November 26 in A.A. History

In 1895, William G. “Bill” W. [left, at 3 months] was born to Emily G. W. [near right, 1905] Gilman B. [far right] and at 3 a.m. on a wintry day in East Dorset, Vermont, behind the bar of the W―― House [far right, c. 1920s–50s, when it was known as Mt Æolus Inn], a village hotel run by his paternal grandmother, Helen Elizabeth Barrows W. [near right].

    The night before, Emily’s pain had driven her from the kitchen to the north parlor. She lay on a couch, trying to breathe and writhing as contractions tore through her. In and out of consciousness, she screamed and cried out as midnight passed. The midwife and Emily’s mother, Ella Brock Griffith [left], tried to comfort her.

    Outside, Mark Whalon [left: late in life], whom Bill would later call his only close local friend, and a group of neighborhood boys gathered on the porch to listen to Emily’s screams, a testament to the strangeness of the adult world. Later, Emily would say that Bill’s birth had nearly killed her.

In 1918, Francis “Barry” L., Jr. [right, as a young man] was born in Timpson, Texas, to Lenora Fenn and Francis Leach, Sr. Raised in Weatherford, Texas, he was the oldest of four boys.
    In 1944, he would move to New York City, where he would get sober in 1945. He became one of the first openly gay members of Alcoholics Anonymous and would play a crucial role in discussions about inclusivity in A.A., particularly regarding LGBTQ+ members. He would also be involved in early conversations about creating special meetings for gay men in 1945.
    Barry would write both Living Sober [left: cover, 1st ed. 1st printing] (1975) and the pamphlet “Do You Think You're Different?” [right: 1st printing] (1976), which would include two stories about gay experiences. He also co-authored Lois’s W.'s memoir Lois Remembers. He would work as a staff writer at the General Service Office of A.A., record and report on many of the early General Service Conference final reports, and also contribute to the A.A. Grapevine. Furthermore, he would become a trusted friend of both Bill and Lois W., growing particularly close to Lois after Bill's death in 1971.

    In 1978, Lois gifted Barry a copy of the original manuscript [left: first page] of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. In 1979, Barry would sign a notarized letter gifting the manuscript to A.A. World Services while retaining possession until his death, a fact he would discuss publicly in the months leading up to his death in 1985.

In 1939, at the First Unitarian Church located at Euclid Ave. and E. 82nd St. in Cleveland, Ohio, Rev. Dilworth Lupton [right] delivered a sermon titled “Mr. X and Alcoholics Anonymous.” The sermon centered on Mr. X, an alcoholic (actually Clarence S. [left]), whom he had seen recover from alcoholism. It would later be reprinted in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and would become one of A.A.’s first pamphlets.

In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced that gasoline rationing would begin four days later, on December 1, to conserve rubber (not gasoline). This measure would significantly reduce the number of 12th Step calls A.A. members could make. The following day, a headline  [left] on page 1 of The New York Times would read “Full ‘Gas’ Rationing Dec. 1 Ordered by the President.” According to the article, President Roosevelt served notice that night that… 

     the government… would begin the nation-wide rationing of gasoline to conserve rubber on Dec. 1, as scheduled [right: gasoline ration card 1942].

In 1965, Nancy M.-O. [left], the founder and original moderator of A.A. History Lovers on Yahoo Groups, got sober and joined A.A.