September 9 in A.A. History

In 1925, Melvin “Mel” B. [right, c. WWII] was born in Norfolk, Nebraska, the eldest son and middle child of three children of Bertha Swisher and Learner B.
    One of his schoolmates would be Johnny Carson, the longtime host of The Tonight Show. Mel would sober up in 1950 and become a prolific writer, freelancing for Ohio’s The Toledo Blade and authoring numerous books and articles. Writing as “Mel B.,” he would contribute dozens of articles to the A.A. Grapevine and publish several recovery- and A.A.-related books. Additionally, he would serve as the primary author, without attribution, of Pass It On, the General Service Conference-approved biography of Bill W.

In 1933, William “Bill” B. [left, with Lois W.] was born in Brooklyn, New York, the only child of William and Ruth McLintock B. 
    He would get sober on 8 Apr 1962; become a close friend of Lois W.’s for the last 16 years of her life; author The Lois Wilson Story: When Love is Not Enough (2005), along with 24 other titles; co-write the screenplay for the movie of the same name (2010); write the screenplay for and act (in the role of “Wade”) in My Name Is Bill W. (1989); produce a number of films, including Dog Day Afternoon, Kansas City Bomber and Serpico; serve as a Stepping Stones volunteer for a half century, and sit on the Stepping Stones Foundation Board of Trustees (1997–2006).

In 1935, Ernest “Ernie” K. [right] was born in Rochester, New York—just three months after A.A. was founded. He was the oldest of two children of Edward and Josephine Kurzejewski (Koo-zhay-yev’-ski). In 2009, he would reflect back on his surname:

    Eight years of grammar school in a German parish shortened that name for practical use, and when I began graduate school bringing transcripts in two names, I was advised to choose one. Tired of too-lengthy phone interactions, I opted for the one that was easier to spell. But I do remain proud of my Polish heritage and advertise it whenever appropriate.

    In 1979, Hazelden Educational Services would publish Ernie’s Not-God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous, a revised and expanded version of his 1978 Harvard University dissertation. He would go on to write at least six more books, along with numerous monographs and articles on the intellectual significance of A.A., recovery, and spirituality.

	In 1936, Lois W.’s father, Dr. Clark Burnham [left], age 81, or possibly 80, died of pneumonia at Mount Vernon Hospital in Mount Vernon, New York [right, New York Times obituary]. He had graduated with honors from Franklin and Marshall College and studied medicine at the Hahnemann School of Medicine in Pennsylvania, specializing in gynecology. After his death, the Burnham family home at 182 Clinton St., Brooklyn, would be taken over by the mortgage company, allowing Lois and Bill to live there at a reduced rent (due to rent controls in the depressed housing market) until 1939.