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In 1863, after dark, Gardner Fayette Griffith (Bill W.’s maternal
grandfather) [right] arrived
in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with the 14th Vermont Regiment.They had
been force-marched 130 miles
[~210 km] in over 7 days from Washington, DC, to join the Union’s Army of the
Potomac as General Robert E. Lee’s rebel army invaded Pennsylvania in
late June. It rained every day during that week. The regiment took up
a position near Cemetery Hill
[left: map with gold arrow near the bottom showing their position
during Pickett’s Charge].
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In 1938, Honor Dealers, based in Newark, New Jersey, which had been founded
by Hank P. [right], had to
relocate from 11 Hill St.
[far left] to a smaller two-room suite (#601) on the 6th floor of 17 Williams
St. [near left]. Both
locations also served as the service office for what would later
become Alcoholics Anonymous.
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In 2000, Nancy F. spoke at the Metrodome during the Saturday night session of the
11th International Convention, which celebrated A.A.’s 65th anniversary in
Minneapolis, Minnesota. Though she was petite and had to stand on a platform
to reach the microphone, her spirited presence evoked thunderous applause and
cheers of “More!” from the crowd.
In 2002, the first meeting of the month-long Online Service Conference commenced, with approximately 49 interested members representing about 32 online groups in attendance. From the invitation to the conference:
In 2002, the first meeting of the month-long Online Service Conference commenced, with approximately 49 interested members representing about 32 online groups in attendance. From the invitation to the conference:
The concept of a self-contained general service conference for the online AA world has been, and will continue to be, controversial. Your group’s participation in this exploratory July meeting by sending a rep does not imply your group’s membership in an eventual conference, or even agreement to its principles. It’s just an opportunity for your group to be present at what may someday prove to be another historic moment in AA history.In 2003, the third meeting of the month-long Online Service Conference commenced, with 43 groups represented. Including alternates and steering committee members, total attendance reached 57.
Today in A.A. History—July 1–3
In 1863, Gardner Fayette Griffith (Bill W.’s maternal grandfather) served in Company B of the 14th Vermont Regiment. This unit was merged with the 12th, 13th, 15th, and 16th Regiments to create the 2nd Vermont Brigade, which was assigned to the 1st Army Corps.John C. Williams later said of these men,
The regiment bore a conspicuous part in the battle of Gettysburg, and was highly complimented, both by Gen. Stannard, Brigade Commander, and by Gen. Abner Doubleday, the commandant of the division. Though exposed to the severest fire of the enemy, not a man shirked his duty, but all stood their ground, ‘as though rooted to the earth.’ The 2d Vt., brigade being placed in the front line, in the center position, —the most important in the whole line, for nearly twenty-four hours, it gallantly repelled a vigorous attack, by an overwhelming force of seventeen thousand rebels, and after sustaining a terrific fire from seventy-five to one hundred pieces of artillery, the result of which contributed essentially towards achieving one of the most glorious and decisive victories of the war. The casualties of the fourteenth regiment were twenty-five killed and seventy-five wounded.
In 1955, an estimated 5,000 registrants attended the 2nd International Convention
in St. Louis, Missouri, celebrating A.A.’s 20th anniversary. However, the
actual number of paid registrations was only 3,800, resulting in an
operating deficit of $25,000
[~$300,000 in 2025], which accounted for 10% of the entire annual budget for the New York
office and the Trustees. General Manager Hank F. G.*, Dennis
Manders, and the Trustees agreed that this should be A.A.’s last convention,
as the Fellowship could not sustain such significant losses. However, when
this recommendation was presented at the 1956 General Service Conference, it
was rejected.
* Source says “Hank C.”, which I think is a mistake.
In 1960, an official estimate reported that 10,000 people attended the 3rd
International Convention in Long Beach, California, celebrating A.A.’s 25th
anniversary. However, the actual number of paid registrants was closer to
8,700. Despite this, the Convention generated an operating surplus of
$600 [~$6,500 in 2025]. Both Long
Beach and San Francisco expressed interest in hosting the event, and the final
decision was made by a coin toss between the Delegates from Southern and
Northern California. The Trustees required local groups to raise sufficient
funds to ensure there would be no financial loss and later agreed to match
whatever amount was raised, a practice that continued until 1975. While the
full story of the event is both fascinating and lengthy, one memorable detail
is that they ran out of coffee!
Today in A.A. History—July 1–4
In 1993, six or seven thousand A.A. members and friends from Canada, the U.S., South
America, Europe, and Asia gathered in Toronto, Ontario, to celebrate 50 years
of Alcoholics Anonymous in Canada. The event featured participants from
countries such as Mexico, the West Indies, Brazil, England, Ireland, Scotland,
Holland, and Sri Lanka. The comprehensive program included 31 speaker
meetings, 26 panels, 40 marathon meetings lasting 50 hours, and two
talkathons.
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In 2010, despite the ongoing threat of bad weather from the remnants of Hurricane
Alex*, approximately 53,000 people attended the 13th International
Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous in San Antonio, Texas, themed “A Vision For
You”
[left: a Big Meeting at the Alamodome].
During the event, the 30 millionth copy of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, was presented to Rebecca Patchin, former chair of the American Medical Association’s Board of Trustees.
* Hurricane Alex's spiral bands brought tropical storm-force winds to southern Texas, reaching a peak of 51 mph [82 km/h] in Port Isabel. The storm also set rainfall accumulation records, caused a storm surge of at least 3.5 feet [1.1 meters] that eroded beaches, and spawned nine tornadoes, all rated EF0. The storm dissipated on July 6 [below: Hurricane Alex making landfall on Mexico at peak intensity on July 1; track map of Hurricane Alex, showing the location of the storm at 6-hour intervals. The color represents the storm's maximum sustained wind speeds as classified in the Saffir–Simpson scale, and the shape of the data points represent the nature of the storm, according to the legend below].
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During the event, the 30 millionth copy of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, was presented to Rebecca Patchin, former chair of the American Medical Association’s Board of Trustees.
* Hurricane Alex's spiral bands brought tropical storm-force winds to southern Texas, reaching a peak of 51 mph [82 km/h] in Port Isabel. The storm also set rainfall accumulation records, caused a storm surge of at least 3.5 feet [1.1 meters] that eroded beaches, and spawned nine tornadoes, all rated EF0. The storm dissipated on July 6 [below: Hurricane Alex making landfall on Mexico at peak intensity on July 1; track map of Hurricane Alex, showing the location of the storm at 6-hour intervals. The color represents the storm's maximum sustained wind speeds as classified in the Saffir–Simpson scale, and the shape of the data points represent the nature of the storm, according to the legend below].
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