June 28 in A.A. History

In 1935, Dr. Bob S. and Bill W. first visited Bill D. [right] at Akron City Hospital in Ohio. His story, “Alcoholic Anonymous Number Three” appears in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. A prominent attorney in Akron, Bill D. had been hospitalized for his drinking eight times in the first half of 1935 alone. Following their initial visit, Dr. Bob and Bill W. saw Bill D. every day.^* It took about five days for him to admit that he could not control his drinking. He left the hospital on July 4 and, within a week, returned to court sober to argue a case. The founding of Akron’s Group #1, A.A.’s first group, is marked by the day Bill D. left the hospital. He later became a Panel 1 Delegate for Ohio, serving at the first General Service Conference in 1951.

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^* Ernie G., A.A. #4, who sobered up, at least temporarily, later that summer, claimed to have been on at least one of these visits to see Bill D.

In 1940, Works Publishing, Inc. formally acquired the assets and liabilities of “William G. W▓▓▓, doing business as Works Publishing Company, of New York City, N. Y.” [left: copyright assignment]. This acquisition presumably included the copyright to Alcoholics Anon­y­mous, known as the Big Book. However, it was later discovered that this copyright was never valid because some prepublication multilith manuscript copies of the book had been distributed without any indication that they were “ON LOAN.”

In 1944, a photo was taken of bridge players in an Alcoholics Anonymous club room [right], probably the Cosmopolitan Club at 405 W. 41st St. in Manhattan.

In 1961, Irwin “Irv” M., 63, died in Los Angeles, California [left: gravestone].

Today in A.A. History—June 28–30

In 1955, most of the sessions of the 5th General Service Confer- ence (GSC) took place at the Jefferson Hotel [right, 1940s] in St. Louis, Missouri.
    The final session—the only public one ever held during a GSC—occurred on the stage of the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis on 3 July (q.v. that date). This marked the end of the GSC experiment and established a lasting component of the A.A. General Service Structure that remains in place today.