February 21 in A.A. History

In 1939, an unknown number of copies—roughly 400—of the Big Book multilith (or photolith) manuscript [left: pp. 24–43] were distributed to doctors, judges, psychiatrists, A.A. members, and others for feedback.
    At this stage, the pre-publication manuscript was 164 pages long, including “The Doctor’s Opinion” and 20 of 29 planned personal stories. Bill W. had titled the manuscript Alcoholic’s [sic] Anonymous, and some early printings had “Loan Copy” stamped on the cover in an attempt to secure copyright protection. Since not all copies were so marked, any copyright claim was effectively voided.
    Editor Tom Uzzell had significantly reduced the manuscript’s length, reportedly by trimming the personal stories. Estimates varied on how many pages were cut. According to Bill, Uzzell had

    … sharpened up the English but didn’t change much of anything excepting to take my story out of the story section where it had been the number one story and insisted on using it to open the book… What is now Chapter 2; I had intended to be Chapter 1.

    This is significant because it shows that in the original manuscript, “Bill’s Story” appeared in the “Personal Stories” section, and it was Uzzell who moved it to the front of the book, not Bill.
    Later that same day, Alcoholic Foundation Trustee Frank Amos wrote to fellow Trustee Willard Richardson, noting that

    ... the photolith copies of the book are now completed and I am sending one copy with this.… They are quite legible but of course but are put up in cheap form and cannot be compared in attractiveness and readability to the final printed volumes.… The main part of the book has been carefully edited, but the individual stories, occupying the last half of the book, still must undergo considerable editing. Also, there are a number of stories to be added, most of them, I believe from Akron.… [I]f you will let me or Bill know how many of these photolith copies you would like to have, he will see that you get them at once.

Also in 1939, Clarence S. [right] wrote a letter to the editor of the Cleveland Press describing Alcoholics Anonymous. In the letter, he provided the address of the Alcoholic Foundation in New York City as well as his own in Cleveland, Ohio, suggesting that no local central committee was yet in operation.
    Clarence further explained that members achieved sobriety by following a specific pattern, stating that a member must:

Have a sincere desire to quit drinking forever. Recognize the allergy and compulsion for lifetime. Recognize his ailment as a disease. Accept God and live by four simple principles: honesty, unselfishness, purity and love.

    He also encouraged readers to consult Alcoholics Anonymous, referring to it as “a book written by alcoholics, for alcoholics, at the Cleveland Public Library.”
    Clarence emphasized the impact of A.A. by noting that:

The several thousand people, (over 700 in Cleveland alone) who have thus far found life and hope through this means, is ample testimony that the day of miracles has not passed.

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. 

February 13 in A.A. History

In 1937, the “Drunk Squad” of the New York City Oxford Group met in Teaneck, New Jersey at the home of Hank and Kathleen P. This “alcoholic style” meeting of the Oxford Group was the first time such a group—which would become part of Alcoholics Anonymous—had met in New Jersey. One reason for this meeting was to introduce William “Bill” R. [left] to the fledgling fellowship. He had become and remained sober. Bill and his wife, Kathleen, of Hackettstown, New Jersey, began attending Tuesday night meetings at the home of Bill and Lois W. at 182 Clinton St. in Brooklyn.

In 1940, about two years sober, James “Jim” or “Jimmy” B. [right] moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for a “very good new position.” Twenty-five days later, he started the city’s first A.A. group, the fourth (after Akron, New York City, and Cleveland), with six other alcoholics. Jim’s story, “The Vicious Cycle,” appeared in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.

February 12 in A.A. History

In 1945, the Alcoholic Foundation’s service office in New York City sent a letter to all known A.A. groups explaining that, due to paper rationing for the World War II effort, the War Production Board had ordered a reduction in the weight of paper used for the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. To further conserve materials, the margins were trimmed to a minimum, which, along with the lighter paper, reduced the book’s overall size. During the war, two limited-quantity printings were produced—the 8th and 9th editions; both contained the notice shown to the right.

February 11 in A.A. History

In 1938, Clarence S. [left] had his last drink. 

    An unemployed banker from Lyndhurst, Ohio, his drinking had etranged him from his wife, Dorothy. Dorothy's sister Virginia lived in New York City, and her family doctor was Dr. Leonard Strong, Bill W.’s brother-in-law. When Virginia mentioned her brother-in-law’s problems to Dr. Strong, he told her about Dr. Bob S. and A.A. Virginia relayed this to her sister.
    When Clarence came to Dorothy begging to come home, she told him he had to take Dr. Bob’s “cure” first. She put him on a bus to Akron with a scrap of paper that had Dr. Bob’s name, office address, office hours, office phone number, and home phone number.
    Clarence’s story in the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, appears in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd editions as “Home Brewmeister.”

In 1938, Hank P. had asked Fitz M., who lived in Maryland near the Chesapeake Bay, to find out how many books in the Library of Congress were titled The Way Out or Alcoholics Anonymous. Fitz wired back to Hank at Bill W.’s home address:

1939 Feb 11 AM 12 19
WA 13 50 NL=CA WASHINGTON DC 10
HENRY G PARK HURST
182 CLINTON ST BROOKLYN NY=
NO TITLE CAN BE REGISTERED IN COPYRIGHT OFFICE TO SECURE MONOPOLY OF ITS USE STOP LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAS 25 BOOKS THE WAY OUT 12 THE WAY NINE THIS WAY OUT NONE ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS NONE COMES DAWN MY PET STOP OUR TRIP TO BROOKLYN DEFINITELY OFF-BUSINESS BRISKER AM WRITING.=
FITZ

    Bill and Hank immediately declared the title to be Alcoholics Anonymous or, as Bill later admitted, “we left the title ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’ in the copy that went to the printer [less than a week later]” (i.e., they had already put their preferred title on the master copy). In later retellings, Bill would incorrectly state that the number of books already titled The Way Out was 12, not 25, which allowed him to argue that it would have been bad luck to produce the 13th book with that title.

In 1940, Margaret D. of Seattle, Washington wrote the Alcoholic Foundation about her husband. The Foundation would respond by mail on March 6. Margaret would eventually play a role in organizing Seattle’s first A.A. group on April 19, although it is uncertain exactly what that role was.

February 10 in A.A. History

In 1922, Harold E. Hughes [right] was born on a farm near Ida Grove, Iowa.

    After recovering from alcoholism, he would become governor of Iowa, a U.S. senator, and the leading dark horse candidate for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination, at least until he dropped out of the race. He would author legislation that created the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and other federal legislation to help alcoholics and addicts. In public life, he was open about being an alcoholic.

 In 1958, Bill W. responded to a letter from Ollie and Ruth J. in an attempt to clarify and drive home an important distinction in the selfishness of an alcoholic:

    It seems to me that the primary object of any human being is to grow, that being the nature of all living things. There­fore he is bound to have a huge self-interest.

    Ollie and Ruth had written to Bill to object to members calling A.A. a “selfish” program.

February 9 in A.A. History

In 1939, after many months of debate over what the title of their new book should be in Akron, Ohio and New York City, considering “more than a hundred titles all told,” The Way Out—heavily favored in Akron—was adopted over Alcoholics Anonymous—heavily favored in New York City (especially by Bill W. and Hank P.). Hank

    … wire[d] Fitz M. in Maryland asking him to go to the Library of Congress in Washington and find out how many books were called The Way Out and how many were called Alcoholics Anonymous.

    This may have been some kind of end-run around the group conscience.

In 1940, the day after the Rockefeller Dinner, which introduced A.A. to men whom John D. Rockefeller, Jr. thought might help support this new organization with its impressive record, newspaper headlines abounded.
    The New York Daily News headlined its story, “ROCKEFELLER DINES EX-SOTS, NOW RUM FOES” [right] with the lede “Sixty members of Alcoholics Anonymous, an organization of ex-toss-pots.…”
    Meanwhile, Washington, DC’s The Evening Star headlined its article“Rockefeller Is Backing Move to Cure Alcoholics”[left], identifying A.A. as a “secret organization.”
    The New York Post headline was “60 ON WAGON—AND ROOM FOR MORE.”
    And White Plains, New York’s The Daily Argus, under the headline “Rockefeller Supports Regeneration Work” [below right] revealed that John D. Rockefeller, Jr. was

   … interested in a secret” organization aimed at rehabilitating alcoholics. The organization is “Alcoholics Anonymous” which started when three [sic] men who overcame their craving for whiskey and wanted to help others in the same plight began the movement that today numbers 120. Rockefeller was host at a dinner last night to hear a report on the work of the men who have been cured or are in the process of reestablishing themselves on a more normal plane.

In 1940, Suzanne (Sue) S—– W. [below left, 1975], 83, the adopted daughter of Dr. Bob and Anne S., died at home after a long illness, with her family by her side. She had been active in A.A. most of her life.

February 8 in A.A. History

In 1939, Bill W. responded to Janet Blair’s letter of February 6, commenting on her enclosed changes to the proposed first two chapters of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. She also made a suggestion to smooth the transition from “Bill’s Story” to “There is a Solution,” which Bill and Hank P. accepted and which has remained in all four editions. Bill thanked Blair for having “the perception to understand what it is I want to say and the ability to say it so well. You have certainly cleared up our manuscript.”

Rockefeller dinner: invitation, menu

In 1940, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. hosted a dinner for Alcoholics Anonymous at the Union League Club in New York City. Seventy-five of four hundred invited guests attended [right: invitation and menu]. John D. was ill, so his son Nelson hosted instead. The dinner generated much positive publicity for A.A. and raised $2,200 [~$49,600 in 2025] from attendees ($1,000 [~$22,500 in 2025] from Rockefeller alone). They continued to contribute about $3,000 [~$67,600 in 2024] a year until 1945, when they were asked to stop. All contributions from non-alcoholics were eventually repaid, in accordance with A.A.’s 7th Tradition.

    Paul S. accompanied Dr. Bob S. to the Rockefeller dinner in New York City. Paul also convinced Frank Amos, a Rockefeller associate, that Dr. Bob needed financial help to avoid having to give up his work with alcoholics, and suggested that John D. Rockefeller quietly provide a monthly stipend for at least two years, which he did, although some of it went to Bill W. and Hank P.

The first pamphlet  

In 1940, The Houston (Texas) Press published the first of six anonymous articles about A.A. written by a newly sober member, Larry J. These six articles became the basis of A.A.’s first pamphlet, simply titled “AA” [left].

In 1942, the Columbus (Ohio) Group of A.A., which had started only 3 months earlier, split. Fourteen members formed the newly named Central Group and began meeting in the Odd Fellows Hall at 24 W. Goodale St. The Central Group continued to meet until at least 1999.

February 7 in A.A. History

In 1920, F. T. Bedford incorporated Penick & Ford, Ltd., which had previously been a partnership.
    The partnership had been formed by William Snydor Penick and his brother-in-law, James Polk Ford, in Shreveport, Louisiana, to sell barrel syrups and canned molasses. The monopolistic Corn Products Refining Company bought a 25 percent stake, but was forced to sell it after a Supreme Court ruling resulting from President Theodore Roosevelt's trust-busting campaign.
    Meanwhile, F. T. Bedford (son of E. T. Bedford, who ran Corn Products Refining) had purchased a Douglas Starch Works facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which had “massively” exploded in May 1919, destroying the entire plant and killing 48 people. What remained had been sold by one of the founding Douglas brothers to Penick & Ford in December 1919. The plant would be rebuilt to produce corn syrup. By 1922, the company would have fully recovered, and by 1923, Penick & Ford would begin paying preferred dividends to shareholders.
    

Bill W. outside Penick & Ford's
Cedar Rapids facility (c. 1926)

Over the next two decades, the company would thrive by producing numerous private label brands—Brer Rabbit Molasses, Brer Rabbit Syrup, Penick Syrup, Penick Salad Oil, Douglas Starch, Penford Corn Syrup, Penford Corn Sugar, and Douglas Feed. Under Bedford’s direction, the company would further diversify by acquiring other food lines, such as Vermont Maid Syrup in 1928 and My-T-Fine Desserts in 1934.
    How does this relate to A.A.? On p. 4 of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill W. “was staring at an inch of the [ticker] tape which bore the inscription XYZ-32 It had been 52 that morning.” In the May-June 1938 version of his story, “XYZ” had been “PFK,” the stock symbol for Penick & Ford, a company he was known to have researched while he and Lois were on their 1925–27 stock analysis^* tour of companies [left: Bill W. outside the Cedar Rapids facility, c. 1926]—having switched from a Harley to a used de Soto or Dodge—and in which he presumably held a substantial stake at the time of the Great Wall Street Crash of October 1929.

---

^* The term “stock analysis” was apparently not in use at the time; in fact, Bill has been credited with being an early contributor to the concept. Indexes to Moody’s Investment Survey of the late 1920s contained many examples of entries like “Penick & Ford Stock, Analysis,” which is the earliest I could definitively locate anything like the term “stock analysis”.

In 1945, the Alcoholics Anonymous District Office opened in Cleveland, Ohio. It was located in the Williamson Building on the southeast corner of Public Square. Its first secretary was [non-alcoholic] Laverne Hawkins. The telephone number was Cherry 1-7387. The purpose of the office—more commonly called an Intergroup or Central Office in other locales—was to provide services to individual and prospective members, to serve as a source of information, and to distribute literature to groups and individuals. In its first month, the office received 31 calls; some were requests for help and others were inquiries about meeting locations.

February 6 in A.A. History

In 1887, James “Jim” S. [left] was born in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. His family soon moved to Scotland and in 1907 Jim came to the U.S. He worked for newspapers in cities like Pittsburgh and Akron. His alcoholism caused significant problems in both his professional and personal life, leading him to travel the U.S. from job to job for much of the ’20s and ’30s.
    He returned to Akron—where he had previously been a reporter/editor for Goodyear Tire's Wingfoot Clan—and in July 1937 became the first Australian to get sober in A.A. Fellow members remembered him as “tall and skinny, and a real lone wolf.” In 1939, at Dr. Bob’s request, he became solicitor, editor, and often writer of the Akron stories in the 1st edition of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. Jim's 1st edition story is “Traveler, Editor, Scholar,” retitled “The News Hawk” in the 2nd and 3rd editions. In the early ’40s he managed the Middlebury Book Shop in Akron and served on the Summit County War Finance Committee during World War II. Jim was head librarian of the Akron Beacon Journal from 1947 until his death in 1950.

In 1939, Janet Blair of Peeksill, New York, one of the two non-alcoholic editors, wrote to Hank P. about the enclosed changes she had made to the first two chapters of the Big Book manuscript [right]:

    … may I say a word about the continuity? It bothers me a little. Chapter 1, is Bill’s story. Right? Bill’s story includes a description of the terrible dilemma in which he was when his friend came to him; it includes what the doctors thought; it includes a brief account of the fellowship. It tells of the solution.
    When I started Chapter 2, I thought from the first line I was beginning the story of another man, as the first page is just that. On page 2, you leave him, and go on to tell of the fellowship and alcoholics in general. On page 8, you return to the man, and for about a page tell us more about him; the rest of the chapter is general. In Chapter 2, you never mention Bill or his friend, although the ‘solution,’ as you call Chapter 2, is given in Chapter 1.
    I’m not suggesting a change. Maybe I am the one who is befogged; but I am supposed to represent a reader, and I felt I should tell you this. At this moment, it seems to me it would have been smoother, to start Chapter 2 on page 2, “We, of Alcoholics Anonymous, know one hundred men who were once just as hopeless as Bill,” and so on.

Blair’s work earned her a letter of thanks from Bill Wilson himself, as well as a signed copy of a 1st edition, 1st printing of Alcoholics Anonymous from Hank P., which he inscribed on the front flyleaf. The inscription reads:

To Janet Blair / Whose work / and editing on this / book was so / eminently helpful [sic] / Henry G. P[—–]

In 1954, R. Brinkley S. sobered up for good at Towns Hospital after his 50th detox [reportedly].

In 1961, Bill W. wrote to Harold E. about the book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions:

    As time passes, our book literature has a tendency to get more and more frozen—a tendency for conversion into something like dogma. This is a trait of human nature which I’m afraid we can do little about. We may as well face the fact that A.A. will always have its fundamentalists, its absolutists, and its relativists.

February 5 in A.A. History

In 2015, the Des Moines (Iowa) Register published an opinion piece titled “AA won’t list nonreligious group meetings” by Rekha Basu [right]. It said in part:

    [C]onspicuously absent from the Saturday meeting list posted by the AA central office in Des Moines is a group called The Broad Highway. That’s for alcoholics who want to find sobriety without necessarily having religion be part of it. The AA organization won’t list its meetings.
    No board member responded to my request for an interview. But a man answering the phone at the Des Moines central office (in accordance with AA policy, he asked that his name not be used) said it’s the position of the general service organization not to list meetings as AA meetings if they don’t take things directly out of the Big Book.…
    But as members of The Broad Highway point out, other passages from founder [Bill] W[——] say any two people can make up an AA group, with no requirement to embrace religion. The book's preamble says the only requirement is a desire to stop drinking. And a passage from W[——] published in a 1946 issue of the AA’s [sic] Grapevine says, “So long as there is the slightest interest in sobriety, the most unmoral, the most anti-social, the most critical alcoholic may gather about him a few kindred spirits and announce to us that a new Alcoholics Anonymous Group has been formed. Anti-God, anti-medicine, anti-our Recovery Program, even anti-each other — these rampant individuals are still an A.A. Group if they think so!”
    Despite the obvious intent to be inclusive, Dave W[–—] of Des Moines, a 28-year AA member, says most AA meetings emphasize not just dependence on a personal God but “a heavy emphasis on Christianity.” Many meetings open and close with the Lord’s Prayer and include Christian readings, he said. W[–—] and several other members of the chapter considers it a form of religious discrimination that drives away prospective members.

February 3 in A.A. History

In 1942, Jimmy D., Class B [alcoholic] Regional Trustee and new Interim Chair of the General Service Board, announced in a letter that

… during its quarterly board weekend [27–30 January 2023]… at the board’s request, Linda Chezem has resigned as a Class A Trustee and Chair of the Board.… As First Vice Chair of the General Service Board (per the slate of officers elected at the 2022 General Service Conference), and with the approval of the Board in a special session held last Monday, I have now assumed the role of Interim Chairperson until the close of the GSC in April 2023. My service as Southwest Regional Trustee will also end at that time.