February 20 in A.A. History

In 1939, the pre-publication multilith (or photolith) copies of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, were most likely delivered to Bill Wilson and Hank Parkhurst, though it is possible they arrived the following day.

In 1941, the Toledo (Ohio) Blade published the final installment of a three-part series on A.A. by Seymour Rothman, which ran on three consecutive days [left: headlines].

In 1947, Charles B. Towns [right] passed away at home. His son, Edward, took over the operation of the Charles B. Towns Hospital and managed it until its closure in 1965. 

In 1960, Bill W. celebrated with Philadelphia A.A. members on the group's 20th anniversary. Bill signing a program [left: cover, inscription] with the message, “For Philadelphia’s 20th—Nothing but the very best! Ever Devotedly, Bill.”

In 2007, with what seemed to be a thinly veiled reference to A.A., Craig F., while hosting CBS’s The Late Late Show with Craig F—–, spoke candidly about his past struggles with alcoholism during his opening monologue.

February 19 in A.A. History

In 1917, Robert P. [right: with his wife, Betsy] was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the only child of his somewhat nomadic parents, Agnes Greenlees and Ridley Stillson P.
    He did not receive formal schooling until the third grade but quickly excelled academically, skipping grades and graduating with honors from Kansas University in 1938 with a Bachelor of Arts. While at KU, he served as editor of both the university’ s humor magazine and yearbook.
    A skilled writer, Bob became the center of a national scandal when a Scribner’s Magazine article, “Ghost Behind the Grade,” published in 1938, revealed that he had paid his way through college by ghostwriting hundreds of grade-specific papers for students across dozens of classes and seven universities. “Both the Associated Press and the United Press carried it,” Bob recalled in a 2004 interview. “It almost cost me my diploma.”
    His writing career took him to New York City, where he worked in public relations for Shell Oil Co. from 1938 to 1971. While there, he met and married Betsy Dodge.
    When World War II began, Bob enlisted as a U.S. Navy officer and served as a gunnery officer aboard a destroyer escort, participating in numerous Atlantic convoys. He also wrote speeches for a Navy admiral and two U.S. presidents—Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman. His ship played a key role in the historic capture of a German U-boat north of the Azores—just days before D-Day. This marked the first time a submarine was boarded and seized intact, preserving its hardware and Enigma radio codes, later dramatized in the film U-571. Bob was honorably discharged in 1945 with the rank of lieutenant commander.
    After the war, Bob and Betsy settled in Riverside, Connecticut. His most notable achievements at Shell Oil involved the company’s sponsorship of major sports. Working with NBC, he played a crucial role in popularizing golf by bringing the sport to live television for the first time with Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf. He was also involved in Shell’s sponsorship of Craig Breedlove’s mid-1960s pursuit of the world land speed record in a jet-propelled car at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
    However, it was Bob’s personal struggles that ultimately defined his life. He developed an addiction to alcohol during his Navy service, and two decades later, nearly died from the disease. In 1961, doctors urged him to join a fledgling Alcoholics Anonymous group in Greenwich, Connecticut. He did, found sobriety and dedicated himself to nearly 50 years of service to the organization.
    In 1980, Bob and Betsy moved to Bellevue, Idaho, eventually making it their permanent home. There, Bob continued his work with A.A. as a speaker and contributor to its national archives.

 In 1940, Time magazine published a brief item titled “Medicine: Alcoholics Anonymous,” highlighting the 60-person Rockefeller dinner meeting held earlier in the month, where A.A. members and supporters gathered.

In 1940, Newsweek magazine featured an item titled “Alcoholics Anonymous” in its Science Column. The article began:

    Medicine usually claims to cure only about 2 per cent of the cases of acute alcoholism it treats. Last week a non-medi­cal group appeared which made the unusual claim that 25 per cent of its cases were cured. Called Alcoholics Anony­mous, the group was a club composed of ex-drunkards and men trying to overcome the liquor habit who, for obvious reasons, prefer their names to remain unknown. Not particularly anxious for publicity, it nevertheless came into the limelight last Thursday evening when John D. Rockefeller Jr. gave a dinner party for educators and others interested in the club’s work. 

In 1941, Bill W. wrote to the trustees of the Alcoholic Foundation Board regarding the budget for the upcoming year. Excerpts [edited]:

    Many new groups have been formed. Our membership has tripled, now totaling about 2,000... An article is to appear on March 1 in the Saturday Evening Post... The name Alcoholics Anonymous will appear on the outside cover. Our message will be brought to the whole nation—nearly a million alcoholics will hear of us… only a very small proportion of our book sales have come directly from the groups. The general public still buys most of the books... the Alcoholic Foundation should set up a special account called ‘AA operating expenses.’ All contributions from the groups should be segregated in this fund... each group is entitled to know exactly how such money is spent... an accounting ought to be made by the Trustees every six months showing [finances]…

In 1941, The Park City Daily News of Bowling Green, Kentucky, reported on the formation of a new A.A. group in Hopkinsville.

In 1953, After reading a quip that Father Ed Dowling had written on a Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions draft—“It has a little bit of the elder statesman smell of the lamp”—Bill W. responded with humor: “We have given the manuscript a heavy dose of chlorophyll to deaden that elder statesman smell.”

In 1967, Father “John Doe” (Ralph P.) [left], believed to be the first Catholic priest in A.A., passed away. Glenn C. later recounted:

    His niece told me that a physician gave Ralph a shot for airsickness and inadvertently used a contaminated needle. Father Ralph contracted hepatitis, and all the efforts made by the doctors at Our Lady of Mercy Hospital in Owensboro could not save him.

    Father Ralph had achieved permanent sobriety in Indianapolis on 10 November 1943. He was widely known for his Golden Books series and other recovery-related writings.

In 2017, Mel B. [right], 91, sober from 15 April 1950, died of heart and lung failure at Mercy Health St. Anne Hospital in Toledo, Ohio. A retired public relations manager for Libbey-Owens-Ford Co., he was a prolific writer, contributing to The Toledo Blade and authoring many books and articles, including Pass It On and many pieces for the A.A. Grapevine.

February 18 in A.A. History

In 1942, Father Ed Dowling [right] wrote to Bill W.:

In the confusion of World War II, the AA personality is keeping an easy pace, convinced that somehow, some time, the cockeyed world will land on its feet. I am grateful to God for the AA virus in my spiritual blood stream.

In 1943, the U.S. federal government granted A.A. members the right to use cars for emergency 12th-step work, despite the nationwide gasoline rationing that began on December 1, 1942. While ordinary citizens were limited to just three gallons per week—except for factory workers and traveling salesmen, who received eight—A.A. members were given an exemption for this vital service. Notably, gas was rationed not to conserve fuel, but to preserve rubber.

February 17 in A.A. History

In 1939, the final typed draft of the Big Book was sent to the multilith (or photolith) printer. While this may have occurred on Monday, February 20, the earlier Friday date seems more likely.
    Supporting this timeline, Alcoholic Foundation trustee Frank Amos wrote to Dorothy Critchfield on Thursday, February 16, stating that the book “is about ready for press.” Then, on Tuesday, February 21, he informed fellow trustee Willard Richardson that “the photolith copies of the book are now completed,” including a copy for him.

In 1940, Jimmy B. [left, c. 1918] reached out to Charlie B., whom he had met once at a New York City A.A. meeting about two years earlier. Having recently moved from New York to Philadelphia just four days prior for a “very good new position,” Jimmy had two years of sobriety and was eager to connect.
    Charlie had read the newly published book Alcoholics Anonymous, and together, they decided to start a Philadelphia A.A. group. At the time, only three other A.A. groups existed in the world: Akron, Ohio; New York City; and Cleveland, Ohio.

In 1943, Fitz M. married Mrs. Ruth Jelly in Harrison, Mississippi. Just months later, in October, he would die of cancer.

In 1953, Margaret “Bobbie” B. [right] died by her own hand. She had succeeded Ruth Hock as National Secretary for the Alcoholic Foundation, becoming only the second—and last—person to hold this position.
    From early 1942 until mid-1949, Bobbie was the primary contact for all A.A. groups worldwide and personally responded to most letters sent to the Alcoholic Foundation. Unbeknownst to Bill W., she had become addicted to her work. In letters, she admitted she couldn’t stop. Obsessed with her duties, she continued working into the evenings at home, leaving little time for her own recovery. Though she had come to this work as an A.A. member with a drinking problem, she gradually lost touch with her own program—neglecting meetings and forgoing a sponsor.
    In 1949, Bobbie resigned from her position at the A.A. national office. Almost immediately, she relapsed. For the next four years, she struggled against her addiction. Ultimately, the disease overcame her, and she took her own life in February 1953.
    Her passing was a tragic loss for Bill W. and for the many people she had introduced to A.A. Bobbie was deeply mourned and remembered around the world. 

February 16 in A.A. History

In 1941, The Baltimore Sunday Sun published Harrison Johnston’s article on Alcoholics Anonymous, titled “John Barleycorn’s Victims Seek Strength in Unity.” Accompanied by a rearview photo of an A.A. group [right], the article stated, in part:

    The story of “Alcoholics Anonymous,” which now includes a Baltimore group, is the story, in the words of one of its members, of a “bunch of drunks trying to help one another stop drinking.”…
    “Alcoholics Anonymous” meet regularly as a group twice a week—once in a semi-formal “business” meeting, once in a completely informal and spontaneous social gathering—without benefit of alcohol. They base their hopes of success on a mystical belief in aid from without themselves (all else having failed), from God, “as we understand Him,” and on constant association with other alcoholics who can understand and help them and whom they in turn can understand and try to help. They may thereby draw upon the companionship of other alcoholics, men and women like themselves with whom they alone are psychologically able to discuss their difficulties, and try to lose themselves in the rehabilitation of others even less controlled than they, a proven form of uplift characteristic of all group organizations, the church itself not least among them.
    From out this mixture, without any recourse whatsoever to medicine, “Alcoholics Anonymous” claims complete success—with no relapses—with about fifty per cent of its members (always supposing them to be sincere in their efforts to stop), and eventual success—after occasional relapses—with an additional twenty-five per cent.…
    The Baltimore group was founded only eight months ago, in June, 1940, and now numbers about forty members, of whom five are women.

In 1945, Charles Welch, a non-alcoholic, was named Honorary Lifetime Vice President of the first A.A. group in Vancouver, British Columbia. Following his wife’s death due to alcoholism, he opened his home to host the group’s meetings for the first six months.
    Welch also started the practice of advertising for A.A in Vancouver. The first ads [left] ran in The Vancouver Daily Province (November 16, 1944 – February 1, 1952), helping membership grow from just 4 to 41. Later, nearly identical ads appeared in The Vancouver Sun (January 2, 1945 – June 27, 1951) and The Vancouver News-Herald (September 20, 1949 – July 6, 1951), further expanding A.A.’s reach in Vancouver.

In 1978, the Computerized Bulletin Board System (CBBS), the first known public dial-up BBS, officially went online. Developed by Ward Christensen and Randy Suess—members of the Chicago Area Computer Hobbyists' Exchange (CACHE)—CBBS revolutionized early digital communication.
    The system kept a running count of callers and recorded a total of 253,301 connections before it was retired around 1990. While no documentation exists, it’s highly likely that some A.A. members who knew each other used CBBS to share strength and hope in the early days of online interaction.

February 15 in A.A. History

In 1918, Suzanne was born into a troubled family and spent two years in institutional care. At the age of five, she found a real home when Dr. Bob and Anne S. adopted her.

In 1940, The Evening Star in Washington, D.C., published a letter to the editor from Harold G. Waters, correcting their February 9 report on the Rockefeller dinner (“Rockefeller Is Backing Move to Cure Alcoholics”). The article had stated, “Rockefeller was host at dinner to a ‘secret organization’ known as ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’…” Waters clarified:

    “Alcoholics Anonymous” is neither secret nor an organization. There are no officers, no dues. It may more nearly be called a fellowship. It exists not only in New York, but also in other cities, and has already done great work here in Washington. A book, also entitled “Alcoholics Anonymous,” which gives a good idea of the work that is being done, may be either purchased or rented from the Y. W. C. A. library.

In 1946, The A.A. Tribune, a newsletter published by A.A. members in Des Moines, Iowa, since at least December 1943, reported 36 new members following a visit from Marty M. [date of visit unknown].

In 1947, Vital Speeches of the Day published Marty M.’s address to the Economic Club of Detroit—delivered to both a live audience and radio listeners—about the National Committee for Education on Alcoholism (NCEA) and Alcoholics Anonymous.

February 14 in A.A. History

In 1939, A.A.’s leadership—non-alcoholic trustees Willard Richardson, Frank Amos, and A. Leroy Chipman (all Rockefeller associates), as well as non-alcoholic trustee Dr. Leonard Strong, and alcoholic trustees Bill R. and Harry B.—gathered for an unofficial meeting. Bill W. was not present but was represented by a letter regarding “the progress of the book.”
    During the meeting, Bill R. resigned^* but was immediately appointed to the Advisory Committee. Harry B. was elected chairman pro tem. Frank Amos provided an informal report on funds received and distributed. The trustees agreed that at their next official meeting, they would present a formal report, a budget, and a plan for raising the necessary funds.

    Unfortunately, this delay led Bill W. and Hank P. to begin selling stock [right] in the newly formed Works Publishing Co., as they urgently needed money. The meeting minutes clearly state that the Alcoholic Foundation would remain completely independent of Works Publishing—having no responsibility for its actions and operating outside its supervision. In effect, the Rockefeller contingent had implicitly conceded to Bill and Hank, allowing A.A. to self-publish their book.

---

^* Contrary to widespread and persistent rumors, he was not removed for drinking, but rather due to the increased demands of work and family life.

In 1949, Dr. Gilbert “Gib” K., 52, died of cancer. He had started the first A.A. group in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Just three months earlier, in November 1948, Bill and Lois W. had visited him in the hospital as he lay dying; Gil had pressed Bill to accept his violin as a gift. Bill did, and would treasure it for the rest of his life [left: Bill playing Gib's violin at Stepping Stones].

In 1954, Bill’s father, Gilman Barrows W., 84, died penniless in Vancouver, British Columbia. His ashes would be returned to East Dorset, Vermont for burial in the family plot.

In 1971, Alcoholics Anonymous groups around the world held a memorial service in honor of Bill W., who had died on 29 January 1971, his and Lois' 53rd wedding anniversary.

In 1939, Nell Wing, 89, died at Sunrise Assisted Living in Wayne, New Jersey. She had been secretary and administrative assistant to Bill W. at the Alcoholic Foundation/General Service Office in New York City from 1947 to 1982 and A.A.’s first Archivist. She had also been the author of Grateful to Have Been There.