the Grapevine the same week an excerpt from a scholarly treatment of
‘The Washingtonian Movement’ written by Milton A Maxwell, PhD and published in the Quarterly Journal
of Studies on Alcohol. -- The Washingtonians, Dr. Maxwell points out, had certain notable features later
incorporated into AA: ... Unfortunately, the movement eventually was torn apart in the political and
doctrinal warfare associated with the temperance and abolition movements.”
The sentence that begins with "Unfortunately" was the editorial license of the Grapevine article's author.
Maxwell's paper makes no mention at all about the abolition movement or slavery.

59
Washingtonians - Early1840s
In 1841, the Washingtonians organized the first “Martha Washington Society” meeting for women and
children in NY. They provided moral and material support to reform female alcoholics and assisted the
wives and children of male alcoholics. This was the first temperance movement in which women
assumed leadership roles.
On February 22 1842, Abraham Lincoln spoke to the Springfield, IL Washingtonians. He praised the
movement and criticized earlier temperance movements that defined the alcoholic as incorrigible.

60
Dr Magnus Huss - 1849
The words “alcoholism” and “alcoholic” were coined in 1849 by Swedish physician Magnus Huss. He
used the terms in medical papers in which he described a state of chronic, destructive intoxication and a
diseased condition produced by alcohol. It took nearly a century (or the mid-1900s) for the words
“alcoholism” and “alcoholic” to gain widespread use in America.

61
Seattle, WA - 1852
The term “skid row” is believed to have originated in 1852 from a section of Seattle, WA. A sawmill built
in Pioneer Square near Puget Sound used skids (or tracks of peeled logs) to drag timber to the mill. The
area became home to vagrants and destitute alcoholics. It was first known as “Skid Road” and later as
“Skid Row.”
The term was picked up by the national press to describe blighted city areas frequented by chronic
alcoholics. It is still used in cities today such as downtown Los Angeles, CA whose Skid Row has an
estimated homeless population of 8 to 9,000.

62
Cary Amelia Moore Nation - Mid-1840s To Eary-1900s
Cary Nation was an American temperance leader and quite an imposing character. At age 21, she
married Dr Charles Gloyd who was an alcoholic. Her efforts to reform him failed, and he died of his
alcoholism shortly after their marriage.
In 1877, she married David Nation, a minister and lawyer. They settled in Medicine Lodge, KS where she
responded to what she considered a divine calling to destroy saloons. Nearly 6 ft. tall and dressed as a
deaconess, she was a imposing figure and gained national renown for her radical opposition to alcohol.
In Wichita, KS, she began to use a hatchet to ruin saloons, describing her havoc-wreaking calls as
“hatchetations.” Arrested 30 times for disturbing the peace, funds from her lectures and sales of souvenir
hatchets paid for her bail and fines. She published newsletters called “Smasher's Mail” the “Hatchet” and
the “Home Defender” which helped pay for a home for wives of alcoholics in Kansas City, KS.
In 1901, her husband David divorced her for desertion.

63
Franchises And Miracle Cures - Late 1800s
In the late 1800’s, businesses offering so-called alcoholism “cures” grew at a prolific rate. In many cases
the remedy they prescribed was far more dangerous than what it was supposed to fix.
Some of these unregulated businesses became so popular that they grew into what we would today call
“franchises” or “chains.” Two prominent chains were the Keeley Institute and the Gatlin Institute.
Between 1880 and 1920, more than 500,000 alcoholics and addicts took the Keeley Cure (which was
praised by some as a cure of miraculous potential and at the same time attacked by others as a fraud).

64
Timeline History Of AA
That concludes the preliminary milestone history material and now I’d like to move into the history of AA
in the framework of describing the origin and evolution of AA’s Three Legacies.

65
AA Comes Of Age - July 1-3, 1955
AA’s 20th anniversary and second International Convention was held in St Louis’ Kiel Auditorium July 1-
3, 1955. The historic convention introduced a new circle and triangle symbol that was prominently
displayed on a large banner draping the back of the stage.
In “AA Comes of Age” (pg 139) AA’s co-founder, Bill W, described the circle as representing the whole of
AA. The triangle represented AA’s 3 Legacies of Recovery, Unity and Service.
Each of AA’s 3 Legacies has a foundation of 12 spiritual principles. They are
The 12 Steps for the Legacy of Recovery
The 12 Traditions for the Legacy of Unity and
The 12 Concepts for the Legacy of Service
Bill W defined the Three Legacies of AA to be the gifts from the founders and old-timers to each
succeeding generation in AA. Those gifts were freely received and are freely given.
We are going to walk through a timeline of how those gifts came to be.

66
Notable Names in AA History - Born in the 1800s
AA is a product of the 20th century yet most of the prominent names in AA history were born in the 19th
century. The youngest name on the list is Ebby T (Thacher) born in 1896 prior to the turn of the century.
He carried a message of recovery to AA’s co-founder Bill W which is described in the Big Book chapter
“Bill’s Story.” The eldest names on the list is Charles B Towns born in Georgia in 1862 during the middle
of the Civil War.

67
Charles B Towns Hospital - 1901
In 1901, the Charles B Towns Hospital opened in NYC as a private “drying out” hospital for the well-to-
do. It first opened on 81st and 82nd Streets and later moved to 293 Central Park West. Towns also
opened an annex at 119 W 81st St to provide treatment for patients of “moderate means.” Hospital fees
had to be paid in advance or be guaranteed. Treatment fees for alcoholism ran from $75 to $150 in the
main hospital ($1,875 to $3,750 today) and $50 ($1,250 today) in the annex.
Towns had no medical background but was recognized as an international leader and reformer in the
treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction. He played a significant role in providing financial support to
Bill W during development of the Big Book and helped arrange much favorable publicity for AA in its
early years.

68
A Fragment Of History By Bill W - July 1953
Bill W published a July 1953 Grapevine article titled “A Fragment of History” which can be found in the
book “The Language of the Heart” (pgs 195-202). It’ chronicles the origin of AA’s Twelve Steps.
In the article, Bill named Dr William D Silkworth as one of the three main channels of inspiration for the
Steps. He identified the other two main channels of inspiration as William James and the Oxford Group.

69
Dr William D Silkworth - 1918
Dr William D Silkworth is central to the Big Book chapter “The Doctor’s Opinion.” Bill W fondly called him
“the little doctor who loved drunks.” The photo shows Dr Silkworth around 1918 when he was on active
Army duty during World War I. It was at this time when he decided to change medical specialties from
neurology to the treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction.
Dr Silkworth joined the Towns Hospital staff in 1930 after losing his investments and savings in the
massive stock market crash of the Great Economic Depression.
He was the medical director of Towns Hospital in 1934 when Bill W sobered up there after four
admissions. We’ll get to Dr Silkworth’s specific influence on the Steps and Big Book in just a few slides.

70
The Varieties Of Religious Experience - 1902 - William James - 1907
Harvard professor William James presented the “Gifford Lecture Series on Natural Religion” in 1901 at
the University of Aberdeen in Edinburgh, Scotland. His lectures were published in June 1902 in a
critically acclaimed book titled “The Varieties of Religious Experience - A Study In Human Nature.”
James cited numerous examples of 2 styles of spiritual transformation, one was gradual and the other
was sudden and dramatic - neither was considered superior to the other.
Thirty-two years after its publication a copy of the book was given to Bill W during his last stay in Towns
Hospital. It strongly influenced Bill and early AA members and is mentioned in the Big Book. James is
mentioned twice in the Big Book by name. He is also called the founding father of American psychology.

71
Emmanuel Episcopal Church - The Emmanuel Movement - 1906
Another influence to AA’s later development occurred In 1906 when the Rev Drs Elwood Worcester and
Samuel McComb, along with physician Dr Isador Coriat, opened a clinic in the Emmanuel Episcopal
Church in Boston, MA.
It introduced the use of spirituality, and recovered alcoholics as lay therapists, in the treatment of
alcoholism. Among the noted lay therapists were Courtenay Baylor, Richard Peabody, Francis
Chambers and Samuel Crocker.

72
Rev Frank N D Buchman - Keswick Chapel, England - July 1908
Lutheran Minister Frank Buchman attended the Keswick Convention of Evangelicals in England in mid-
1908.
After hearing a sermon by a woman evangelist, Jessie Penn-Lewis, he had a profound conversion
experience and helped another attendee to go through the same experience.
Returning to the US, he started his “laboratory years” working out the principles he would later apply on a
global scale. His movement was initially called the “First Century Christian Fellowship.” In the 1920’s it
was renamed to the “Oxford Group” and in 1938 renamed again to “Moral Re-Armament” or “MRA.” In
2001 “MRA” was renamed to “Initiatives of Change.” The organization today bears virtually no similarity
at all to its early roots.

73
Core Principles of the Oxford Group
Frank Buchman worked mostly in Princeton, Cambridge and Oxford Universities. His movement received
wide international publicity in the 1920’s-30’s.
Core Oxford Group principles consisted of the “four absolutes” (of honesty, unselfishness, purity and
love, which were believed to be derived from scripture in the Sermon on the Mount). Additionally the OG
advocated the “five C’s” (of confidence, confession, conviction, conversion and continuance) and “five
procedures” (of 1. Give in to God, 2. Listen to God’s direction, 3. Check guidance, 4. Restitution and 5.
Sharing for witness and confession).
The OG gave AA the term “sharing.” They were also strong advocates of self-examination, admission of
character defects, amends for harm done and working in service with others. Reputedly, Buchman dated
the founding and name of the “Oxford Group” when he met with undergraduates from Christ Church
College of Oxford University).

74
Rev Samuel Moor Shoemaker - Calvary Episcopal Church - 1918/1925
In early 1918, Sam Shoemaker met Frank Buchman in Beijing China. He too had a spiritual conversion
experience and became a devoted member of Buchman’s movement.
Shoemaker became rector of the Calvary Episcopal Church in NYC in 1925 and held a leadership role in
the Oxford Group. The OG’s US headquarters were set up at Calvary House, a building immediately next
to the church.
One more accomplishment of Shoemaker was the Calvary Rescue Mission.

75
Urban Rescue Missions - 1872
The first urban rescue mission in the US was founded in New York City in October 1872 by ex-convict
Jerry McAuley. Rescue missions were later spread across America by the Salvation Army and were
focused primarily on Skid Row alcoholics.
When McAuley died (in 1884), he was succeeded by Samuel Hopkins Hadley. His example of recovery
from alcoholism was cited in William James’ 1902 book “The Varieties of Religious Experience.”

76
Harry R Hadley - Calvary Rescue Mission - Late 1920s
In the late 1920’s Hadley’s son, Harry, joined with the Rev Sam Shoemaker to establish the Calvary
Rescue Mission. It was the place from which Ebby T (Thacher) carried a message of recovery to Bill W.
Hadley was also in charge of the mission when Bill W, fresh out of Towns Hospital, visited there seeking
alcoholics to work with. But I’m getting a little ahead of myself.

77
Prohibition - the 18th Amendment - January 16, 1919
The 18th amendment to the US Constitution, prohibiting alcohol, was ratified on January 16, 1919. On
May 19 of that year, Congress passed the Volstead (or National Prohibition) Act over President Wilson’s
veto. Terms such as “bootlegger,” “speakeasy” and “bathtub gin” entered the national vocabulary.
Both Bill W and Dr Bob did the worst of their drinking at a time when alcohol was illegal in the US.

78
Black Tuesday - October 29, 1929
On October 28 and 29, 1929 the Stock Market in NYC collapsed. Contrary to myth, people did not jump
out of office windows when their fortunes were lost. Because of the crash, Bill W was broke and $60,000
in debt (equivalent to $750,000 today). He and his Wall St benefactor, Frank Shaw, parted company.
Soon after, Bill’s friend, Dick Johnson, offered him a job in Montreal, Canada with Greenshields and Co.
By Christmas, Bill and his wife Lois were in Canada living lavishly in a furnished apartment in Mount
Royal overlooking Montreal. They had a new Packard automobile and membership in a Country Club.
In less than ten months after arriving in Montreal, Bill was fired from Greenshields and Co due to his
drinking and fighting in the country club. Lois went back to Brooklyn - her mother had fallen ill. Bill stayed
in Montreal to clean up details.
In December, after a binge that started in Montreal and carried him into VT, Lois went to get Bill. They
returned to 182 Clinton St and moved into a room there. Lois’ mother was terminally ill with bone cancer
and she passed away on Christmas day. Bill, drunk for days before, could not attend the funeral and he
stayed drunk for many days after.

79
First In The Chain Of Events That Led To The Founding Of AA - January 23, 1961
Bill W wrote a January 1963 Grapevine article on his 1961 exchange of letters with Dr Carl Gustav Jung.
The article is in “The Language of the Heart” (pgs 276-281).
In his first letter Bill informed Dr Jung that his past treatment of an alcoholic patient was “the first in the
chain of events that led to the founding of AA.” Bill went on to relate that Jung’s patient treated found
sobriety through the Oxford Group. This, in turn, led to his helping another alcoholic (Ebby T) who carried
a message of recovery to Bill in 1934.

80
Rowland H - Dr Carl Gustav Jung - Early 1930s
The alcoholic patient was Rowland H (Hazard) who came from a very wealthy colonial Rhode Island
family. Detailed and accurate Information about him has been difficult to obtain and verify. The Hazard
family has persistently made it known that they wish to keep their family matters private.
Rowland was treated by Dr Jung in Zurich, Switzerland in the late 1920s or early 1930s. After returning
to drinking and being treated a second time, Rowland was told by Dr Jung that there was no medical or
psychological hope for an alcoholic of his type; that his only hope was a vital spiritual or religious
experience - in short a genuine conversion experience.
Rowland was hospitalized again for his alcoholism in February and March 1932. From January 1933 to
October 1934 his drinking left him unable to carry on his business activities.
Courtenay Baylor became Rowland's therapist in 1933, and continued to work with him through 1934. It
was under the influence of Baylor's Emmanuel Movement therapy (with its combination of spirituality and
simple lay therapy) that Rowland actually began to recover.
Rowland became a prominent member and vestryman of the Calvary Episcopal Church in NYC (the
Oxford Group’s US headquarters.
In the latter 1930s, he was a member of the Oxford Group’s “Business Team” together with Bill Wilson,
James Newton and T Henry Williams of Akron, OH.
He later moved to Shaftsbury and Bennington VT which would lead to his eventual contact with Ebby T
(Thacher).

81
Richard Peabody and The Common Sense of Drinking – 1931
“The Common Sense of Drinking” by Richard Peabody, was published in 1931. It strengthened the
concept of alcoholism as an illness and contained the statement “Half measures are to no avail.” The
book later became a prominent reference source in the early AA Fellowship.
Unfortunately, Peabody himself was unable to stay sober.

82
James Newton - Bud Firestone - Sam Shoemaker - 1931
AA’s Oxford Group seeds were sown in Akron, OH 4 years prior to Bill W finding sobriety.
Russell (Bud) Firestone was the son of business tycoon Harvey S Firestone Sr. In 1931 Bud was
drinking a fifth or more of whiskey a day. James Newton, a Firestone executive and prominent OG
member, introduced Bud to Sam Shoemaker. Bud spiritually surrendered with Shoemaker and was
released from his alcohol obsession and joined the OG.

83
Harvey S Firestone Sr - Akron Oxford Group - January 1933
Two years later, in January 1933, Harvey Firestone Sr, grateful for the help given his son Bud,
sponsored an Oxford Group conference weekend headquartered at the Mayflower Hotel in Akron, OH.
Frank Buchman and 30 members of his team were met at the train station by the Firestones and Rev
Walter Tunks (Firestone’s minister and rector of St Paul’s Episcopal Church).
The event included 300 overseas members of the OG and received widespread news coverage. It also
attracted some notable names in AA history such as Henrietta Sieberling, T Henry and Clarace Williams
and Dr Bob’s wife, Anne who later persuaded Dr Bob to attend OG meetings.

84
Dr Leonard V Strong - Towns Hospital - Autumn 1933
By the Autumn of 1933 Bill W was quite literally drinking himself to death. In desperation, his wife Lois
turned to their brother-in-law Dr Leonard V Strong for help. He arranged and paid for Bill’s first admission
to Towns Hospital. Dr Strong was married to Bill’s sister Dorothy.
In Towns Hospital, Bill was subjected to the “belladonna cure.” The regimen was fairly brutal and
primarily involved much “purging and puking” aided by, among other things, castor oil. Belladonna, a
hallucinogen, was used to ease the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.

85
Prohibition Repealed - December 5, 1933
In early 1933, beer had become legal and Dr Bob went through what he called in his Big Book story the
“beer experiment.” It was not long before he was drinking a case and a half a day fortifying the beer with
straight alcohol.
In his Big Book story, Dr Bob also says this was around the time when he was introduced to the Oxford
Group. He participated in the OG for 2 ½ years before meeting Bill W.
On December 5, 1933, the 21st amendment to the US Constitution was ratified repealing the 18th
amendment. The almost decade and a half prohibition of alcohol was widely disregarded and yielded
fortunes for organized crime in bootlegging and smuggling. The 18th amendment also has the distinction
of being the only part of the US Constitution that has been repealed.

86
Ebby T - Cebra G - July 1934
In July 1934, Ebby T (Thacher) was approached in Manchester, VT by two old drinking friends, and now
sober Oxford Group members, Cebra G (Graves) and Shep C (Cornell). They informed Ebby of the OG
but he was not quite ready yet to stop drinking.
Cebra and Shep later vacationed at Rowland H’s house in Bennington, VT and learned that Ebby was
facing criminal charges and commitment to an asylum because of his drinking. Rowland and Cebra
attended Ebby’s trial and persuaded the judge (who was Cebra's father) to parole Ebby to their custody.
Ebby stayed in Bennington, VT with Rowland H for several weeks.

87
Towns Hospital - September 17, 1934
Bill W’s third admission to Towns Hospital (again paid by Dr Leonard V Strong) occurred on September
17,1934. During this stay Dr Silkworth pronounced Bill a hopeless drunk and informed Lois that Bill
would likely have to be committed. Bill left the hospital a deeply frightened man and sheer terror kept him
sober. He found a little work on Wall St, which began to restore his badly shattered confidence.
On November 11, 1934, Armistice Day, Bill W went to play golf and got drunk and badly injured. Lois
began investigating sanitariums in which to place Bill.

88
Ebby T - Calvary Rescue Mission - 1934
While in Vermont, Rowland H introduced Ebby to the Oxford Group and later took him to the Calvary
Rescue Mission in NY City. In late November, while staying at the Calvary Mission and working with the
OG, Ebby T heard about Bill W’s problems with drinking. He phoned Lois who invited him over for dinner.
Ebby had been boyhood friends with both Lois and Bill.
Ebby visited Bill and shared his recovery experience in the OG which is described in the Big Book
chapter “Bill’s Story.” Days later, Ebby returned with Shep C to speak to Bill about the OG. Bill did not
think too highly of Shep. Lois recalled that Ebby visited several times, once even staying for dinner.
On December 7, Bill W decided to investigate the Calvary Mission on 23rd St. arriving drunk with a
drinking companion found along the way (Alec the Finn). Bill kept interrupting the service wanting to
speak. On the verge of being ejected, Ebby came by and fed Bill a plate of beans. Bill later joined the
penitents and drunkenly “testified” at the meeting.

89
Dr Silkworth - Bill W Towns Hospital Admission - December 11, 1934
After three admissions, to Towns Hospital Dr Silkworth told Bill’s wife Lois that his condition appeared
hopeless and he would likely have to be put in an institution. Bill managed to stay sober for a while but
on November 11, Armistice Day, he got drunk and severely injured.
Following Ebby’s visits to his home, Bill entered Towns Hospital for the fourth time and drank his last
beer in the hospital lobby on December 11, 1934 . This was Bill’s sobriety date.
Bill later fell into a deep depression while in the hospital and had a profound spiritual experience which
he later jokingly called his “hot flash” experience. Fearing that he had gone crazy, he called for Dr
Silkworth who told Bill to hang on to what he had experienced because it seemed so much better than
what he came into the hospital with.

90
The Varieties of Religious Experience - 1901/1902
During his hospital stay Bill read William James’ book “The Varieties of Religious Experience” and found
it deeply inspiring. It revealed 3 key points for recovery: 1st: the need for a complete defeat in a vital area
of life (or what we today call “hitting bottom”) 2nd: the admission of defeat (or what we today call
“acceptance”) and 3rd: an appeal to a higher power for help (or what we today call “surrender”). These
spiritual principles later became the basis for Steps 1, 2 and 3.

91
Calvary House - Calvary Hall Oxford Group Meeting - Late 1934
Bill W left Towns Hospital. He and Lois began attending Oxford Group meetings with Ebby T, Shep C
and Rowland H in Calvary Hall at Calvary House.
Bill worked with alcoholics at the Calvary Mission and Towns Hospital, emphasizing his “hot flash”
spiritual experience. Alcoholic Oxford Group members began meeting at Bill’s home on Clinton St in
Brooklyn.
They would also meet after Oxford Group meetings at Stewart’s Cafeteria near the mission.

92
Henrietta Sieberling - The Williams’ Home - March 1935
In March 1935, Henrietta Sieberling, encouraged by her friend Delphine Weber, organized a
Wednesday-night Oxford Group meeting at the home of T Henry and Clarace Williams.
It was started specifically to help Dr Bob with his drinking. Dr Bob later began to confess openly about
his drinking problem but he could not stop drinking no matter how much or how hard he tried. OG
meetings continued at the William’s house until 1954.

93
Bill W - Dr Silkworth - April 1935
After a few months, at having no success in sobering up other alcoholics Bill W came very close to giving
up on his efforts. However, his wife Lois reminded him that he was staying sober because of his working
with others.
In April 1935, Bill had a talk with Dr Silkworth who advised him to stop preaching about his hot flash
experience in the hospital and hit the alcoholics hard with the medical view on alcoholism. Silkworth
advised Bill to break down the strong egos of alcoholics by telling them about the obsession that
condemned them to drink and the allergy that condemned them to go mad or die. It would then be so
much easier to get them to accept the spiritual solution

94
An Historic Phone Call - May 11, 1935
Bill returned to Wall St and met Howard Tompkins who was involved in a proxy fight for control of the
National Rubber Machinery Co in Akron, OH. Bill went to Akron in May 1935 but the proxy fight was
quickly lost. In poor spirits and tempted to enter the hotel bar, Bill realized he needed another alcoholic.
He phoned clergy members listed on the hotel lobby directory and reached the Rev Walter Tunks.

95
An Historic Phone Call - May 11, 1935
The Rev Walter Tunks referred Bill to Oxford Group member Norman Sheppard who then referred Bill to
Henrietta Sieberling. Bill introduced himself to her as “a member of the OG and a rum hound from New
York.” Henrietta met with Bill at her gatehouse (at Stan Hywet Hall) on the Sieberling estate. She viewed
Bill’s arrival as the answer to her prayers for Dr Bob and called Dr Bob’s wife Anne to arrange a dinner
the next day.

96
Sieberling Gatehouse - Dr Bob’s Home - May 12, 1935
At 5PM on Mother’s Day May 12, 1935 Bill W (age 39) met Dr Bob (age 55) his wife Anne and their
young son Smitty (age 17) at Henrietta Sieberling’s gatehouse. Dr Bob was so badly hung over that he
couldn’t eat dinner and planned to stay only 15 minutes.
Privately, Bill told Dr Bob of his alcoholism experience in the manner suggested by Dr Silkworth. Dr Bob
then opened up and he and Bill talked until after 11PM. Dr Bob’s planned 15 minutes turned into 6 hours.

97
Portage Country Club - Dr Bob’s Home - May/June 1935
Henrietta Sieberling arranged for Bill to stay at the Portage Country Club. Later, in early June, Bill moved
to Dr Bob’s house at the request of Anne Smith. Bill insisted on keeping two bottles of liquor in the
kitchen to prove that he and Dr Bob could live in the presence of liquor.

98
Oxford Group Meetings At The Williams Home - May 1935
They all went to Oxford Group meetings at the home of T Henry and Clarace Williams. T Henry, who was
an executive with the National Rubber Machinery Co, lost his job due to the proxy fight that brought Bill
to Akron, OH. OG meetings continued at the William’s house until 1954.

99
Dr Bob’s Last Binge - June 1935
In his Big Book story Dr Bob briefly describes his 3-day binge at an AMA convention in Atlantic City, NJ.
Upon his return to Akron, Bill W helped him through a 3-day sobering up period to get ready for a
scheduled surgery. Dr Bob had his last drink on the day of the surgery and gives the date as June 10,
1935. AA also marks this date as the beginning of the AA Fellowship.
The books “AA Comes of Age” (147) “Dr Bob and the Good Oldtimers” (72) and “Pass It On” (147) all
erroneously state that the AMA Convention began the first week of June 1935. The AMA Archives has
long-ago confirmed that the convention began in the 2nd week of June 1935 on June 10. Allowing for 3+
days of binging and blacking out followed by 3 days of sobering up, Dr Bob’s sober date appears to
actually be June 17th not June 10th.

100
The Search for AA #3 - Letter From Bill W to Lois - May 1935
The first prospect Bill W and Dr Bob tried to help was a physician, a Dr M (McKay). He was described by
Bill W, in a letter to Lois, as “once the most prominent surgeon in town, who developed into a terrific rake
and drunk - he was rich, lost everything, wife committed suicide, he is ostracized and on the point of
suicide himself - his change if accomplished, would be a most powerful witness to the whole town as his
case is so notorious.”
An example of the letter that Bill wrote to Lois is illustrated in an appendix to his autobiography “Bill W -
My First 40 Years” and is shown in the slide. It’s a forgery - it shows Bill and Lois living in Bedford Hills,
NY which didn’t occur until 1941.

101
Eddie R - Almost AA #3 - June 1935
In “Dr Bob and the Good Oldtimers” there is a funny story that took place in early June 1935 in Akron. Dr
Bob suggested that he and Bill W work with other alcoholics. A local Minister, J C Wright, provided a
prospect who lived down the street from Dr Bob and who was quite a character.
Bill and Bob tried in vain, throughout the summer, to sober up Edgar (Eddie) R (Reilly) who was later
described as an “alcoholic atheist and able to produce a major crisis of some sort about every other day.”
Eddie R missed the opportunity to be AA #3 but he showed up at Dr Bob’s funeral in 1950. He was sober
and attending the Youngstown, OH group.
Eddie, has the dubious distinction of being mentioned in the book “Dr Bob and the Good Old-timers” as
the member who chased Anne Smith with a butcher knife. Eddie was one of the early prospects who
helped Bill and Dr Bob to learn a great deal about the “dos and don’ts” in working with other alcoholics.

102
AA # 3 And Akron Group # 1 - Late June 1935
In late June Dr Bob and Bill W visited Bill D (Dotson) at the City Hospital of Akron. Bill D was a prominent
attorney and had been hospitalized 8 times in 1935 for his drinking. It took 5 days before Bill D would
admit that he could not control his drinking.
On Independence Day July 4, 1935 Bill D checked out of the hospital never to drink again. Akron’s
Group #1 (AA’s first group) marks its beginning as the date that Bill D left the hospital.
Although Bill D is anonymously discussed in the Big Book chapter “A Vision for You” his personal story
did not appear in either the original manuscript or 1st edition Big Book. The reasons for this are not clear.
He was Ohio’s Panel 1 Delegate to the 1st General Service Conference in 1951. Bill W went to Akron to
personally record Bill D’s story for inclusion in the 2nd edition Big Book which was published in 1955.

103
182 Clinton Street - Hank P - Late 1935
Lois W went to Akron to join Bill at the Smith’s house for two weeks in July 1935. Bill W left Akron and
returned to NYC in August 1935. Bill focused his efforts on getting the NY Group established. They met
at Bill’s home on Clinton St and it also became a halfway house of sorts. Ebby T came to live there in
November.
In late 1935, Hank P (Parkhurst) whose Big Book Story is “The Unbeliever” and Fitz M (Mayo) whose Big
Book Story is “Our Southern Friend” sobered up at Towns Hospital with Bill’s help. Hank and Fitz joined
with Bill and in the following years Hank started AA in NJ and also had a major role in the development
of the Big Book. Fitz M started AA in Washington, DC and helped start AA in Baltimore, MD.

104
Rev Frank Buchman - Oxford Group PR Disaster - August 26, 1936
On August 26, 1936 Frank Buchman and the Oxford Group experienced an international public relations
disaster. A “NY World Telegram” article by William H Birnie quoted Buchman as saying, “I thank heaven
for a man like Adolph Hitler, who built a front-line of defense against the anti-Christ of Communism.”
Although the remark was taken out of context in its reporting, it plagued Buchman’s reputation for many
years and it marked the beginning of the decline of the Oxford Group.
Over time, Bill was criticized by the NY Oxford Group members for working only with alcoholics. In
Akron, T Henry and Clarace Williams were also criticized by Oxford Group members who did not support
their efforts with alcoholics.
The Oxford Group was out to save the world and sought out famous public figures to join their ranks for
the publicity it would generate. Bill simply was out to save some nameless drunks.

105
Charles B Towns Hospital - Group Conscience - December 1936
In “AA Comes of Age” (pg 102) the earliest personal experience that influenced the Traditions, and AA’s
Legacy of Unity, occurred when Bill W was two years sober. In December 1936, Charles B Towns
offered Bill a lucrative job at his hospital as a lay alcoholism therapist. After years of a hand to mouth
existence Bill wanted the job very much.
The question was put to the NY group meeting in Bill’s home and they rejected it. Bill complied and
cooperated with their decision and later wrote in “AA Comes of Age” (pgs 101-102):
“Three blows, well and truly struck, had fallen on the anvil of experience … The common welfare must
come first … AA cannot have a class of professional therapists … and God, speaking in the group
conscience, is to be our final authority.” Bill went on to write “Clearly implied in these three embryo
principles of tradition was a fourth: Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.”

106
Ebby T Drinks Again - NY Separates From The Oxford Group - August 1937
In April 1937, Ebby T (Thacher) got drunk after 2 ½ years sobriety. It began an on-again, off-again
pattern of drinking and sobriety that would stay with Ebby.
During their earliest years, the Akron and NY groups were affiliated with the Oxford Group. It was helpful
at first but over time it produced problems, particularly after Buchman’s public relations disaster in 1936.
Leaders of the Oxford Group at the Calvary Mission ordered alcoholics staying there not to attend
meetings at Clinton St. Bill W and Lois were criticized by OG members for having “drunks only” meetings
at their home. The Wilson’s were described as “not maximum” (an OG term for those believed to be
lagging in their devotion to OG principles).
In August 1937 Bill and Lois stopped attending OG meetings at the Calvary House and the NY AAs
separated from the OG. This was the beginning of AA separating itself from outside affiliation. It set the
groundwork for what would later become Tradition 6. The Akron group remained affiliated with the OG
for two more years.

107
Dr Bob And Bill W - The Williams’ Living Room - Akron - Late 1937
In October 1937, Bill W and Dr Bob met again in Akron, OH. After 2 1/2 years there were still just two
groups and about 40 sober members (more than half were sober for over a year). It was actually a
remarkable success story since every one of the sober members had previously been considered
hopeless and beyond any help at all.
Bill had some rather grandiose ideas for AA hospitals, paid missionaries and a book of experience to
carry the message to distant places. Dr Bob liked the book idea but not the hospitals and paid
missionaries. In a meeting at T Henry Williams home, Bill's ideas narrowly passed. A single vote made
the difference among the meeting of 18 Akron members. The NY group was more enthusiastic. This
historic milestone marked the collective group conscience decision to write the Big Book.

108
Dr Leonard V Strong - Willard S Richardson - 1937/1938
The book project’s first challenge was financing and it was no simple matter. The country was still in the
grips of the great economic depression and the prospects of World War II were looming dangerously
large in Europe and Asia.
Initial efforts to raise funds were not successful. Bill W’s brother-in-law, Dr Leonard V Strong, set up a
meeting in December 1937 with Willard S Richardson (who was an ordained minister and manager of
John D Rockefeller’s philanthropies). A second meeting took place in January 1938.

109
Frank Amos - February 1938
In February 1938, Willard Richardson asked Frank Amos to visit Akron, OH and make a report on the
small Fellowship of alcoholics. His report was very detailed and exceptionally favorable. The main
emphasis in the report was on Dr Bob’s desperate financial situation and actions that should be taken to
help him.

110
Willard Richardson Letter To John D Rockefeller Jr - February 23, 1938
Willard Richardson sent Amos’ report to John D Rockefeller Jr urging a donation of $5,000 a year for 1
or possibly 2 years. ($76,000 a year in today’s dollars).
There is some confusion and erroneous information in AA literature on the amount that Rockefeller was
asked to donate. Bill W wrote in a May 1947 Grapevine article (LOH 61) that the recommended donation
was $30,000 and then later in “AA Comes of Age” (pg 150) wrote that it was $50,000. Both these
amounts are mistaken based on GSO Archives records - one of which is shown in this slide. It’s not
clear where Bill W got the figures he cited.

111
John D Rockefeller Jr - March 17,1938
On March 17,1938 Rockefeller replied to Richardson that it was contrary to the policy of his
philanthropies to fully fund a charitable enterprise unless it was decided to carry it indefinitely.
Rockefeller declined to make a donation for the second year but did provide $5,000 to be held in a fund
in the Riverside Church treasury.
Much of the fund was used to immediately assist Dr Bob by paying off the mortgage to his home. The
remainder was used to provide Bill and Dr Bob with $120 a month ($1,800 a month today) so that they
could continue to dedicate themselves full time to the Fellowship.

112
From Oxford Group To Moral Rearmament (MRA) - 1938
Nations of the world armed for World War II and Frank Buchman called for a “moral and spiritual re-
armament” to address the root causes of the conflict. He renamed the “Oxford Group” to “Moral Re-
Armament.”
Another factor influencing the renaming was that Buchman’s “Hitler” remark caused Oxford University to
request that its name stop being used by the movement.

113
17 William St - Draft Big Book Page (Bill’s Story) - April 1938
In April 1938 the writing of the Big Book began at the business office of NY member Hank P at Honors
Dealers, 17 William St, Newark, NJ.
Bill W wrote draft outlines on legal pads and dictated the expanded text to Ruth Hock (who was then the
Honors Dealers Secretary). Most of the drafts were discarded in a later move to Vesey St in NYC. A
difficult loss to AA’s Archives was the draft page containing the initial version of the 12 Steps.
Each week Bill would read the drafts to those who met at his home. Edited copies were sent to Dr Bob
and the Akron members for further review and editing. As they worked their way through the chapters,
NY and Akron members also wrote the personal stories to be included in the book.

114
Letter From Bill W To Dr Bob - Spring 1938
In April 1938 (possibly May/June) Bill W wrote to Dr Bob that he had written 2 chapters of the book
(those were “There Is A Solution” and “Bill’s Story”).
Bill stated in the letter that “I feel the completed book should represent the work of many people;
particularly the individual stories which I think should be as little edited as possible. They will naturally be
the heart of the book and must represent the feelings, experience and personalities of those who write
them. As you will note the chapter outline calls for nine stories, of about a chapter each, of about the
same length as my own.”
Dr Bob’s wife, Anne, was invited to write the chapter “To Wives” but she declined. Bill W also entertained
the idea of having the first woman NY member Florence R (Rankin) write the chapter “To Wives.”
Florence’s Big Book story is “A Feminine Victory” and her husband was also an alcoholic. As it turned
out, the chapter “To Wives” was written by Bill much to the dismay of his wife Lois.
The outline for the Big Book’s basic text changed quite a bit during 1938 and the stories, which make up
about 2/3 of the book, were given their own section.
Bill informed Dr Bob that nearly everyone in NY favored the book title “Alcoholics Anonymous.” He asked
Dr Bob how he felt about forming a charitable corporation called “Alcoholics Anonymous.” This was
almost a year prior to publication of the Big Book.

115
Dr Esther L Richards - Dr William D Silkworth - July1938
On July 18, 1938 Dr Esther L Richards wrote a very favorable letter to Bill W regarding a 2-chapter book
prospectus sent to her for review. She suggested getting a “number one physician” in the alcoholism field
to write an introduction. Shortly after, Dr William D Silkworth wrote a July 27, 1938 letter of support for
use in fundraising for the book. It was incorporated into the chapter “The Doctor’s Opinion” together with
extracts from a paper he wrote that was published in the Lancet medical journal in July 1939.

116
The Doctor’s Opinion - 1939 and 1955
Dr Silkworth’s name was not added to the “The Doctor’s Opinion” until publication of the 2nd edition in
1955.

117
The Alcoholic Foundation Trust - Willard S Richardson - August 5, 1938
On August 5, 1938 the Alcoholic Foundation was established as a charitable trust with a board of five
Trustees. In a June 1947 Grapevine article (LOH pg 61) Bill W erroneously stated that the board started
with seven Trustees. AA Comes of Age (pg 15) also erroneously states that the Alcoholic Foundation
was formed in the Spring of 1938.
The trust indenture document specified that non-alcoholic trustees were to make up a majority of the
board. The terms “Class A” and “Class B” trustees were used to make a distinction between non-
alcoholic and alcoholic board members. Class A trustees were Willard Richardson (who proposed the
Foundation), Frank Amos and John Wood. Class B trustees were Dr Bob and NY member Bill R
(Ruddell) whose Big Book story is “A Business Man’s Recovery.”
An advisory committee to the board was also established. It consisted of A LeRoy Chipman, Bill W,
Albert L Scott and Hank P (Parkhurst). At the board’s first meeting on August 11, 1938 the Trustees
elected Bill R (Ruddell) as the first board Chairman. He later returned to drinking and had to resign in
February 1939.
The Foundation had a tiny 1-room borrowed office with one borrowed non-alcoholic Secretary by the
name of Ruth Hock. The Foundation and office would eventually come to be known as the General
Service Board and General Service Office. Ruth Hock would later become AA’s first national secretary.

118
Eugene Exman - September 1938
In September 1938, board Trustee Frank Amos arranged a meeting between Bill W and Eugene Exman
(the Religious Editor of Harper Brothers publishers). Exman offered Bill a $1,500 advance ($23,000
today) on the rights to the book.
The Alcoholic Foundation Board urged acceptance of the offer but Bill wanted ownership of the book to
stay within the Fellowship. .

119
Hank P - Works Publishing Co - September 1938
Based on a very favorable recommendation from Eugene Exman, Hank P (Parkhurst) persuaded Bill to
form Works Publishing Co. and sold stock at $25 par value ($380 today). 600 shares were issued: Hank
and Bill received 200 shares each, 200 shares were sold to others. Later, 30 shares of preferred stock,
at $100 par value ($1,500 today) were sold as well.
To mollify the board, it was decided that the author’s royalty (which would ordinarily be Bill’s) could go to
the Alcoholic Foundation. The newly formed Works Publishing Co would later come to be known as AA
World Services or AAWS.
Encouraged by Dr Silkworth, Charles Towns loaned Hank and Bill $2,500 for the book. It was later
increased to $4,000 ($61,000 today).

120
Six Steps - Prior to December 1938
Prior to publication of the Big Book, there were two groups in Akron and NY. The recovery program
consisted of 6 Steps passed on to new members by word of mouth. The lack of any written material
resulted in widely varying versions depending on who was doing the passing on.
Different versions of the 6 Steps can be found in the books “AA Comes of Age” (160), Pass It On” (197)
and “The Language of the Heart” (195).

121
Six Steps - Prior to December 1938
The Big Book Pioneer Story “He Sold Himself Short” (263) also contains a version of the 6 Steps
recorded by Earl T founder of AA in Chicago. Dr Bob was Earl’s sponsor and this version reflects a more
orthodox Oxford Group (OG) influence that prevailed in the mid-west.
It should be noted however, that the OG did not have anything that they called or considered to be
“Steps.” It was only the alcoholics in NY and Akron (or what was then called “the alcoholic squad”) that
exclusively had and practiced Steps as their spiritual program of recovery.

122
Twelve Steps in 30 Minutes - December 1938
In a July 1953 Grapevine article Bill W wrote: “Though these principles were advocated according to the
whim or liking of each of us, and though in Akron and Cleveland they still stuck by the Oxford Group
absolutes of honesty, purity, unselfishness and love, this was the gist of our message to incoming
alcoholics up to 1939, when our present 12 Steps were put to paper.”
The 12 Steps were actually first put to paper in December 1938 at Bill W’s home. An approximate
reconstruction of the original draft is in the book “Pass It On” (198-199). Bill claimed it took him about 30
minutes to do it. Words that were changed are highlighted in red.

123
“More Of An Umpire Than An Author”
In a May 1955 Grapevine article titled “How AA’s World Services Grew” Bill W described the entire book
writing project as one where fierce arguments over the drafts, and what ought to go into them, dominated
the small Fellowship’s activities for months on end. And that over time he became much more of an
umpire than an author.
In a September 1962 Grapevine article (which is an extract from AA Comes of Age) Bill W noted that the
Akron Group provided “nothing but the warmest support” but in the New York meetings the book
chapters received a “real mauling” requiring them to be dictated to Ruth Hock and retyped over and over.

124
Review Manuscript - Jim B - January 1939
The book text and stories were completed in January 1939. 400 mimeographed (or what was then called
“photo-litho”) copies were sent out for review and comments.
NY member Jim B (Burwell) suggested the phrases “God as we understood Him” and “Power greater
than ourselves” be added to the Steps and basic text. Bill W later wrote “Those expressions, as we so
well know today, proved lifesavers for many an alcoholic.”
Jim B (whose Big Book story is “The Vicious Cycle”) started AA in Philadelphia and helped start AA in
Baltimore, MD together with Fitz M.

125
Dr Leonard V Strong - January 1939
On January 18, 1939, the Alcoholic Foundation Board increased from 5 to 7 trustees. The new trustees
were Dr Leonard V Strong (Bill W’s brother-in-law) and alcoholic Harry B (Brick) elected as the second
Board Chairman.
Harry B (whose Big Book story is “A Different Slant”) also returned to drinking and was replaced in
December 1939 after serving a little under a year. After the first two alcoholic Board Chairmen returned
to drinking, from 1939 on the Board Chair has been a non-alcoholic.
Robert Shaw, an attorney, replaced Harry B as AA’s first non-alcoholic Board Chair.

126
Bill W, Hank P, Ruth Hock, Dorothy S - March 1939
The Big Book manuscript copies sent out for review in January were returned by March and produced
very few changes. However, a major change did occur when a Montclair, NJ psychiatrist named “Dr
Howard” suggested toning down the use of “you must” and changing it to “we ought” or “we should.” Dr
Silkworth and Dr Harry Tiebout offered similar advice.
Tom Uzzell, a friend of Hank P, an editor at Collier’s and NYU faculty member, edited the manuscript. He
reduced it from around 600 pages to 400 pages. The cuts mainly came from the personal stories.
After the editing, Bill W, Hank P, Ruth Hock and Dorothy S (Snyder) of Cleveland, drove to Cornwall, NY
to deliver the heavily marked up manuscript to the Cornwall Press.

127
Big Book Mark-up Manuscript - March 1939
The mark-up manuscript contained hundreds of accumulated editing changes. The manager of Cornwall
Press almost sent the group back to type up a clean copy. Hank P convinced the manager to accept the
manuscript on condition that the group would correct galley proofs as they came off the press. They
checked into a hotel and spent the next several days proofreading galleys.
The manuscript pages shown are the beginning of Chapter 5, “How It Works.” Many other pages had
handwritten changes from top to bottom.

128
First Edition Big Book - April 10, 1939
On April 10, 1939, 4,730 copies of the first edition of “Alcoholics Anonymous” were published at $3.50 a
copy ($54 in today’s dollars). The printer, Edward Blackwell of the Cornwall Press, was told to use the
thickest paper in his shop.
The large, bulky volume became known as the “Big Book” and the name has stuck ever since. On page
170 of “AA Comes of Age” Bill W wrote that the idea behind the thick, large paper was to convince the
alcoholic he was getting his money’s worth.
The book had 8 Roman and 400 Arabic numbered pages. “The Doctor’s Opinion” started as page 1 and
the basic text ended at page 179 not 164. 29 stories were included: 10 from the east coast, 18 from the
mid-west and one last-minute story from the west coast (which was ghost written by Ruth Hock and
removed in the second printing). The Foreword to the first edition contains many of the key principles
that later shaped the Traditions and the AA Preamble.

129
First Edition Big Book - April 10, 1939
The brightly colored dust jacket on the left was called the “circus color” dust jacket. It was designed by
Ray C (Campbell) who also designed an art deco style shown on the right that was never used.

130
First Edition Big Book - April 10, 1939
Ray C’s Big Book story is “An Artist’s Concept.” He began it with a quotation that he attributed to Herbert
Spencer which said: "There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all
arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance - that principle is contempt prior
to investigation.“
Ray C’s story was not included in the 2nd edition Big Book. The quotation was added to Appendix II
“Spiritual Experience” in the 3rd printing of the 2nd edition Big Book in 1959.

131
William Paley (1743 - 1805) - Herbert Spencer (1820 - 1903)
The attribution of the quote to Spencer is in error. It should be attributed to an English clergyman, author
and college lecturer by the name of William Paley who lived from 1743 to 1805.
Herbert Spencer (who lived from 1820 to 1903) was a great rival of his fellow Englishman Charles
Darwin who is credited with the theory of evolution. However, it was Spencer, not Darwin, who
popularized the term "evolution" and coined the term, "survival of the fittest.“ But Spencer did not author
the quotation attributed to him in the Big Book.

132
Gabriel Heatter - We The People - April 1939
On April 29, 1939, Morgan R (a former advertising man, asylum patient and friend of Gabriel Heatter)
appeared on Heatter’s 9PM radio program “We the People.”
He told his story and made a pitch for the Big Book. Prior to the broadcast, Bill W and others raised $500
($7,700 today) to mail out 20,000 post cards to physicians about the broadcast and to encourage them to
consider purchasing the book. There were only 12 replies.

133
Eviction From 182 Clinton St - April 1939
In April 1939, Bill W and Lois had to vacate their home at 182 Clinton St. It began an almost two-year
period of moving from house to house and staying with friends. Later, by Lois’ count, it amounted to 54
moves.

134
Cleveland, Ohio - AA’s Third Group - May 10, 1939
On May 10, 1939 led by pioneer member Clarence S (Snyder) whose Big Book story is “Home
Brewmeister” the Cleveland members announced that they would meet separately from Akron and the
Oxford Group.
Their first meeting was at the home of Abby G (Goldrick) whose Big Book story is “He Thought He Could
Drink Like a Gentleman.” After almost 4 years, this was AA’s 3rd group.
Clarence S claimed that it was the first group to call itself “Alcoholics Anonymous.” However, the term
was used a number of times in letters by Bill W to describe meetings held at his home almost a year prior
to the founding of the Cleveland group..

135
Sister Ignatia - Saint Thomas Hospital - Early August 1939
In early August 1939, Dr Bob and Sister Ignatia, who was in charge of admissions, started working
together at St Thomas Hospital in Akron, OH. Sister Ignatia arranged for the first AA admission on
August 16 at the request of Dr Bob. The patient was Walter B (Bray) whose Big Book story is “The Back-
Slider.” His non-alcoholic wife Marie’s Big Book story is “An Alcoholic’s Wife.”
St Thomas Hospital was the first religious institution to open its doors to AA and later had a full hospital
wing dedicated to alcoholism treatment. The NY group had a similar arrangement with the Knickerbocker
Hospital in NYC.

136
Liberty Magazine - Cleveland Plain Dealer - September/October 1939
In the late 1930s and early 1940s public relations had the most dramatic impact on AA growth.
A September 1939 Liberty Magazine article titled “Alcoholics and God” by Morris Markey caused many
inquiries to be made to the NY office.
In October 1939, the Cleveland Plain Dealer carried a series of editorials by Elrick B Davis. The result
was spectacular and the Cleveland group was flooded with appeals for help.
Cleveland membership surged from 20 to several hundred. Newcomers with just a few days of sobriety
were assigned to make 12th Step calls. Cleveland membership remained the largest in AA for quite a
few years leading many to think that AA began in Cleveland instead of Akron.

137
T Henry and Clarace Williams - King School - Late October 1939
In late October 1939 (AACOA viii says summer) Akron members withdrew from the Oxford Group and
held meetings at Dr Bob’s house. It was a painful separation due to the great affection the Akron
members had toward T Henry and Clarace Williams.
The founding of the Cleveland Group in May 1939 and this action by the Akron Group ended all outside
affiliation between AA and the OG or anyone else. The meeting attendance at Dr Bob’s house was so
large that meetings moved to King School in January 1940.

138
Rockefeller Dinner - Nelson Rockefeller - February 8, 1940
On February 8, 1940, John D Rockefeller Jr held a dinner for AA at the Union League Club in NYC.
Nelson Rockefeller hosted in the absence of his ill father. It produced much favorable national publicity
and raised $2,200 ($33,000 today’) from the attendees (almost 1/2 came from Rockefeller). Rockefeller
and several dinner guests continued to contribute to AA up to 1945 when they were asked to stop.

139
Office Move From Newark, New Jersey To New York City - April 1940
In March 1940, the Alcoholic Foundation office moved from 17 William St Newark, NJ to 30 Vesey St in
NYC. Ruth Hock became AA’s first National Secretary. Most of the draft yellow pages, and manuscript
drafts, of the Big Book were discarded before the move.
The following month Hank P, who had objected violently to the move, got drunk after 4 years of sobriety.

140
Works Publishing Inc - April/May 1940
In May 1940, Works Publishing Co was legally incorporated as a publishing arm of the Alcoholic
Foundation. Bill W gave up his stock with a stipulation that Dr Bob and Anne would receive 10% royalties
on the Big Book for life.
Hank P was persuaded to give up his shares for a $200 payment ($3,000 today) for office furniture he
claimed belonged to him. Hank P is credited, in a number of sources, with writing all but the first
paragraph of the Big Book’s chapter 10 “To Employers.” Ruth Hock, AA’s first National secretary, later
wrote, “If it wasn’t for Bill W the Big Book would never have been written. If it wasn’t for Hank P it never
would have been published.”

141
AA Bulletin # 1 - November 14, 1940
A publication called the “AA Bulletin” was first mailed to groups by the NY Office on November 14, 1940.
It was intended to inform groups of important events. The bulletin listed a number of cities that were
categorized according to the type of star used to show them on a map in the office.
There were 4 Green Star cities who were described as having ”isolated members who had recovered
from the book alone or through brief contact with established centers.”
5 Red Star cities were listed and described as having several working AA members where meetings
were in what was called a “get together stage.”
22 White Star cities were listed and described as well established and where weekly meetings were
held.”
Almost 5 ½ years after its founding, AA had been brought to a total of 31 cities in the US.

142
AA Bulletin # 1 - November 14, 1940
The New York Office mailed AA Bulletins to groups for 14 years. The 1954 General Service Conference
later approved renaming the AA Bulletin to the “AA Exchange Bulletin.”

143
Exchange Bulletin - Box 4-5-9 - December 1966
In December 1966, the Exchange Bulletin was renamed to “Box 4-5-9.”

144
Alert About Saturday Evening Post Article - January 14, 1941
On January 14, 1941 Ruth Hock sent out AA Bulletin #2 noting that since the November 1940 bulletin,
AA was beginning in 5 more cities and there was some activity in Vancouver, Canada.
The bulletin also had a “Flash!!!” lead item that the Saturday Evening Post would be publishing an article
on AA by Jack Alexander. The bulletin stated that there would likely be numerous inquiries in response
to the article and that members and groups should “stand by for active duty.”

145
The Saturday Evening Post - Jack Alexander - March 1, 1941
The Saturday Evening Post article by Jack Alexander was published on March 1, 1941 and went out to a
readership of over 3 million. Its impact on AA growth was profound. It was AA’s most notable public
relations blessing.
During 1941 AA membership surged from 2,000 to over 8,000. Reprints of the article became a favored
pamphlet and it is still reprinted to this day.

146
Response to Saturday Evening Post Article - 6,000+ Letters - 1941
Over 6,000 inquiries were sent to the NY office during 1941 because of the Post article. The NY Office
asked the groups for donations of $1 ($14 today) per member per year for support for extra staff to
respond to all the inquiries. This began the practice of financing what is today called the General Service
Office from group and member donations.

147
New York “Headquarters” “Central Office” Or “General Office” - Early 1940s
In the early 1940s, the NY office was called either the Headquarters or Central Office or General Office.
It had the vital job of responding to letters from groups and members. This provided a central
communications link to members attempting to start groups and helping them with growing pains.
The accumulated letters sent in during the early 1940s gave firm signals of a need for guidelines to help
with group problems that occurred over and over. Basic ideas for the Traditions came from these letters
and the principles defined in the Foreword to the 1st edition Big Book.
From all these public relations blessings emerged the proven principle in the long form of Tradition 11
that states “There is never need to praise ourselves. We feel it better to let our friends recommend us.”

148
Step 12 Wording Changed - Spiritual Experience Appendix Added - March 1941
In March 1941, almost 2 years after the 1st printing, the wording of Step 12 was changed in the 2nd
printing of the Big Book. The term “spiritual experience” was changed to “spiritual awakening” and the
term “as the result of these steps” was changed to “as the result of those steps.”
An appendix titled “Spiritual Experience” was added.
Many members thought they had to have a sudden, spectacular spiritual experience similar to the one
Bill W describes in the chapter “Bill’s Story.” The appendix emphasized that most spiritual experiences
developed slowly over time and were of the “educational variety.”
The term “educational variety” is attributed to William James in he Appendix. However, the book “The
Varieties of Religious Experience” does not contain the term. What James stated in his summary of his
lecture was “… The value of conversion depends not on the process, but on the fruits - These are not
superior in sudden conversion ...”

149
Stepping Stones - April1941
On April 11, 1941, after 23 years of marriage, Bill W and Lois moved into their own home in Bedford
Hills, NY. It was first named “Bill-Lo’s Break” and later renamed to “Stepping Stones. “The 7-room house
was on 1.7 acres of land and financed at $6,500 ($94,000 today). The mortgage payment was $40 a
month ($580 today).

150
AA Bulletin #3 - June 1941
Ruth Hock sent out an AA Bulletin on June 30, 1941 announcing that the NY office had received and
answered over 4,400 letters since March 1st. Ruth also noted that correspondence was being
maintained with 116 cities and 62 well established groups. At the end of the bulletin Ruth reported “One
of our New York members clipped the following from the personal column of a New York paper, and
since it seems to ‘hit the spot’ here it is: GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THINGS I
CANNOT CHANGE, COURAGE TO CHANGE THINGS I CAN, AND WISDOM TO KNOW THE:
DIFFERENCE’”
The office later printed the prayer on small cards which they included in outgoing mail. There is much
conflicting information in AA literature as to when and from what source the Serenity Prayer originated.
For years within AA it was called “The AA Prayer” instead of “The Serenity Prayer.” The prayer is
attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr whose version differs somewhat from the popular version.

151
Clarence S and Abby G - AA’s First Central Office - August 1941
In August 1941 Clarence S (Snyder) founder of AA in Cleveland, joined with Cleveland pioneer Abby G
(Goldrick) and several other members to help start AA’s first Central Office. Bill W also credits Abby G
and the Cleveland Central Office with introducing the principle of rotation to AA.

152
World War II Declared - December 8, 1941
On December 8, 1941 after an attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii the US entered World War II. With the
possibility of being recalled to active duty in the Army, Bill W requested that he be granted a royalty on
book sales to provide financial support for his wife Lois. The board approved a 10% royalty. Prior to this,
Dr Bob was voluntarily giving Bill half the 10% royalty that he and Anne were receiving.
Margaret Farrand joined the Alcoholic Foundation Board in late 1941 as the 1st woman Class A Trustee.

153
December 31, 1941 AA Census
On December 31, 1941 the NY Office distributed a 4-page AA census listing the known cities where AA
had been established. A total of 146 cities were listed, 30 more than the number reported in the June
1941 AA Bulletin.

154
December 31, 1941 AA Census
69 cities were classified as White Star, having well established groups;
43 cities were classified as Red Star, having several members who were just beginning and
34 cities were listed as Green star, having isolated members.

155
New National Secretary - February 28, 1942
Ruth Hock left the NY office to marry on February 28, 1942 . Margaret “Bobbie” B (Burger) took her place
as National Secretary.

156
Warden Clinton T Duffy - San Quentin Penitentiary - 1942
In 1942 San Francisco members, and Warden Clinton Duffy, started the first AA prison group in San
Quentin Maximum Security Penitentiary. It generated much favorable national publicity. State and federal
prison groups quickly spread across the country.

157
A LeRoy Chipman - John D Rockefeller Jr - 1942
In 1942, A LeRoy Chipman asked John D Rockefeller Jr and the 1940 dinner guests for a loan of $8,500
($112,000 today) to buy back the remaining outstanding shares of Works Publishing stock. Rockefeller
lent $4,000, his son Nelson $500 and the other dinner guests $4,000.
By acquiring all the outstanding shares it ensured that complete ownership of the Big Book would be
held in trust for the entire AA Fellowship.

158
AA’s First Newsletter - October 1942
In October 1942 the Cleveland Central Office published AA’s first newsletter, the Cleveland Central
Bulletin. It preceded the Grapevine by almost two years.

159
Clarence S - Father Edward Dowling - Royalties - October 1942
On October 1, 1942, Esther E notified the NY Office that she would be relocating to Dallas, Texas at the
end of the year and it was “breaking her heart” to leave the Houston Group where she found sobriety.
Later that month, Clarence S (Snyder) stirred up a controversy after discovering that Dr Bob and Bill W
were receiving royalties from Big Book sales. Bill and Dr Bob reexamined the problem of their financial
status and concluded that royalties seemed to be the only answer to the problem.
Bill sought counsel from his spiritual sponsor, Father Edward Dowling who suggested that Bill and Dr
Bob could certainly not accept money for 12th Step work but that they should accept royalties as
compensation for special services. This later formed the basis for Tradition 8 and Concept 11.
Due to the amount of time both co-founders dedicated to the Fellowship, it was impossible for either of
them to earn a living through their normal professions.

160
The Yale School - E M Jellinek - Marty M - 1943/1944
Professor E M Jellinek, along with Dr Howard W Haggard, founded the Yale University School of Alcohol
Studies which had its first summer session in July 1943. Bill W and Marty M (Mann) lectured at the
school.
In early 1944, Marty M moved to New Haven, CT to help create the National Committee for Education on
Alcoholism (NCEA) and attended the Yale Summer School of Alcohol Studies. The NCEA later became
the National Committee on Alcoholism (NCA) and today is called the National Committee on Alcoholism
and Drug Dependence (NCADD).

161
Dr Harry Tiebout Treats Bill W’s Episodes Of Depression - 1944
In 1944, Dr Harry Tiebout published his first paper on AA titled “Therapeutic Mechanisms of Alcoholics
Anonymous” in the “American Journal of Psychiatry.” He later served as a Board Trustee from 1957-
1966.
In mid-1944, Bill W began twice-a-week treatment with Dr Tiebout for debilitating episodes of depression.
Some AA members were outraged and criticized Bill for “not working the program,” “secretly drinking”
and “pill taking.” Bill endured the attacks in silence.
In 1945, Bill started seeing psychotherapist, Dr Frances Weeks once a week on Fridays. He continued to
see her until 1949.

162
The AA Grapevine - June 1944
In June 1944 twelve hundred copies of Volume 1, No. 1 of the Grapevine were published. A 1-year
subscription was $1.50 ($18 today). Six volunteers started it as an 8-page newsletter for members in the
New York City area and for GIs overseas. The GIs received it for free.
It soon expanded to become the AA Fellowship’s official magazine and played a critical role in the
development of the Traditions and General Service Conference. It is also recognized in the long form of
Tradition 9 as AA’s “principal newspaper” given its newspaper format at the time.

163
The Lost Weekend - 1944/1945
In 1944, the book “The Lost Weekend” by Charles R Jackson was published to rave reviews. It described
five days in the life of an alcoholic and became a favorite in AA for its realistic portrayal of alcoholism.
The 1945 movie starred Ray Milland and Jane Wyman. It won four Oscars for best picture, director,
screenplay and actor.
A line in the book, admittedly borrowed from AA, was a bartender’s comment to its central character,
alcoholic Don Birnam, about his drinking which said: “one drink is too many and a hundred not enough.”

164
Wartime Edition Big Book - March 1945
On February 12, 1945 the New York office sent a letter to the groups notifying them that because of
paper rationing needs for the war effort, the War Production Board reduced the weight of the paper to be
used for the Big Book. Rationing reductions in paper also caused the office to sharply cut the overall size
of the book by trimming margins to a minimum. There are 2 wartime editions, printed in limited quantity,
which are rare editions.

165
The Jellinek Chart - April 1945
The April 1945 Grapevine included a questionnaire by E M Jellinek. It solicited information from the AA
membership that was later used to produce a chart titled “The Progressive Disease of Alcoholism” (also
popularly called the “Jellinek Chart”).

166
Earl T - Idea For The traditions - April 1945
By the mid-1940s, the letters sent to the NY office by groups and members led to reliable conclusions on
what practices worked well and those that didn’t. Groups were also asked to send in all their membership
rules and it provided quite a shock. If all the membership rules were applied everywhere it would be
impossible for any alcoholic to join AA.
In April 1945 Earl T (Treat) founder of AA in Chicago, suggested to Bill W that the experiences sent in
from group and member correspondence might be codified into a set of principles to offer tested
solutions to avoid future problems. Earl had a major role in the development of the Traditions (both long
and short forms). He later served as a Class B Trustee from 1951 to 1954 and helped establish the
General Service Conference.
Earl is also the member described in the Big Book chapter “The Family Afterward” (pg 135) as getting
drunk again after his wife nagged him about his smoking and drinking coffee.

167
10th Anniversary - Cleveland and Akron, OH - June 1945
When World War II ended so did gasoline rationing and travel restrictions were lifted. There were an
estimated 500 AA groups and 14,000 members who began to gather together more frequently in larger
meetings - at first locally with 1-day programs, then among several towns in an area and soon even
regionally with weekend conferences.
The first national AA meeting was organized by the Cleveland groups in June 1945 to celebrate AA’s
10th anniversary. Technically it could be called the first International Convention but it was not billed as
such. In true alcoholic humility, however, the Cleveland folks did claim that it would be the most
important meeting in AA’s 10-year history.

168
10th Anniversary - Cleveland and Akron, OH - June 1945
Announcements went out through the Central Bulletin and Grapevine and over 2,500 attendees gathered
in Cleveland for the celebration. Visitors came from 36 states, Canada and Mexico.
The event opened Saturday with an afternoon tea. Other activities included a dinner, a dance and open
house celebrations by 4 local groups. The 10th anniversary meeting took place on on Sunday afternoon
at the Cleveland Music Hall with Dr Bob and Bill W as the featured speakers.
On Sunday evening the Akron groups hosted a Founder's Day Dinner at the Mayflower Hotel. Featured
speakers were again Bill W and Dr Bob plus Bill D (AA#3) and Earl T , founder of AA in Chicago.

169
10th Anniversary - Cleveland and Akron, OH - June 1945
The July 1945 Grapevine and Cleveland Central Bulletin reported on the weekend celebration.
In Cleveland, Bill W told his story and about meeting Dr Bob and voiced a moving tribute to his co-
founder “Although we have had many differences, we have never had an angry word.”
Dr Bob told his story and reflected on “blindly groping for the truth” in the early AA days by trial and error.
He said that although he wanted to avoid religious discussion, he had spent at least an hour a day for the
past 10 years reading the Bible.
At the Akron Founders Day Dinner, Bill W described Akron as “Where the AA Beacon Was Lit.”

170
Bill W’s First Traditions Essay - August 1945 Grapevine
The ending of WW II, and demobilization, marked a period of rapid growth in total AA membership as
members of the armed forces returned to the US and civilian life.
The estimated counts for 1945 were 560 groups and 14,000 members. In 1946 alone, the counts surged
to an estimated 1,000 group and membership more than doubled to 29,000. These were estimated
numbers. The actual numbers were likely far higher.
Bill W wrote in “AA Comes of Age” (pg 208) that the period from 1945-1950 was one of immense strain
and test. The three main issues were money, anonymity and what was to become of AA when its old
timers and founders were gone.
Bill took on his most intensive and exhaustive work of advocating acceptance of the Traditions and
establishing a service structure that included a General Service Conference.
The August 1945 Grapevine carried Bill’s first Traditions article titled “Modesty One Plank for Good
Public Relations.” It began Bill’s 5-year campaign for the Traditions and the General Service Conference.
The previous July Grapevine edition had an article by member CHK of Lansing, MI about the
Washingtonians. Bill used this article to begin his essay commentaries.

171
Self-Supporting - 1945
In 1945 the Alcoholic Foundation Board wrote to John D Rockefeller Jr and the 1940 dinner guests that
AA no longer needed their financial help. Big Book royalties could look after Dr Bob and Bill and group
contributions could pay the office expenses. If these were insufficient a reserve accumulated from
literature sales could meet the deficit.
In total Rockefeller and the dinner guests donated $30,700 ($365,000 today). The donations were
viewed as loans and paid back out of Big Book income. This finally led to the principle of being fully self
supporting declining all further outside contributions and later formed the basis of Tradition 7.

172
Long Form Of The Tradition - April 1946
In April 1946, the Grapevine was incorporated as the 2d publishing arm of the Alcoholic Foundation.
The April Grapevine issue carried Bill W’s essay titled “Twelve Suggested Points for AA Tradition.” They
later came to be called the long form of the Traditions.
Bill started to feel out the board and members on the idea of representatives from various geographical
areas coming together as an elected service conference. The board and Dr Bob were not very
enthusiastic about the idea.

173
Nell Wing - March 3, 1947
In March 1947, Nell Wing, fresh from a 2-year tour in the Coast Guard, started work at the Alcoholic
Foundation, 415 Lexington Ave, NYC. Starting as a typist earning $32 a week ($300 today) she stayed
for 36 years. Nell served as Bill’s Secretary and later became AA’s first Archivist. Her relationship with
Bill and Lois was far more like a daughter than an employee.

174
Bill W’s Report To The Foundation - April 8, 1947
On April 8, 1947 after a difficult year of talks on policy and structure, Bill wrote a paper titled “Our AA
General Service Center - The Alcoholic Foundation of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.” It outlined a
history of the Foundation and recommended a General Service Conference and renaming the Alcoholic
Foundation to the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Trustee’s reaction was at first
defensive and then outright negative. They saw no need for change.
Most members would not associate the seeds of the Twelve Traditions and Twelve Concepts with the
years 1946 and 1947 respectively. AA was on the verge of its teenage years and a visionary Bill W was
laying the groundwork for the membership’s coming of age.

175
The AA Preamble - June 1947
In June 1947, what is today called the “AA Preamble” first appeared in the Grapevine. Written by Tom Y,
Grapevine’s first editor, it was based on the Foreword to the first edition Big Book. Today, it is a common
reading at the beginning of AA meetings. That’s how, over time, it came to be called the “AA Preamble.”

176
Early Recording Media - June 1947 Grapevine
The June 1947 Grapevine also announced the availability of a set of two 12-inch phonograph records of
a general talk on AA by Bill W at $3.30 per set ($31 today).
In the 1950’s Dr Bob’s last talk was also released on 78 RPM phonograph records.

177
First Traditions Pamphlet - December 1947
The December 1947 Grapevine reported that a new 48-page pamphlet titled “AA Tradition” was sent to
each group and that enough copies were available for each member to have one free of charge. It was
AA’s first piece of literature dedicated totally to the Traditions.

178
Dr Bob’s Dream Convertible - Summer 1948
A sad and gloomy cloud emerged in 1947. Dr Bob was stricken with cancer. In June 1948 his cancer
was diagnosed as terminal. Dr Bob closed his office and retired from practice so that he and his wife
Anne could live their last days together quietly. In his last year, Dr Bob fulfilled a life-long dream of
obtaining a convertible automobile (a Buick Road-master).
Bill W was spurred into greater urgency as Dr Bob’s illness progressed and he pressed harder for a
General Service Conference to take the place of the AA founders.
It resulted in hot debates and a serious rift developed between Bill and the Class B trustees over Bill’s
use of “sledge-hammer tactics.” In “AA Comes of Age” (pgs 210-211) Bill admits to writing a sizzling
memo that nearly blew the Foundation apart.” It caused 4 trustees to submit letters of resignation. Bill
wrote each of them a letter of apology and the resignations were either withdrawn or not accepted at the
next Board meeting.

179
The Last Newsletter Format - August 1948 Grapevine
The August 1948 Grapevine announced that beginning September 1948, its format would be 5 1/2 x 7
1/2 inches and it would contain 32 pages. The change was based on a vote of subscribers.
An early example of the Grapevine published in its new pocket size format is shown on the right and is
the November 1948 issue. Early covers were kept simple, usually consisting of a grapevine sprig and a
color background.

180
Anne Ripley Smith - June 1, 1949
On June 1, 1949, Anne Ripley Smith (age 69) died at Akron’s St Thomas Hospital. She was loved and
revered by the Akron members and by Bill and Lois. Her last years were spent nearly blind due to severe
cataracts. In a July 1949 Grapevine memorial, Bill W wrote that Anne was “quite literally, the mother of
our first group, Akron #1 and in the full sense of the word she was one of the founders of AA.”

181
Rev Sam Shoemaker - July 1949
In a July 1949 letter to the Rev Sam Shoemaker, Bill W wrote: “So far as I am concerned, and Dr Smith
too, the Oxford Group seeded AA. It was our spiritual wellspring at the beginning.” Bill later expressed
regret that he did not write to Frank Buchman as well.
In “AA Comes of Age” (pg 29) Bill wrote: “Early AA got its ideas of self-examination, acknowledgment of
character defects, restitution for harm done and working with others straight from the Oxford Groups and
directly from Sam Shoemaker, their former leader in America, and from nowhere else.”

182
Short Form Of The Traditions - November 1949
As plans for the 1st International Convention in Cleveland were under way, Earl T of Chicago suggested
to Bill W that the “Twelve Suggested Points for AA Tradition” would benefit from revision and shortening.
Bill, with Earl’s help, developed the short form of the Traditions which were first published in the center-
fold of the November 1949 Grapevine.
The entire November issue was dedicated to the Traditions for the coming Cleveland Convention in
1950. The issue also asked the members if the Thanksgiving Holliday week should be dedicated to
discussion of the Traditions. The replies were overwhelmingly in favor of the idea. Later the entire month
of November became Traditions month.
When the 12&12 was published in 1953, two wording changes were made to the 1949 version. The term
“primary spiritual aim” in Tradition 6 was changed to “primary purpose.” The term “principles above
personalities” in Tradition 12 was changed to “principles before personalities.”

183
15th Anniversary - 1st International - Cleveland, OH - April 1950
Given the success of the 1945 10th anniversary celebration in Cleveland and Akron, the Cleveland
groups proposed celebrating AA’s 15th Anniversary with an international conference. A number of
locations throughout the country had expressed interest in having an international conference as well.
Bill W in a letter to Dick S, Chairman of the organizing committee, indicated he was a bit skeptical of
setting a precedent for large international gatherings unless they were for a good reason. He then went
on to specify two “good reasons” for the 1950 event: 1st, honoring Dr Bob (obviously the last opportunity
to do so given his illness) and 2nd, acceptance of the Twelve Traditions.
The April 1950 Grapevine announced the event. The Alcoholic Foundation Trustees thought well enough
of the idea that they agreed to contribute $3,000 to an underwriting fund (the equivalent of $27,000
today).

184
15th Anniversary - 1st International - Cleveland, OH - July 1950
On Friday, July 28, 1950, AA’s 1st International Convention opened in Cleveland, OH with approximately
3,000 people in attendance. Registration was $1.50 per person (equivalent to $13 today).
Bill W chronicled the proceedings in a September 1950 Grapevine article titled 'We Come of Age” which
can be found in the book 'The Language of the Heart.” This was the only International Convention
attended by Dr Bob who was very determined to be there despite the progression of his terminal cancer.

185
15th Anniversary - 1st International - Cleveland, OH - July 1950
The program of the Clelveland International consisted of a series of meetings, held from Friday through
Sunday at various hotels. The Cleveland Auditorium Music Hall was reserved for Saturday afternoon to
offer the Traditions for approval.
The 1950 International set a pattern for future conventions with its sessions on Hospitalization; Industry,
Women members and Young People. A banquet, followed by entertainment and dancing took place on
Saturday night. On Sunday morning, a meeting on “The Spiritual Significance of AA” set the pattern for
Sunday morning “spiritual meetings” at International Conventions ever since.

186
The Traditions As Recited by Bill - July 1950
Contrary to popular belief, the short form of the Traditions were not approved at the 1950 Convention.
What was recited to the attendees and approved by them was quite different than either the long or short
form of the Traditions we know today.
Following talks on the Traditions by 6 old-timers (one of which was Olin L of Dallas) Bill W was asked to
sum up the Traditions for the attendees. In his summation, he paraphrased a variation of the Tradition
the text of which is in the book “The Language of the Heart” (p 121) and shown in the slide.
Notably missing from what Bill recited to the attendees were the principles embodied in Tradition 10 of
AA having no opinion on outside issues and not drawing the AA name into public controversy.
Nevertheless, the Traditions as recited by Bill were approved unanimously. A gravely ill Dr Bob made a
brief appearance at the Sunday “big meeting" for what would be his last talk

187
“Prince of the Twelfth Steppers” - November 16, 1950
On July 30, 1950 a gravely ill Dr Bob made a brief appearance at the 1st International Convention for
what would be his last talk. Part of his now famous short statement was “There are two or three things
that flashed into my mind on which it would be fitting to lay a little emphasis. One is the simplicity of our
program. Let’s not louse it all up with Freudian complexes and things that are interesting to the scientific
mind but have very little to do with our actual AA work. Our Twelve Steps, when simmered down to the
last, resolve themselves into the words love and service.”
After the Convention, Bill W visited Dr Bob in Akron, OH for their last visit together. Bill advised Bob that
the board would likely give its consent to a multi-year trial period for the General Service Conference. Dr
Bob gave Bill his endorsement as well.
Dr Robert Holbrook Smith (age 70) co-founder of AA, and 15 years sober, died on November 16, 1950 at
City Hospital in Akron, OH. He was buried in Mt Peace Cemetery beside his wife Anne. The Rev Walter
Tunks conducted the funeral service.
In his 15 years of sobriety, Dr Bob helped more than 5,000 alcoholics and never took any fee for his
professional services. In his eulogy, Bill W described Dr Bob as “the prince of the Twelfth Steppers.” Dr
Bob served as a Class B Trustee on the Alcoholic Foundation Board from its inception in 1938 up to
1944 and again from 1949 to the time of his death.

188
Dr Bob’s Grapevine Memorial Edition - January 1951
The January 1951 issue of the Grapevine was published as a memorial to Dr Bob. Al S (Steckman) the
Grapevine Editor the Grapevine at that time, had much to do with the memorial issue for Dr. Bob In an
assessment of the founders in later years AL stated, “Without Bill’s drive, there wouldn’t be any AA
Without Bob’s balance, who knows what it would be like?”
Al S was also the member who drove Dr Bob back and forth between Akron and Cleveland for Dr Bob’s
last talk at AA’s 15th anniversary and first International Convention.

189
Leonard Harrison - Bernard B Smith - Fall 1950
Class A board trustees Leonard Harrison and Bernard B Smith resolved a 5-year conflict between Bill W
and the Board on having a Conference.
Smith, who Bill would later call “the architect of the service structure” chaired a trustee’s committee that
recommended that Conferences be held on an experimental basis from 1951-1954, and that in 1955 it
would be evaluated and a final decision made.
The recommendation was approved at the Board’s Fall 1950 meeting.

190
Your Third Legacy - November/December 1950
50,000 copies of a pamphlet titled “Your Third Legacy Will You Accept It?” were distributed, in November
1950 to explain the Conference plans and procedures. Bill also wrote a December 1950 Grapevine
article titled “Your Third Legacy.”
The Alcoholic Foundation invited 1 Conference delegate from each of the then 48 States and from the
Canadian Provinces. Seven states with large AA populations were assigned additional delegates. Texas
was assigned 2r delegates.
Delegates were divided into 2 Panels so that half would be elected and half would rotate in odd and even
numbered years. Based on their large AA population, Panel 1 areas for Texas were the combined cities
of Dallas and Fort Worth as one area and Houston as the 2nd area. Panel 2 areas for Texas were
Lubbock and San Antonio.
Panel 1 areas were asked to form a temporary committee to organize an election assembly no later than
March 1951. Bill W traveled across the country attending over 2 dozen assemblies electing area
committees and Conference Delegates.

191
Temporary Conference Charter - 12 Suggested Principles - November 1950
In the early years of the Conference Structure, area assemblies were held only to elect new area officers
and a new delegate. The Third Legacy pamphlet offered guidelines for the first election assembly. You
might find them amusing.
Each group could select one Group Representative to attend an assembly that was closest to the
group’s location. Group Representatives later came to be called General Service Representatives or
GSRs. Group Representatives placed an “A” next to their name on the assembly registration forms to
indicate that they were available to serve on the area committee. This determined the pool of nominees
for elections. Nominations were not allowed from the floor and all voting was by written ballot.
The first item of assembly business was to create an area map divided into districts. This determined the
number of Committeemen to be elected - one for each district. Committeemen later came to be called
Committee Members and then District Committee Members or DCMs.
The entire assembly voted in the election of Committeemen. Elections were by plurality and ended when
a nominee received at least 25% of the total votes cast. The first three Committeemen elected
automatically became the Area Chair, Treasurer and Secretary in that order.
The delegate election required a 2/3 majority of the total votes cast. If a 2/3 majority could not be
obtained, the delegate was chosen by lot from among all the Committeemen whether they were standing
for the delegate election or not. Each area determined the number of times to vote prior to settling the
election by lot. Needless to say, much has changed since then.

192
First General Service Conference - April 20-22, 1951
On April 19, 1951 - 37 US and Canadian delegates (half the planned number) convened at the
Commodore Hotel in NYC as the first Panel of the General Service Conference. Bernard B Smith
presided. 15 Trustees and various staff members from the NY Office and Grapevine joined the
Conference as voting members.
The Conference unanimously recommended several advisory actions. Among them that Bill W’s royalty
from his books should be increased to 15% and continue for his lifetime. It was also recommended that
nonalcoholic Board members should continue in office and that alcoholic Board members should have
fixed terms of office. It was further recommended that AA literature should have Conference-approval.
The Conference also suggested that the Alcoholic Foundation ought to be renamed the General Service
Board of Alcoholics Anonymous. This suggestion was brought up repeatedly over the next 3 years and
was finally adopted in 1954.

193
Anne B - Lois W - April 1951
The 1951 Conference also affirmed that the subject of AA auxiliaries, or family groups, should be taken
back to local groups for further discussion and be considered at the 1952 Conference.
At the close of the 1951 Conference, Lois W (Wilson) with her close friend and neighbor Anne B
(Bingham) invited the delegates’ wives and local family group members to meet at her home (Stepping
Stones). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss ideas for an organization that was then being called
“AA Family Groups.” It was the beginning of the formation of the Al-Anon Family Groups Fellowship.

194
The Lasker Award - October 30, 1951
In the summer of 1951, the Lasker Award was offered to Bill W by the American Public Health
Association. Bill refused the award for himself but suggested it be given to AA as a whole and the Lasker
Foundation replied favorably. The trustees voted to accept the award (subject to Conference approval by
mail poll of the Delegates). However, they declined a cash grant of $1,000 ($8,000 in today’s dollars).

195
24th Street Club House - January/March 1952
The first family groups office, called the “Clearing-house Committee,” started at the 24th St Clubhouse in
NYC on January 9, 1952. In March 1952, non-alcoholic groups using various names such as AA
Helpmates, AA Auxiliary, Triple A, Non-AA and AA Associates adopted the name “Al-Anon Family
Groups” for their Fellowship.
Al-Anon wrote to AA asking to use its 12 Steps. AA agreed unofficially and later, through the Conference,
recommended that Al-Anon should be a separate Fellowship and not a subsidiary of AA.
In September 1952, Al-Anon adopted and adapted AA’s 12 Traditions using the version that was first
published in the November 1949 Grapevine (this is why the AFG version of Traditions 6 and 12 differ in
wording from AA’s version).

196
Conference-Approved Literature - April 1952
On April 23, 1952, Panel 2 (consisting of 38 additional delegates) joined with Panel 1 for the first
Conference of all Delegates attending. The first women Delegates joined Panel 2. They were Lois A
(Abare) of Barre, VT and Fay B (Brown) of Bismarck, ND.
Based on a 1951 Conference advisory action recommending that AA literature should have Conference
approval, the Board formed a special Trustees’ committee on literature to recommend literature items
that should be retained and future literature items that would be needed. Bill W also reported on the
many literature projects he was engaged in.
The 1952 Conference unanimously approved the Board proposals and Bill's projects. There are not
specific advisory actions but by approving existing literature to be retained, the Conference retroactively
approved the Big Book and several existing pamphlets, which included the long form of the Traditions.
(1952 GSC-FR 4) Bill’s book projects later resulted in six Conference-approved books.
Note on Bill’s books:
“The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions” published in 1953;
“The Third Legacy Manual” published in 1955 (renamed “The AA Service Manual” in 1969);
The 2nd edition Big Book published in 1955;
“AA Comes of Age” published in 1957;
“The Twelve Concepts for World Service” published in 1962; and
“The AA way of Life” published in 1966 (later renamed to “As Bill Sees It” in 1975).

197
Conference Approve Literature - April 1952
Many early AA pamphlets were actually booklets similar in size to today’s AA Grapevine. One of the
earliest had the title “44 Questions and Answers About the Program of Recovery from Alcoholism.” Over
a half century later, it still is one of the most widely distributed pamphlets. It’s title has been shortened to
just “44 Questions.”

198
Third Legacy Method of Elections - 1952
The 1952 Conference approved a new edition of the Third Legacy pamphlet. It began to call the election
guidelines the “Third Legacy Method of Elections.” Later a much changed version came to be called the
“Third Legacy Procedure.”

199
Congressional Incorporation - April 1952
At the 1952 Conference a motion was made and seconded that, subject to consideration of the Trustees,
steps be taken to incorporate the Society of AA by an Act of Congress. After extended discussion of both
sides of the question the motion was tabled.
A subsequent motion requested that the Trustees appoint a Special Committee of 5 Delegates to study
the matter and submit their recommendations at the 1953 Conference.
The 1953 Conference rejected the idea of incorporating the AA name in the US and foreign countries as
a means of protecting against misuse of the name by AA members and outside groups. One of the
incidents that stimulated discussion on the matter in 1952, was a Houston Texas group which had
incorporated itself as “The Alcoholic Foundation of Texas.”

200
First Book By AA Publishing - 1953
Board Chairman, Bernard B Smith, reported to the 1953 Conference that the corporate name of “Works
Publishing” had been changed to "Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing.”
The first Conference-approved book to be distributed under the new publishing name was the “Twelve
Steps and Twelve Traditions.” It contains the final wording of the short form of the Traditions as we know
them today. This is where and when the short form of the Traditions were Conference-approved.

201
First Service Structure Diagram - December 1953
The 1953 Conference also recommended that a pamphlet be developed to clarify the duties and
responsibilities related to General Services. It was published in December 1953 under the title “Your
Role in the General Service Conference.”
The pamphlet explained the duties and responsibilities of Group Members, Group Representatives,
Area Committeemen and Conference Delegates. It also contained the first structure diagram of the
General Service Conference.

202
The General Service Board and the GSR- April 1954
The 1954 Conference unanimously approved the renaming of the Alcoholic Foundation to the General
Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous. The renaming took place in October 1954.
Two parts of a 3-part proposal for a "General Service Representative Plan” were adopted by the
Conference . They were:
"That the Group Representative described in the Third Legacy Pamphlet be designated the "General
Service Representative.“
“That the 'General Service Representative' in addition to electing his Area Committeeman and Regional
Delegate to the General Service Conference, should act as the representative of the group in General
Service activities and as the representative of AA's General Services in the group."
Under the plan, the Group Representative was to be listed in the AA Directory instead of the Group
Secretary.

203
The Lost Commandment, The Dictionary And AA - Bernard B Smith - April 1954
Board Chairman Bernard B Smith delivered an eloquent talk at the 1954 Conference. Its next to last
paragraph is today highlighted in Chapter 1 of the AA Service Manual with the title “Why Do We Need A
Conference?.” The actual title of his talk was “The Lost Commandment, The Dictionary and AA.” He, left
no doubt whatsoever that he was firmly in favor of continuing the Conference on a permanent basis.

204
Twenty-Four Hours A Day - Richmond W - 1953, 1954 and 1972
The 1953 and 1954 Conferences faced the question of accepting publication rights on the book “Twenty-
Four Hours a Day” written by AA member Richmond W (Walker).
The 1953 Conference tabled the matter to allow for a year of discussion. The 1954 Conferences declined
to approve the book or accept publication rights. The decision of the 1954 Conference was reaffirmed 18
years later by the 1972 Conference.

205
1954 Anonymity Breaks - Lillian R
In 1954, Lillian R (Roth), an actress and nightclub singer, became the first of many celebrities to break
their anonymity and announce their membership in AA. Her book (later movie) “I’ll Cry Tomorrow” was a
national sensation. In 1955, Susan Hayward’s performance as Lillian won her an Academy Award
nomination. Sadly, Lillian went on to drink again and it generated bad publicity for AA.

206
Permanent Conference Charter - 1955
The 1955 Conference convened in St Louis, MO on June 26-29 and again on July 3. Texas Delegates to
this historic Conference were Jack H (Henry) from Fort Worth, Gilbert L (Lamb) from Muleshoe, Ira P
(Phelps) from Corpus Christi and Bob S (Sawyer) from Galena Park.
75 Delegates unanimously recommended adoption of a permanent Conference Charter subject to the
approval of the 2d International Convention that would convene in St Louis on July 1. The Conference
also recommended that future Conferences not be combined with International Conventions.
Bill W brought up the first Conference discussion to change the Board ratio to a 2/3 majority of
alcoholics. After much debate the matter was tabled for the agenda of the 1956 Conference. The board
ratio issue would be debated endlessly by Bill, the Board and ten more Conferences before it was finally
resolved in 1966.
The final Conference session was scheduled to be held on the afternoon of July 3 in conjunction with the
international convention.

207
20th Anniversary - 2nd International - St Louis, MO - July 1955
AA’s 20th anniversary and 2nd International Convention was held in St Louis’ Kiel Auditorium July 1-3,
1955. Estimated attendance was 3,800. Its theme was “Coming of Age.”
The historic convention introduced a new circle and triangle symbol prominently displayed on a large
banner draping the back of the stage. Bill W later wrote that the circle represented the whole of AA and
the triangle represented AA’s 3 Legacies of Recovery, Unity and Service.
Bill gave major talks on each of the 3 Legacies they were titled:
How We Learned To Recover
How We Learned To Stay Together and
How We Learned To Serve

208
20th Anniversary - 2nd International - St Louis, MO - July 1955
On Sunday, the morning spiritual meeting had the theme “God As We Understand Him” and the
speakers were Father Edward Dowling and the Rev Sam Shoemaker. Their talks can be found in the
book “AA Comes of Age” (253).

209
20th Anniversary - 2nd International - St Louis, MO - July 1955
An enormous amount of work went into organizing the1955 International Convention and Its program
became a model for the conventions that followed. A mix of workshops, panel meetings, talks by AA
pioneers, Big Meetings and entertainment provided vehicles for hearing from and honoring non-
alcoholics in medicine, religion, and other fields who had helped AA over the years.
Many important names in AA history were present, among them were Ebby T, Rev Sam Shoemaker,
Father Ed Dowling, Dr Harry Tiebout, Bernard B Smith, Leonard V Harrison and “Dr Jack” Norris.

210
20th Anniversary - 2nd International - St Louis, MO - July 1955
The 2pm Sunday afternoon meeting was designated as the “Last Session of the General Service
Conference.” It is the only time in the history of the Conference that it has been opened to AA members.
At the invitation of Chairman Bernard B Smith, Bill W made some introductory remarks and presented a
resolution to the attendees, the heart of which read: BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED: That the General
Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous should become, as of this date July 3, 1955, the guardian
of the Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous, the perpetuator of the World Services of our Society, the
voice of the group conscience of our entire Fellowship and the sole successors to its co-founders, Dr
Bob and Bill. - The resolution was unanimously approved.

211
 AA Comes Of Age - St Louis - July 3, 1955
Approval of the Permanent Conference Charter also resulted in approval of a new publication titled “The
Third Legacy Manual of World Service as Proposed by Bill.” It was the forerunner of today’s Service
Manual, both of which contain the Conference Charter.
The Conference Charter has 12 Articles, the 12th of which is also called “The General Warranties of the
Conference” or just “Warrantees” for short. The six Warrantees in Article 12 are a condensed version of
the Traditions to ensure that the Conference always functions in the spirit of the Traditions. In 1962, the
General Warranties of the Conference formed Concept 12 of the Twelve Concepts for World Service.

2Hr-3L
212
Second Edition Big Book - 1955
The second edition Big Book was introduced at the 1955 international Convention at a retail price of
$4.50 ($36 in today’s dollars). It contained 30 new personal stories. In the introduction to the story
section Bill W wrote that 22 of the original 29 case histories (or 76% of those who had their stories
published in the first edition) had made full recovery as of 1955.
Bill renumbered the pages of the 2nd edition so that page 1 began with “Bill’s Story” instead of “The
Doctor’s Opinion.” It’s not known why he did this but there has been some very creative and entertaining
speculation on the matter.
The second edition had a new appendix containing the short and long form of the Traditions. However, it
mistakenly listed the short form version published in the November 1949 Grapevine instead of the
version published in the 12&12 in 1953. The error was not fully corrected until the 6th printing in 1963.

213
“Came to Believe” - December 1955
The December 1955 Grapevine carried a painting by volunteer illustrator Robert M of a man on a bed
being 12th Stepped by 2 members. The painting’s title originally was “Came To Believe.”
In 1973, when the book “Came To Believe” was published, Grapevine editors changed the painting’s
name to “The Man On The Bed” to avoid confusion. It is probably the most popular image in AA today.

214
The LSD Experiment - 1956
British radio commentator Gerald Heard introduced Bill W to Aldous Huxley and British psychiatrists
Humphrey Osmond and Abram Hoffer. Humphrey and Osmond were working with schizophrenic and
alcoholic patients at a Canadian hospital.
Bill joined with Heard and Huxley and first took LSD in CA on August 29, 1956. At the time, LSD was
thought to have psychotherapeutic potential (research was also being funded by the National Institutes of
Health and National Academy of Sciences). The intent of Osmond and Hoffer was to induce an
experience similar to the DTs in hopes that it might shock alcoholics away from alcohol.
Among those invited to experiment with LSD (and who accepted) were Nell Wing, Father Ed Dowling,
Sam Shoemaker and Lois Wilson. Marty M and other AA members participated in NY (under medical
supervision by a psychiatrist from Roosevelt Hospital).
The book Pass It On (on pgs 368 to 377) reports the full LSD story and notes that there were
repercussions within AA over these activities. Lois was a reluctant participant and claimed to have had
no response to the chemical.
Hoffer and Osmond did research that later influenced Bill, in December 1966, to enthusiastically
embrace a campaign to promote vitamin B3 (niacin) therapy. It also created Traditions issues within the
Fellowship and caused a bit of an uproar.

215
Grapevine Slogan Plaques - 1956 and 1957
AA’s popular slogan plaques were first published in five Grapevine issues from September-December
1956 and February 1957. 4 slogans are from the Big Book: “But for the Grace of God” is from the chapter
“There Is A Solution” (25). “Easy Does It,” “First Things First” and “Live and Let Live” are from the
chapter “The Family Afterward” (135).
The slogan “Think, Think, Think” is a bit of a mystery. Some say it originated in Cleveland, OH in the
mid-1940s, however, its actual source is unknown.

216
Principles of Service - April 1956
The 1956 Conference voted to continue the structure of the General Service Board as 8 Class A and 7
Class B trustees. It marked the beginning of a 10-year campaign by Bill W to change the board ratio to a
2/3 majority of alcoholics.
Bill W gave a talk at the 1956 Conference on the rights of petition, appeal, participation and decision
describing them as 4 principles that might someday permeate all of AA’s services. They later became
key principles of the 12 Concepts for World Service, specifically Concepts 3, 4, 5 and 6.

217
Step Twelve Wording Changed Again - 1956
In 1956, the wording of Step 12 changed again in the 2nd printing of the 2nd edition Big Book. The term
“as the result of those steps” was restored to its original form of “as the result of these steps.”

218
General Service Conference - April 1957
The 1957 Conference approved a new set of “BYLAWS of the General Service Board.” written by
Bernard B Smith. They are today contained in the AA Service Manual as Appendix E.
The 1957 Conference further recommended that no change in Article 12 of the Conference Charter or in
AA Tradition or in the 12 Steps may be made with less than the written consent of three fourths (or 75%)
of AA groups.

219
AA Comes of Age - April 1957
The 1957 Conference also approved publication of “AA Comes of Age.” Guised as a 3-day diary of the
1955 Convention, it is in fact a definitive history of AA up to 1955. One version printed by Harper &
Brothers was sold in commercial book stores. The other version was sold at a discounted price within
AA.

220
General Service Conference - April 1958
Although the “official” estimated attendance of the 1955 Convention was 5,000, there were only 3,800
actual paid registrations which led to a $25,000 deficit - a huge sum in 1955 (equivalent to almost
$200,000 today). Greatly concerned, the Board Trustees agreed that the 2nd international convention of
1955 should be AA’s last international convention.
The 1958 Conference decided otherwise and authorized a 25th Anniversary and 3rd International
Convention to be held in 1960. Long Beach and San Francisco both wanted the event. The Delegates
from Southern and Northern California flipped a coin and Long Beach won.
The 1958 Conference also recommended that the name “General Service HQ” be changed to “General
Service Office.”

221
AA Preamble Changed - April 1958
The 1958 Conference also approved removing the word “honest” from the term “honest desire to stop
drinking” in the AA Preamble. AA legend sometimes erroneously states that the word “honest” was
removed from Tradition 3. Neither the long nor short form of Tradition 3 ever contained the word
“honest.” The term “honest desire to stop drinking” is from the Foreword to the first edition Big Book.
In the continuing debate over the trustee ratio (which was to go on for 6 more years) the 1958
Conference proposed that the Board be changed from 8 nonalcoholic and 7 AA trustees to 9 of each and
that this proposal be taken back to the areas and be decided upon at the 1959 Conference.

222
Partners In AA - 1958
The 1958 Conference approved a pamphlet titled “Partners In AA” as an informal handbook for members
and groups. In 1980 it was renamed to “The AA Group” pamphlet. The pamphlet is a goldmine of
information for helping groups practice the Traditions and Concepts.

223
Days of Wine and Roses - 1958/1962
J P Miller’s “Days of Wine and Roses” premiered in 1958 on CBS-TV’s Playhouse 90. It starred Cliff
Robertson (as Joe Clay) and Piper Laurie (as Joe’s wife Kirsten). AA actively cooperated in its
production. The story centered on Joe’s testimony at an AA meeting. The ending found him in recovery
but his wife continued to drink and abandoned Joe and their daughter.
The Warner Brothers movie premiered in 1962 starring Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick. The TV version
portrayed the story as occurring in NY. The film version was set in San Francisco. Nominated for several
Academy Awards, it won for Best Song

224
Board Policy on Posthumous Anonymity - April 1960
In April 1960, the General Service Board adopted a policy that: “The Board believes that AA members
generally think it unwise to break the anonymity of a member even after his death, but that in each
situation the final decision must rest with the family.”
Many AA members believe that it is ok to reveal a member’s name after they pass away but that is not
what is recommended. The 1968, 1971 and 1988 Conferences reaffirmed the board policy.

225
AAWS - April 1959
The 1959 Conference also voted to change the corporate name “Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing” to
“Alcoholics Anonymous World Services.” The board approved the change in October 1960. The
Conference also voted not to change the trustee ratio as proposed by the 1958 Conference.

226
Myth: Dr Silkworth was the first US physician to call alcoholism a “disease”
Professor E M Jellinek was not a physician - he was a biostatistician and the first editor of the “Quarterly
Journal of Studies on Alcohol.” He later was an alcoholism consultant to the World Health Organization.
In 1960, he wrote a book titled “The Disease Concept of Alcoholism” which advanced the concept among
the medical community.
Neither Dr Silkworth nor Bill W ever used the term “disease” to describe alcoholism. They both preferred
to use terms such as “malady” or “illness” and deliberately avoided the use of the word “disease.”
Alcoholism is not described as a disease in either the basic text of the Big Book (including the forewords)
or in the 12&12.

227
25th Anniversary - 3rd International - Long Beach, CA - July 1-3, 1960
AA’s 25th Anniversary and 3rd International Convention was held at the Long Beach, CA Veterans
Memorial Stadium from July 1-3, 1960. There were nearly 8,900 attendees (more than twice that at St.
Louis) but major problems persisted prior to and during the Convention.
A record cold spell hit Long Beach and nobody had brought any warm clothes. In contrast to St. Louis
where Nell Wing wrote that they almost melted, in Long Beach they almost froze in the open-air stadium.
Bill W was a bit long winded and his talk went on for over 2 hours. To make matters worse, the PA
system did not work well and anyone seated on the stage couldn't hear a word for the entire two hours.
Bill later was teased about his "Deep-freeze Talk" as he himself described it. Amazingly, according to
Nell Wing, almost everyone stayed until the end, shivering and shaking.
The other memorable feature of the Convention was that Long Beach ran out of coffee.

228
25th Anniversary - 3rd International - Long Beach, CA - July 1-3, 1960
Besides Bill W and Lois, the program at Long Beach featured Sister Ignatia, Col. Edward Towns of
Towns Hospital, Ebby T, Rev Sam Shoemaker, Dr Harry Tiebout, Warden Clinton Duffy, Archie
Roosevelt, Leonard Harrison and Dr Jack Norris along with Marty M and many other AA pioneers.

229
25th Anniversary - 3rd International - Long Beach, CA - July 1960
The AA Grapevine published a large, hard-cover souvenir book of the 25th Anniversary titled “AA
Today.” It became so popular that it was later reprinted.
The entertainment produced by the California members was an all-star show. Some of Hollywood’s
brightest stars performed and all donated their talent without charge.

230
Twelve Concepts for World Service Manuscript - April 1962
Grapevine Director Mary B (Bernson) from Chappaqua, NY joined the General Service Board in 1962 as
the first woman Class B Trustee.
The 1962 Conference unanimously approved Bill W’s manuscript titled “Twelve Concepts for World
Service.” With the publication of this book all the spiritual principles of AA’s Three Legacies were defined
and explained in detail.
The Conference also reaffirmed that a majority of non-alcoholics be retained on the General Service
Board and voted to enlarge the Board from 15 to 19 trustees. It was proposed that, after a 1-year review,
the 1963 Conference consider a 6-region zoning plan to elect Class B trustees at 6-year intervals.

231
How the Steps Were Born - September 1962
The September 1962 Grapevine carried an extract from the book “AA Comes of Age” in which Bill W
explains the origin of the 12 Steps. The title of the article is “How the Steps Were Born.”.

232
Regional Trustees - April 1963
The 1963 Conference approved the 1962 plan that organized the US into 6 geographical Regions.
Regional Trustees would be elected as Class B (or alcoholic) Trustees.

233
30th Anniversary - 4th International - Toronto, Canada - July 1965
AA’s 30th anniversary and 4th International Convention took place at Toronto, Ontario, Canada from July
2-4, 1965. Over 10,000 people gathered at the Royal York Hotel and the Maple Leaf Gardens Arena to
celebrate. The theme was “Responsibility.”
It was truly “International” as it was held in Canada and was the first to attract planeloads of AA members
from 30 foreign countries.

234
30th Anniversary - 4th International - Toronto, Canada - July 1965
A 30th Anniversary souvenir book was produced which captured in words and pictures the growth of AA
up to 1965. Emphasizing its international nature, the book contained the Steps and Traditions in 11
languages. It was not only a success at the Convention, but its format was closely followed 20 years later
in the 50th Anniversary souvenir book.

235
30th Anniversary - 4th International - Toronto, Canada - July 1965
Some 250 members of AA, Al-Anon and Alateen, plus 24 internationally known nonalcoholic authorities
on alcoholism, were featured speakers at 69 jam-packed sessions.
Bill W and Lois were, of course, prominent on the program and many pioneer old-timers were still active
and at the convention. The crowd filled the Maple Leaf Gardens arena Friday night to hear Bill W speak
about AA’s history and to hear Lois W tell the Al-Anon story.

236
30th Anniversary - 4th International - Toronto, Canada - July 1965
The crowd returned Saturday night for a program built around the Convention theme of “Responsibility.”
From behind an immense banner at the rear of the stage, 90 General Service Conference Delegates and
members from all over the world joined the Trustees already seated there.
All attendees rose, clasped hands, and led by Bill and Lois recited the Responsibility Declaration in
unison saying: “I am responsible. When anyone, anywhere reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA
always to be there. And for that: I am responsible.”
The Declaration was written for the occasion by Board Trustee and past Grapevine Editor Al S.

237
30th Anniversary - 4th International - Toronto, Canada - July 1965
The pocket-sized gift edition of the 12&12 was introduced at the Convention and the film, “Bill’s Own
Story” was shown for the first time.
The city of Toronto got into the AA spirit as well. Harrison Trice, a nonalcoholic Trustee, walked into the
bar at the Royal York Hotel and ordered a drink. Noticing his customer’s AA badge, the bartender
refused him. “No slips in here” he said.
Another historic precedent occurred when Bill W suggested for the first time that the crowd join hands as
they said the Lord’s Prayer to close the Big Meeting.

238
Ebby T - March 21, 1966
On March 21, 1966 Ebby T (Thacher) died of emphysema. Some members believe that he died drunk.
It’s not true. He was 2 ½ years sober when he died. Bill W loyally referred to Ebby as his sponsor
throughout his life.
In Ebby’s last years, when he was gravely ill, Bill W made an appeal to the General Service Board and
General Service Conference for financial help for Ebby.
In 1963, the Conference approved the GSB Trustees’ action in making a special monthly grant to Ebby
of $200 per month ($1,300 today). (the book Pass It On, pg 393, says this occurred in 1961)
The 1963 Conference advisory action cited Ebby as “the man who helped co-founder Bill W achieve
sobriety and who was indirectly responsible for creation of the AA Fellowship.”

239
Board Ratio Changes - April 1966
The 1966 Conference approved a restructuring plan proposed by the Board in 1965 which changed the
Board ratio to 14 alcoholic and 7 non-alcoholic Trustees. This ended Bill W’s 10-year campaign to have
alcoholics make up a 2/3 majority of the General Service Board.

240
Big Book Copyright Lapses - April 1967
In April 1967 the US copyright to the first edition Big Book expired and was not renewed. The oversight
was not discovered until nearly 20 years later in 1985. It was also discovered in 1985 that the US
copyright to new material in the second edition had lapsed in 1983.
It should be noted however that the Big Book copyright has expired only in the US. It is still in force
outside the US under international treaty agreements.

241
The Serenity Prayer in the Grapevine - 1967
The 1967 General Service Conference adopted an advisory action that “The Serenity Prayer be
incorporated into the Grapevine’s regular monthly format.” The Grapevine covers shown are the most
often repeated cover in Grapevine publication history and frequently appears in April.

242
The AA Way of Life - April 1967
The 1967 Conference approved publication of “The AA Way of Life.” In 1975 the book was renamed to
“As Bill Sees It.” This was the 6th and last book written by Bill W.

243
The AA Service Manual - April 1969
The 1969 Conference approved the revision of “The Third Legacy Manual of AA World Service” and
renaming it to “The AA Service Manual.”

244
First World Service Meeting - October 9-11, 1969
The first World Service Meeting was held from October 9-11, 1969. Twenty-six Delegates from
overseas, Central America and the North American Conference joined with the Trustees of the General
Service Board and staff from AAWS and Grapevine in New York City.

245
35th Anniversary - 5th International - Miami Beach, FL - July 1970
Over 10,000 attendees from 50 states and 27 countries met in the Miami, FL Convention Hall in July
1970 for AA’s 5th International Convention and 35th Anniversary. Attendance was around the same as
Toronto. The convention theme was “Unity.”
Despite his severely ill health, Bill flew to Miami with his wife Lois a few days before the convention. His
health had steadily weakened due to emphysema. He was confined to a wheel-chair and required the
administration of oxygen. It became clear that he would not be able to keep his scheduled appearances.
Bernard B Smith, filled in for Bill W at the last moment.

246
35th Anniversary - 5th International - Miami Beach, FL - July 1970
Two dances started the 1970 festivities on Thursday night. By 8am Friday crowds were thronging into 7
large AA meeting rooms and 5 Al-Anon rooms for simultaneous programs. Over the next two-and-a-half
days there were 75 sessions including a Spanish-language alkathon.
The film, “Bill Discusses the Twelve Traditions” was introduced. A luncheon was held for Conference
Delegates from Panel 1 thru 20 and has become a feature of every Convention since.
In an effort to emulate the Toronto experience, the Saturday night meeting ended with the attendees
reciting the Declaration of Unity: “This we owe to AA‘s future: to place our common welfare first; To keep
our fellowship united. For on AA unity depend our lives, And the lives of those to come.”
It was a moving moment, but without Bill to lead the ceremony, it had neither the impact nor the enduring
quality of the “I Am Responsible” Declaration. To those who attended the Miami Convention, all other
memories pale beside the emotional moment when Bill W appeared on Sunday morning and made what
proved to be his last brief talk.

247
William Griffith Wilson - RIP January 24, 1971
On January 24, 1971 William Griffith Wilson (age 75) co-founder of AA, 36 years sober, died at 11:30PM
at the Miami Heart Institute in Miami Beach, FL.
The date was also Bill and Lois’ 53rd wedding anniversary.
Bill W was the architect and author of AA’s 3 Legacies of Recovery, Unity and Service, and all the written
works that explained them. This was an amazing achievement. He had no training at all as a writer.

248
William Griffith Wilson - RIP January 24, 1971
In 1990, Life Magazine named Bill W as one of the 100 most important Americans of the 20th century.
Similarly, in 1999, Time Magazine named Bill W as one of the 100 international heroes and icons of the
20th century.

249
Short Form of the Twelve Concepts - April 1971
Three months after Bill W’s death, the 1971 General Service Conference approved the “short form” of
the Twelve Concepts for World Service.

250
Nell Wing - 1972
The 1972 Conference recommended that GSO prepare a clear-cut statement of what AA is and what it is
not and unanimously agreed that “alcohol and pill” groups not be listed in AA directories and meeting
lists.
In 1972, Nell Wing was appointed AA’s first Archivist. AA Archives opened at the General Service Office
in 1973. The Trustees of the General Service Board formed an Archives Committee. Their first meeting
was on October 24. 1973.

251
The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous - 1972
Nell Wing submitted brief biographies of AA’s co-founders in leaflet form to the Literature Committee for
Conference approval. Two years later, she submitted a companion leaflet consisting of the co-founders’
last talks. In 1978 the two were combined into a the Conference-approved pamphlet “The Co-Founders
of Alcoholics Anonymous.”

252
1,000,000th Big Book (2nd Edition) - April 1973
Distribution of the Big Book reached the 1-million mark in 1973 during the span of the 2nd edition. The
millionth copy was presented to President Richard Nixon in the Whitehouse by Dr John L Norris, Chair of
the General Service Board of AA who was affectionately known in AA as “Dr Jack.”

253
Came To Believe - April 1973
The 1973 Conference approved publication of “Came To Believe.” It was the first Conference-approved
book that was not written by Bill W. The booklet is a collection of stories by AA members who tell in their
own words what the phrase “spiritual awakening” means to them.

254
Box 1980 - June 1974
In order to maintain subscriber’s anonymity, the legal name of “The AA Grapevine” was changed in 1974
to “Box 1980.” This was done to comply with postal regulations that required the corporate name of an
organization be placed on official mailing envelopes and on the magazine itself.

255
40th Anniversary - 6th International - Denver, CO - July 1975
Denver’s Currigan Hall was chosen as the meeting site of AA’s 40th Anniversary and 6th International
Convention in July 1975. Its theme was "Let It Begin With Me." Attendance was around 20,000, almost
twice that of the 1970 Miami Beach Convention. A replica of the Big Book dominated the stage and gave
new meaning to the word "big." It was 28 feet tall. Pictures of Bill and Dr Bob were on each side of the
Big Book.
For the first time, Friday night began with a flag ceremony. GSO office manager, Kleina J, conceived of
the idea. It was such a success that it has become a tradition for intentional conventions ever since.
The 1975 International also had its difficulties. Workshop and panel meeting rooms were jammed-
packed and the big meeting crowds overflowed Currigan Hall into a sports arena across the street where
the talks were carried on closed-circuit TV. Thousands in Denver had paid registrations only to be unable
to attend sessions because of the crowds.

256
Bill W Biography - 1974-1975
Nell Wing was at the International to tape oral histories from the many old-timers present. Nell attended
the 1975 International as AA’s first Archivist.
A reminder of the origins of AA (and the passing of Bill W) was provided by GSO’s sale of the book “Bill
W” by Robert Thomsen. It was sold out by Friday noon. The book was not Conference-approved and
distribution by GSO was later stopped by Conference advisory action.

257
40th Anniversary - 6th International - Denver, CO - July 1975
Anticipating great demand for coffee, a local "entrepreneur" rigged the world's largest coffee maker. Nell
Wing reported that "It had a capacity of 50,000 cups a day, brewed in huge tanks and piped to a bank of
dozens of spigots. It was the talk of the convention but the main attitude on flavor was “I've had better!"
The 1975 International had its difficulties. Workshop and panel meeting rooms were jammed-packed
and the big meeting crowds overflowed Currigan Hall into a sports arena across the street where the
talks were carried on closed-circuit TV.
Nell Wing remembered that the fire department was a bit alarmed at the overcrowding of the halls.
Thousands in Denver had paid registrations only to be unable to attend sessions because of the crowds.

258
Living Sober - 1974-1975
The booklet “Living Sober” was published in 1975 (AACOA xi). It was written by AA member Barry L
(Leach). When Conference-approved in 1974 it was originally titled “Staying Sober.” Barry is shown in
the center of the photograph to the right of Lois W.

259
1976 General Service Conference
The 1976 Conference approved publication of the 3rd edition Big Book. The Conference also expanded
the provisions of Article 3 of the Permanent Conference Charter so that any change to the Steps,
Traditions or Warranties would require written approval of 75% of the registered AA Groups known to
General Service Offices around the world. This Conference advisory action effectively makes any
proposed change to the Steps, Traditions and Warranties a virtual impossibility (even so much as adding
or removing a comma).
Some members erroneously believe this restriction also applies to making changes to the basic text of
the Big Book - it does not.

260
Regional Forums - 1976
The 1976 Conference recommended going forward with mini-conferences and providing them as often
as possible. The sense of the meeting was for the time being the regional meetings should be known as
“AA Regional Forums.”

261
45th Anniversary - 7th International - New Orleans, LA - July 1980
The New Orleans Superdome was the main site of the 45th Anniversary and 7th International
Convention on July 3-6, 1980. The convention theme was “The Joy of Living.”
The memory of the overcrowding with 20,000 attendees in Denver caused the GSO planning committee
to budget New Orleans for 25,000 attendees. Unfortunately, the economy took a major downturn and a
deadly heat-wave swept thru the south-central US. As a result, registrations fell short by 10% causing a
deficit of over $200,000 (equivalent to a half-million dollars today).
33 countries took part in the flag ceremony on Friday evening and simultaneous translation of the Big
Meetings was provided in Spanish, French and German. A record 180 sessions were planned.

262
45th Anniversary - 7th International - New Orleans, LA - July 1980
The memory of the overcrowding with 20,000 attendees in Denver caused the GSO planning committee
to budget New Orleans for 25,000 attendees. Unfortunately, the economy took a major downturn and a
deadly heat-wave swept thru the south-central US. As a result, registrations fell short by 10% causing a
deficit of over $200,000 (equivalent to a half-million dollars today).
33 countries took part in the flag ceremony on Friday evening and simultaneous translation of the Big
Meetings was provided in Spanish, French and German. A record 180 sessions were conducted.

263
Biography Of Dr Bob - 1980
The 1980 Conference approved publication of “Dr Bob and the Good Oldtimers” which, in addition to
being a biography of Dr Bob, gives a very colorful and detailed history of early AA in Akron and the mid-
west. The book was distributed at the Convention.
As the throngs streamed into the Superdome on Friday and Saturday evening, they were greeted with
New Orleans jazz by live bands. Famed Bourbon Street turned into “ice cream and coffee” street as
mobs of AA’s overran it - with signs in the windows of the jazz spots and strip joints proclaiming the
change! The hotels also set up ice cream bars in their lobbies.

264
45th Anniversary - 7th International - New Orleans, LA - July 1980
An archives workshop was presented for the first time. The films "Bill's Own Story" and "Bill Discusses
the Traditions" were shown throughout the convention along with a new GSO Archives film called
"Markings on the Journey."
Other surprises, at the Big Meeting Sunday, were even more memorable. Lois W made an appearance
to the crowd’s delight. Roberto C, from Italy, presented her with the first copy of the Big Book in Italian.
A speaker not on the program stepped to the microphone and said “My name is Bob S and I’m in Al-
Anon.” He continued saying “I am probably the only person here today who was present when Bill met Dr
Bob. I am Dr Bob’s only son!” The crowd burst into wild applause.

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45th Anniversary - 7th International - New Orleans, LA - July 1980
The New Orleans Convention was the first to have a genuine “Marathon Meeting.” It started at midnight
on Thursday with the lighting of a candIe which burned continuously. The meeting continued non-stop
until Sunday morning. The meeting room was-usually filled and overflowing no matter what the hour.
On the final day, Keith C, Chairman of the Marathon Meeting, carried the meeting candle to the stage
where it was blown out by “Pete” who was sober just two days. Pete had stopped a convention attendee
to ask what the badge meant and was 12th Stepped on the spot and led to the Marathon Meeting. The
Superdome crowd gave Pete a deafening ovation.

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Biographies of the Co-founders - 1980 and 1984
The 1984 Conference approved publication of a biography of Bill W titled “Pass It On.” Two draft
manuscripts of this book are in the Northeast Texas Area (NETA) archives. The original title proposed for
the book was “Bill W and His Friends.”

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50th Anniversary - 8th International - Montreal, Canada - July 1985
AA’s 8th International Convention and 50th Anniversary was held in Montreal, Canada in July 1985. The
theme was “Fifty Years with Gratitude.”
The local Montreal planning committee estimated 50,000 attendees (double the number in New Orleans)
but no one took them seriously and the budget was initially based on 28,000 registrations. However,
even before registration began in September 1984, it became apparent that AA members in
unprecedented numbers were planning to attend. The final count was 45,000 registrations (35,000 AA
and 10,000 Al-Anon) plus family members and other guests.
Several hundred AA members and their families were not able to find rooms. Every hotel room within 80
miles of Montreal was booked. Some members were housed as far away as Burlington, Vermont.

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50th Anniversary - 8th International - Montreal, Canada - July 1985
When the on-stage group was seated In Montreal’s Olympic Park Stadium, the flag ceremony began.
The flags of 53 nations represented at the Convention were paraded as a band played their national
tunes. When all the flags were massed on the field, they represented nearly half the 114 countries
around the world where AA was to be found in 1985.
16,000 copies of the souvenir book “Fifty Years With Gratitude” sold out within 24 hours.
16,000 copies of the souvenir book “Fifty Years With Gratitude” sold out within 24 hours.
The House of Seagram paid a bit of an unusual but good-natured tribute to AA. For the duration of the
International Convention the 3 flags at their Montreal headquarters were lowered to to half-staff.

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50th Anniversary - 8th International - Montreal, Canada - July 1985
In over 90 sessions the Montreal Convention had an endless flow of people in and out of workshops,
panel meetings, alkathons and special meetings at 5 hotels on every conceivable subject and for every
conceivable AA interest..
One aspect that distinguished the Montreal Convention program from others was the consistent
emphasis on AA‘s origins, history and early days. Panels related how AA began in the US, Canada,
Europe, Latin America and elsewhere. There were meetings called “Pioneers” and “Golden Oldies.”

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50th Anniversary - 8th International - Montreal, Canada - July 1985
The Saturday Evening Post, which played such a prominent role in AA Growth in 1941, carried a 50th
anniversary commemorative article about AA.
On the final day, Lois W, Bill’s widow and First Lady of Al-Anon, was escorted to the podium. The entire
stadium stood as one and the ovation was deafening. A diminutive white-haired figure at age 93, Lois’
speaking voice was strong and she completely charmed the huge audience. Sadly, this was to be her
last International Convention.

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50th Anniversary - 8th International - Montreal, Canada - July 1985
Ruth Hock, Bill's first secretary who typed the original manuscript of the Big Book in 1938, was at the
Montreal Convention and was presented with the 5-millionth copy of the Big Book.
Ruth’s daughter later revealed that the 5 millionth copy was actually not given to her that night since it
had not been returned from the binders with its special leather cover. A book was borrowed from an
attendee for the presentation. Ruth thought it was quite funny and she signed the borrowed book and
returned it to its owner.

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50th Anniversary - 8th International - Montreal, Canada - July 1985
As part of the festivities surrounding AA’s golden anniversary, Stepping Stones, the Wilson’s home since
1941, was declared a NY State Historic Site.
Also in 1985, the Akron house where Dr. Bob and his wife Anne lived and raised their children - 855
Ardmore Avenue - was opened to visitors. Much of the furniture is original and many of Dr Bob and
Anne's books line the shelves.
Both homes are favored visiting sights for AA members and function as museums to preserve AA
history.

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Bill W’s Grapevine Essays Are Preserved - 1988
The 1988 General Service Conference approved the AA Grapevine publication of “The Language of the
Heart.” The book contains the essays that Bill W wrote for the Grapevine to explain the AA Traditions to
the membership. It also contains many memorial and historical articles, as does the books published by
the AA Grapevine under “The Best of the Grapevine” series.
The AA Grapevine is probably the most under-appreciated source of AA history. It is in fact a treasure
house of historical material ranging from old-timer testimonials to summaries of each of the General
Service Conferences.

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Daily Reflections - 1988
The 1988 General Service Conference also approved the publication of the “Daily Reflections” book.

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Lois Burnham Wilson - October 5, 1988
On October 5, 1988 Lois Burnham Wilson (age 97) co-founder of Al-Anon Family Groups, passed away.
Her contributions to the AA and Al-Anon Fellowships entitle her to be considered a co-founder of both. In
his eulogy, Michael Alexander, past Board Chairman, commented that “many AAs today feel their lives
are owed to Lois as well as Bill, Dr Bob and Anne.”

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55th Anniversary - 9th International - Seattle, WA - July 1990
AA's ·55th Anniversary and 9th International Convention was held in Seattle, Washington. 48,000
attendees from from 75 countries virtually took over the city to celebrate AA’s birthday from July 5 - 8,
1990. The theme was "Fifty-five Years - One Day at a Time."
At the time it was the largest convention ever hosted in Seattle.

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55th Anniversary - 9th International - Seattle, WA - July 1990
More than 12,000 registered on site instead of the anticipated 6,000,
On July 4, when new citizens were scheduled to be sworn in at the Flag Pavilion at Seattle Center, one
of the citizens-to-be (a man from China) turned up in the Convention registration line by mistake. He paid
his $55 registration but was bewildered when asked whether he needed an AA or an AI-Anon badge. His
money was cheerfully refunded, of course, and 2 host committee volunteers walked him over to the Flag
Pavilion to become a US citizen.
On Friday night the flag ceremony began in the Kingdome, with AAs from 75 countries, some in their
national costumes, marching one by one to plant their flags in front of the dais.

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55th Anniversary - 9th International - Seattle, WA - July 1990
The 19-millionth copy of the Big Book was presented to Nell Wing, who for many years was Bill W's
secretary and later the first GSO Archivist.
Nell later related that it was also a homecoming of sorts for her. In her words
“I had spent 1944-46 in Seattle (the 13th naval district) as a member of SPARS, the Women's Coast
Guard Reserve, In the basement of the Olympic Hotel. There was a large bar and dining room which we
called the "snake pit" and where many of us, along with the Coast Guard and Navy guys, did a bit of off-
duty drinking.
One night I got involved in an all-night drinking spree and next morning, up before my executive officer,
was "awarded" a captain's mast and sentenced to a brief confinement in my quarters (the "brig" was full).
I was allowed out once a day, accompanied by a shore patrol
Now, 44 years later, here I was in Seattle again and the recipient of the 10 millionth copy of the Big
Book. No words can adequately express my deep gratitude to this beloved Fellowship and my cherished
friends therein."

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60th Anniversary - 10th International - San Diego, CA - July 1995
The theme of the 60th Anniversary and 10th International Convention - "AA Everywhere-Anywhere" -
was borne out as nearly 56,000 people from the US, Canada and 85 other countries gathered in San
Diego, California in July 1995. At the time it was the largest AA Anniversary Convention ever held and
the largest convention of any kind that San Diego had ever hosted.
Nowhere was the Convention theme, "AA Everywhere - Anywhere," more evident than in the opening
flag ceremony in Jack Murphy Stadium. Flags from 87 countries were paraded Olympics-style and 2
huge screens broadcast the speakers.
Flag bearers, some in national costumes, marched into the stadium and lined up in front of the dais.
From Antigua to Chile, Ireland and Poland, through South Africa and Western Samoa, every country was
cheered loud and long. In San Diego, attendance at this opening meeting was estimated at 54,000,
giving it claim to the biggest AA meeting ever.

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60th Anniversary - 10th International - San Diego, CA - July 1995
Warned that at a past Convention some hotels had run out of coffee, the San Diego hotels came through
beautifully. The ice cream lasted as well but ATMs ran out of cash!
Hospitality suites were set up at the Marriott and Hyatt Hotels for a variety of groups from young people
to old-timers. A Convention first was the Living Cyber hospitality suite where AAs who had been
corresponding on the Internet had a chance to meet face-to-face.
The Convention opened officially on Thursday night, with a "block party" in the city's harbor area, along
with dances at the Convention Center and at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. All day Friday and Saturday,
panels and workshops on every conceivable AA topic were held. Among the most popular meetings
were those that involved old-timers, the Steps and Traditions and the daily challenges of working the
program in the real world.
Many meetings were so crowded that people had to be turned away at the door. The first-ever
Convention Old-Timers Meeting on Saturday night featured 129 members with 40 or more years of
sobriety, 15 of whom told their stories

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60th Anniversary - 10th International - San Diego, CA - July 1995
Grapevine controller Bob S was in charge of the souvenir book and Grapevine sales booth and remarked
that it really is an honest program.
On Saturday afternoon the sales booths stayed open late to accommodate AAs who still wanted
souvenir books or the Grapevine's new Spanish translation of The Language of the Heart - but not late
enough.
Returning Sunday morning to pack boxes to ship home, Bob realized that a large number of books had
disappeared overnight. Dismayed at first, he found a box of cash - $826, to be exact - on one of the
counters. AA members had bought their books on the honor system.

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65th Anniversary - 11th International - Minneapolis, MN - July 2000
Some 48,000 people celebrated AA’s 11th International Convention and 65th Anniversary held in
Minneapolis, Minnesota from June 29 - July 2, 2000. The theme was "Pass It On-Into the 21st Century.
The “big meetings” were held in the Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome under 10 acres of teflon-coated
fiberglass held up only by air like a giant balloon.
One memorable feature of the Convention was to “Walk-the-Walk” each day, in which a stream of
attendees walked a “Big Book blue” line laid down from the Convention Center to the Hubert H
Humphrey Metrodome on their way to and from the meetings. Attendees were also able to Dance-the-
Dance in the Metrodome on Friday and Saturday nights.

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65th Anniversary - 11th International - Minneapolis, MN - July 2000
The 20-millionth Big Book was presented to Al-Anon Family Groups in a special ceremony.
As the new millennium began, AA worldwide membership was estimated at approximately 2,100,000.
Another membership milestone in the year 2000 was the number of groups, which for the first time
surpassed the 100,000 mark.

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Fourth Edition Big Book- April 2001
The major historical milestone for AA in the first decade of the 21st century was the 2001 Conference
approval and publication of the 4th edition Big Book. It includes 42 personal stories - 24 new stories were
introduced - 16 were retained from the 3rd edition and 27 were dropped.
A copy of the book was sent to every registered group and Intergroup Central Office.

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Personal Stories of Experience, Strength & Hope - April 2002
The book “Experience, Strength & Hope” was Conference-approved and published in 2002. It allows
members to revisit 56 stories that were previously printed in the first three editions of the Big Book and
later replaced.

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70th Anniversary - 12th International - Toronto, CA - July 2005
Around 44,000 AA members congregated in Toronto from June 30 to July 2, 2005 for AA’s 12th
International Convention and 70th Anniversary. Attendance was around 10% less than that at
Minneapolis. One possible cause might have been that Canada implemented restrictions on entry for
anyone with a felony conviction and in Canada all DUI convictions are considered felonies.
On Friday evening, attendees filed into the stadium for the flag ceremony. One by one, 90 AA members
carried to the stage the flags of nations represented at the Convention. When the flags from Mongolia,
Cuba and People's Republic of China took the stage, the crowd went wild. It was the first time these
countries were represented. As each flag bearer appeared on stage, the title Alcoholics Anonymous on
the large Big Book model changed to one of 52 languages.

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70th Anniversary - 13th International - Toronto, CA - July 2005
Over 200 meetings and workshops were held at the Convention Center and at hotels around the city
covering every conceivable subject an AA could think of. Meetings were held in Portuguese, Finnish,
German, Polish, Swedish, Farsi, French, Japanese, and Italian. Some meetings were interpreted in
American Sign Language. Marathon meetings, in English, French and Spanish, began at midnight June
30 and ran the entire length of the Convention.

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70th Anniversary - 13th International - Toronto, CA - July 2005
The Saturday night big meeting began with a sobriety count-up; AA members were asked to stand until
their sobriety length was announced - under 1 year, under 2 years, etc. As the count got higher, the
cheering grew louder until one gentleman from Michigan with 63 years of sobriety was left standing.
Old-Timers (who were defined as 40 or more years of continuous sobriety) dropped their names into an
oversized Mountie's hat. 12 young people (under 20 years of age and sober from 1 day to 4 years) drew
the name of an old-timer out of the hat to share his or her story for 5 minutes.

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70th Anniversary - 13th International - Toronto, CA - July 2005
Class A (nonalcoholic) trustee Allen Ault, in appreciation of Warden Clinton Duffy, presented the 25
millionth copy of the Big Book to Warden Jill Brown of San Quentin “on behalf of all the correctional
facilities and their inmate populations where the AA message of hope is welcomed.”
In 1942, Warden Clinton Duffy of San Quentin prison pioneered the first AA group behind prison walls.
The 2005 International Convention also commemorated the 50th anniversary of Bill W. turning over the
operation of the Fellowship to the General Service Conference in 1955.

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70th Anniversary - 13th International - Toronto, CA - July 2005
The theme for the 2005 Convention in Toronto was "I am Responsible" repeating the theme of the 1965
Convention also held in Toronto. However, the total of 44,000 attendee at the 2005 Convention was 4
times that of the 1965 Convention.

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75th Anniversary - 14th International - San Antonio, TX - July 2010
The next chapter in the history of International Conventions will take place from July 1-4 in San Antonio,
Texas who will host AA’s 13th International Convention and 75th Anniversary. It’s theme will be “A Vision
For You.”

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Kiel Auditorium, St Louis, MO - The Three Legacies of AA - July 1955
The year 2010 was also the 70th anniversary of the Big Book. In the remaining few slides I will try to sum
up the key role of the Big Book in AA history and why the book enjoys so much respect from the AA
membership.
AA’s historic 1955 International Convention in St Louis introduced a new circle and triangle symbol that
was prominently displayed on a large banner draping the back of the stage. The symbol later found its
way on to chips and medallions which unfortunately caused AA to eventually discontinue its use in 1993
and release legal rights to the circle and triangle symbol to the public domain.
In “AA Comes of Age” (pg 139) Bill W, described the circle as representing the whole of AA. The triangle
represented AA’s 3 Legacies of Recovery, Unity and Service. Each of AA’s 3 Legacies has a foundation
of 12 spiritual principles. They are The 12 Steps for the Legacy of Recovery - The 12 Traditions for the
Legacy of Unity and The 12 Concepts for the Legacy of Service

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The Common Root Of The Three Legacies Of AA
There is an old saying that “hindsight is 20/20.” History is hindsight, particularly in searching for cause
and effect. The common root action that caused the written evolution of the Three Legacies of AA very
likely took place in October 1937. It was a group conscience decision by the Akron and NY groups to
permit the writing of a book of experience that later came to be fondly known in AA as the “Big Book.”
The book’s contents explain the 12 Steps and AA’s Legacy of Recovery. The “Foreword to the First
Edition” defines many of the key principles that were later absorbed into the 12 Traditions and AA’s
Legacy of Unity. Finally, the service structure that was needed to produce and distribute the book and
manage the public relations and funds related to book sales, provided much of the experience and
organization that later helped shape the 12 Concepts and AA’s Legacy of Service.

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Four Editions of the Big Book
The origin and development of the Big Book is singularly unique. As AA’s first piece of literature, every
AA member at the time of its writing had an opportunity to individually and directly contribute to its
wording and probably did. This is true of no other piece of AA literature. The Big Book also has a
remarkable history of carrying the message of recovery throughout the world in the 20th and 21st
centuries:
300,000 copies of the 1st edition were distributed from 1939-1955;
1,150,000 copies of the 2nd edition were distributed from 1955-1976; and
19,550,000 copies of the 3rd edition were distributed from 1976-2002
By 2007, Big Book distribution reached the 28 million mark and is now well exceeding the 30 million
mark (and that’s just the English language version).The 4th edition introduced a new appendix containing
the short form of the 12 Concepts for World Service. The Big Book now contains all the spiritual
principles of AA’s 3 Legacies of Recovery, Unity and Service.

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Change To Preface of 4th Edition Big Book- April 2006
Contrary to popular belief, a number of wording changes have been made to the basic text of the Big
Book over the years. The 2006 General Service Conference approved a change to the Preface of the 4th
edition so that it reads “Therefore the first part of this volume, describing the AA recovery program, has
been left largely untouched in the course of revisions made for the second, third and fourth editions.”
The word “largely” was added to correct the erroneous impression that the basic text had not been
changed over the prior editions.

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Big Book Editions and Number of Personal Stories
The major changes to the Big Book editions have been in the selection of personal stories so that they
represent a good cross-section of the AA membership. In “AA Comes of Age” (164) Bill W wrote “We had
not gone much farther with the text of the book when it was evident that something more was needed.
There would have to be a story or case history section ... [to] identify us with the distant reader in a way
that the text itself might not.”
29 stories were included in the 1st edition to reflect a 1939 US membership of around 100. 37 stories
were included in the 2nd edition to reflect a 1955 world-wide membership of around 136,000. 43 stories
were included in the 3rd edition to reflect a 1976 world-wide membership of around 321,000. 42 stories
were included in the 4th edition to reflect a 2001 world-wide membership of over 2 million.

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The Gift Of The Three Legacies Of AA
AA’s story began with a 5-month sober and still shaky stock broker from NY who had his last drink (a
beer) in December 1934. While on a failed business trip to Akron, OH, he met an alcoholic surgeon who
desperately wanted to stop drinking. He had his last drink (also a beer) in June 1935.
It’s probably safe to say that when AA’s co-founders met they had no idea at all of the Fellowship of
alcoholics that would evolve from their humble meeting and how that Fellowship would save the lives of
millions of alcoholics over the next 7 decades. Their legacies are today described as Recovery, Unity
and Service. They were our gifts to freely receive and it is our duty to freely give them away. It’s been a
remarkable journey down the Road of Happy Destiny.
If you would like to have a history presentation at your group please see me, or any member of the
NETA Area Archives Committee. We have a number of presentations that can fit in the time period of a
speaker meeting and will be happy to be of service. That concludes the presentation. I hope you found it
both informative and enjoyable. Thank you for the privilege of being able to present it.

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The Gift Of The Three Legacies Of AA
AA’s story began with a 5-month sober and still shaky stock broker from NY. He had his last drink in
December 1934. Later, while on a failed business trip to Akron, OH, he met an alcoholic surgeon who
desperately wanted to stop drinking. He had his last drink in June 1935.
It’s probably safe to say that when AA’s co-founders Bill W and Dr Bob met they had no idea at all of the
Fellowship of alcoholics that would evolve from their humble meeting and how it would go on to save the
lives of millions of alcoholics over the decades that followed.
Their legacies are today described as Recovery, Unity and Service. They were our gifts to freely receive
and it is our duty to freely give them away. It’s been a remarkable journey down the Road of Happy
Destiny. That brings us to our conclusion. I hope you found this history presentation both informative and
enjoyable. Thank you for the privilege and opportunity to present it.

299
The Gift Of The Three Legacies Of AA
AA’s story began with a 5-month sober and still shaky stock broker from NY who had his last drink (a
beer) in December 1934. While on a failed business trip to Akron, OH, he met an alcoholic surgeon who
desperately wanted to stop drinking. He had his last drink (also a beer) in June 1935.
It’s probably safe to say that when AA’s co-founders met they had no idea at all of the Fellowship of
alcoholics that would evolve from their humble meeting and how that Fellowship would save the lives of
millions of alcoholics over the next 7 decades. Their legacies are today described as Recovery, Unity
and Service. They were our gifts to freely receive and it is our duty to freely give them away. It’s been a
remarkable journey down the Road of Happy Destiny.
That concludes the presentation. I hope you found it both informative and enjoyable. Thank you for the
privilege of being able to present it.

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Sources For The History of AA
That brings us to our conclusion. I hope you found the presentation both informative and enjoyable.
We’re going to open it up for questions. Before doing so I’d like to mention that I’ve been through a
number of history presentation and follow-on question and answer periods. Based on that experience I’d
like to ask your indulgence on the questions that you may pose:
First off I don’t, and will not, engage in discussions that are better classified as tabloid items as opposed
to AA history.
I’m not the least bit interested in scandals and personal short-comings and would like to steer clear of
those types of questions.
Second, in consideration to others who may have questions, please be brief and if your question turns
into a long statement I’ll try to nudge you to get to the question.
Finally please do challenge anything you’ve heard that you disagree with and demand proof of its
validity. History is supposed to be a product of research, analysis and independent corroboration.
So let’s begin the questions..

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