May 4 in A.A. History

In 1940, the first A.A. group in Washington, D.C., held its inaugural meeting. Fitz M. [right] is traditionally recognized as the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous in the Washington area. Along with Ned F., he brought the A.A. experience they had gained from the established New York City group to this region, helping alcoholics stay sober even before 1939. During that first year, their efforts, along with those of several other alcoholics, shaped the group into what it would ultimately become.

In 1946, Marty M. [left] “explained Alcoholics Anonymous and the work of the National Committee for Education on Alcoholism [NCEA]” during Gabriel Heatter’s nationwide radio show, We the People. She was interviewed by Milo Boulton [right]. What follows are excerpts from the transcript:

MB:    The story of the young lady who is beside me now at our microphone, can be told in just seven words. I want her to repeat those seven words for you.
MM:    For ten years, I was an alcoholic.…
MB:    Mrs. M—–, it seems incredible that a young and beautiful woman like you should have once been an alcoholic.
MM:    Mr. Boulton, I still am an alcoholic.
MB:     But—I thought you'd been cured.
MM:    Oh, no. You must realize that alcoholism is a disease—a disease which today is as prevalent as tuberculosis or cancer. My illness has been arrested, and I think and hope it will stay that way, but people like me can never safely touch alcohol again, so we can never say we're cured.…
MB:    Well, then—I assume that Alcoholics Anonymous is responsible for your rehabilitation.
MM:    Indeed they are. They didn't lecture me, or look down on me, or make me sign a pledge. They did advise me to promise myself that I would not drink for 24 hours, and when the 24 hours were past, to make myself another promise. They taught me to live without alcohol.… We want the public to realize drunks shouldn't be jailed, but sent to hospitals--because a drunk is as sick as a man with a mortal disease. But he can, with proper treatment, become a useful citizen. I am proof of that. And I am devoting all my energies to aid those who are afflicted with this dread disease.

In 1983, Carlton Turner, director of the Drug Abuse Policy Office during President Ronald Reagan's administration, responded [left] to a letter from Raymond M., an A.A. member from Grandville, Michigan, which he had written six days earlier:

THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
May 4, 1983

Dear Mr. Materson:
    Thank you for your letter of April 28, 1983 and for forwarding me a copy of your story "There's A Long-Distance Loneliness…"
    Many people have given a great deal of time and energy to helping others overcome the serious problems of alcohol and drug abuse. Thank you for all you have done and for sharing your most touching story.
    Please let us know if this office can be of any assistance. Best regards.

           Sincerely,
<signature>
Carlton E. Turner, Ph.D.
Special Assistant to the President
for Drug Abuse Policy

Mr. Raymond E. Materson
2741 Donna, s.w.
Grandville, MI 4941

In 1986, Ruth (Hock) Crecelius [right, holding the five millionth copy of A.A.’s Big Book], 74, died of cancer in Washington, Ohio.
    In July 1985, Ruth had attended the 50th anniversary International Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous in Montreal, Quebec, with her daughter, Laurie. At this event, she received the 5,000,000th copy of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, the first edition of which she had transcribed from Bill W’s dictation.
    During this time, she began to feel unwell but convinced her family and friends that she was fine. Later that year, she sold the family home and retired from her job. In January, she was diagnosed with cancer and passed away four months later.
    From 1937 to 1942, Ruth served as Bill’s nonalcoholic secretary, answering thousands of letters inquiring about the new organization for alcoholics following the publication of Jack Alexander’s article in The Saturday Evening Post. Her numerous trips to assist fledgling groups earned her the title “Flying Ambassadress of AA.”