October 16 in A.A. History

In 1937, Bill and Lois W. left Akron, Ohio, at 4:30 p.m. and traveled with Sterling P. (who drove) and his wife, arriving in Newark, New Jersey, at 5:30 a.m. on the 17th. The four of them had breakfast at a local restaurant before the W——s took the subway home to 182 Clinton St. in Brooklyn, where they presumably collapsed into bed.

In 1943, nearly 200 people attended the 3rd anniversary of Alcoholics Anonymous in Toledo, Ohio, at the A.A. clubrooms on Superior St. Among them were six of the nine founding members. [Right: article from the Toledo Blade, 18 Oct 1943, p. 20.]

			In 1962, Earle Treat [far left], 62, died in Sarasota, Florida. He would be buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio [middle left: obituary; near left, gravestone].

In 1971,^* the North Rustico Group, located in North Rustico, Prince Edward Island, Canada, presented Louis H. with an engraved coin [right] to commemorate his one-year anniversary.

In 1976,^* the North Rustico Group, located in North Rustico, Prince Edward Island, Canada, presented Louis H. with an engraved coin [left] to commemorate his five-year anniversary.

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^*One of three things occurred: either (1) Louis H. slipped on the day of his 1st anniversary, (2) at least one of the years reported is incorrect, or (3) at least one of the anniversary numbers is wrong. The period 1971–1976 is 5 years, while a 5th anniversary would come 4 years after the 1st, if without slips.

In 2012, the U.S. National Park Service designated Stepping Stones, the home of Bill and Lois W. from 1941 until their respective deaths, as a National Historic Landmark. The official marker [right] says,

    Bill and Lois W—– lived here from 1941 until their deaths. Bill co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous, and Lois co-founded Al-Anon Family Groups. Their pioneering work advanced the treatment of alcoholism and inspired addiction recovery programs throughout the world.

    The State of New York also erected a similar historical marker outside Stepping Stones [left].