December 19 in A.A. History

In 1922, Lt. Junius C. [right, as a midshipman] and Marjorie Dickerson were married in Pike County, Mississippi. He would become a founder of Alcoholics Anonymous in Jacksonville, Florida.

In 1939, Kaye Miller, a nonalcoholic, held the first A.A. meeting in Los Angeles, California, at her home on Benecia Street in Westwood.
    Earlier that year, Kaye became involved with A.A. while trying to help her ex-husband, Ty, get sober. She visited Akron and New York City, attending meetings and speaking with members, including Bill W. in New York. After divorcing Ty and returning to Los Angeles by freighter via the Panama Canal, she began spreading the word about A.A. to newspapers and public officials. She fell in with two other nonalcoholics who were also trying to help parolees get and stay sober: Genevieve Dodge, a social worker, and Johnny Howe, a psychologist. They had persuaded the Superior Court to allow them to treat alcoholics at Los Angeles County General Hospital [left, c. 1941]. Kaye taught them about A.A. based on her experiences and the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, which she had brought with her from New York. Early successes included Barney H. (or B.?) and Hal S.
    In December, Chuck and Lee T., members of New York City A.A., visited Los Angeles. Bill W. had given them Kaye's number, and they reached out to her. This prompted Kaye to organize an A.A. meeting. Besides Kaye, Johnny Howe, and three other social workers, attendees included Chuck and Lee T., Barney and Ethel H., Hal S., Chauncey and Edna C., Joy S., Dwight S., and Walter K. Afterwards, Kaye telegraphed the news to Bill W. in New York: “Los Angeles held its first meeting tonight. Fifteen present.”