February 15 in A.A. History

1918: A girl named Suzanne [right, as an older child] was born into a troubled family and spent two years in institutional care. At the age of five, she found a real home when Dr. Bob and Anne S. adopted her.

1940: The Evening Star in Washington, D.C., published a letter to the editor under the heading “Corrects Misconceptions of ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’” [left] from Harold G. Waters, addressing inaccuracies in their February 9 report on the Rockefeller dinner titled “Rockefeller Is Backing Move to Cure Alcoholics.” The article had claimed, “Rockefeller was host at dinner to a ‘secret organization’ known as ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’…”
    Waters clarified:

“Alcoholics Anonymous” is neither secret nor an organization. There are no officers, no dues. It may more nearly be called a fellowship. It exists not only in New York, but also in other cities, and has already done great work here in Washington. A book, also entitled “Alcoholics Anonymous,” which gives a good idea of the work that is being done, may be either purchased or rented from the Y. W. C. A. library.

1946: The A.A. Tribune, a newsletter published by A.A. members in Des Moines, Iowa, since at least December 1943, reported that 36 new members joined after a visit from Marty Mann [date of visit unknown; right: Des Moines celebrates its centennial (1946)].

1947: Vital Speeches of the Day published Marty Mann’s address to the Economic Club of Detroit, which was delivered to both a live audience and radio listeners. The speech focused on the National Committee for Education on Alcoholism (NCEA) and Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) [left: Marty speaking at such an event].

February 14 in A.A. History

1939: The leadership of Alcoholics Anonymous, consisting of the trustees of the Alcoholic Foundation—non-alcoholics Willard Richardson, Frank Amos, and A. Leroy Chipman, associates of Rockefeller—as well as non-alcoholic trustee Dr. Leonard Strong [above: first four, left to right, respectively], and alcoholics Bill R.^* and Harry B. [above: fourth and fifth from left] gathered for an unofficial meeting. Non-trustee Bill W. [above: sixth from left] was absent but sent a letter addressing “the progress of the book.”
    During the meeting, Bill R. resigned but was immediately appointed to the Advisory Committee. Harry B. was elected chairman pro tem. Frank Amos provided an informal report on the funds received and distributed. The trustees agreed to present a formal report, budget, and plan for raising necessary funds at their next official meeting.
    Unfortunately, this delay prompted Bill W. and Hank P. [far left] to start selling stock [near left: fake certificate with real signatures] in the newly formed One Hundred Men Corporation, as they urgently needed funds. The meeting minutes clearly state that the Alcoholic Foundation would remain completely independent One Hundred Men, with no responsibility for its actions and operating outside its supervision. In essence, the Rockefeller contingent had implicitly conceded to Bill and Hank that A.A. could self-publish their book.

---

^*Contrary to widespread and persistent rumors, he was not removed for drinking, but rather due to the increased demands of work and family life.    

1949: Dr. Gilbert “Gib” K., 52, died from cancer [near right: headstone; far right: obituary from the Chippewa Herald-Telegram, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, 15 February 1949, p. 3].
    He had been the founder of Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s first A.A. group. Just three months prior, in November 1948, Bill and Lois W. had visited him in the hospital. During that visit, Gib had urged Bill to have his violin as a gift. Bill had accepted it and would cherish it for the rest of his life.

1954: Bill W’s father, Gilman Barrows W., 84, died penniless in Vancouver, British Columbia. His ashes would be returned to East Dorset, Vermont, for burial in the family plot [left: headstone].

1971: Three weeks after his death, Alcoholics Anonymous groups worldwide held a memorial service to honor Bill W.

2007: Nellie “Nell” Wing [right], 89, died at Sunrise Assisted Living in Wayne, New Jersey. From 1947 to 1982, she had served as the secretary and administrative assistant to Bill Wilson at the Alcoholic Foundation/General Service Office in New York City. Additionally, she had been the first Archivist for Alcoholics Anonymous and authored a memoir about her experiences, titled Grateful to Have Been There.

February 13 in A.A. History

1937: [Wed, Feb 11?] The “drunk squad” of the New York City Oxford Group gathered at the home [near right] of Henry “Hank” [far right] and Kathleen P. in Teaneck, New Jersey. This meeting, characterized by its “alcoholic style,” marked the first time such a group—later to be part of Alcoholics Anonymous—convened in New Jersey. One primary purpose of the meeting was to introduce William “Bill” R. [left] to the emerging fellowship, as he had recently gotten sober. Bill and his wife, Kathleen, of Hackettstown, New Jersey, subsequently began attending Tuesday night meetings at the home of Bill and Lois W. in Brooklyn.
    Hank’s story in the 1st edition of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, was titled “The Unbeliever,” while Bill R.’s was “A Business Man’s Recovery.”

1940: About two years sober, James “Jim” or “Jimmy” B. [right] moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for a “very good new position.” Just twenty-five days later, with six other alcoholics, he started the city’s first A.A. group, making it the fourth in the country, following those in Akron, New York City, and Cleveland. 

    Jim’s story, “The Vicious Cycle,” appeared in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.

February 12 in A.A. History

1927: Bill W.’s paternal grandmother, Helen Barrows W. [near right], 83, died in Manchester, Vermont, where she had been living with her sister, Alice Ambrose, for the preceding year or two. She would be buried in the East Dorset Cemetery [far left: Helen’s obituary from the Rutland Daily Herald of Rutland, Vermont, 8 March 1927; near left: Helen’s gravestone].
    Many years earlier, Helen’s parents, Blake and Betsey Barrows, had operated the hotel in East Dorset, now known as W―― House [right, recent]. Although the hotel had briefly changed ownership, Helen and her husband, William Curtis W., eventually had acquired the property and took over its management. It was behind the bar there that Bill W. had been born in 1895.

1938: Frank Amos [far left] was visiting Akron, Ohio, to gather information about the “Alcoholic Squadron” of the Oxford Group for John D. Rockefeller Jr. [near left] and his associates. He spent his first day at the home of Dr. Bob and Anne S. [right], where a steady stream of visitors came and went. Frank later noted in his report:
    [O]nly one other of the alcoholic group knew why I was there—that was Paul S―― [far left] who was at the meeting we had in the Rockefeller Center. I was introduced as a friend of “Bill” W.’s… and as a Christian layman deeply interested in their work.
    When introduced to T. Henry Williams [near left], he identified himself merely as a representative of four Christian laymen interested in Dr. Bob’s work with alcoholics.
    Throughout the day, Frank interacted with several of the “fifty men, and, I believe, two women” who were now sober in Akron. He “met and talked with about half of these men with their wives and, in one or two cases, their mothers.” He was pleasantly surprised by their openness regarding Dr. Bob, noting that:
    without any prompting on my part, they emphasized how vital Smith was at this time to their work. Several told me they knew he was sacrificing his professional and remunerative work for this and that something must be done to help him handle both without spoiling either.
On Saturday night, Paul [right] and Hildreth Stanley would drive Frank 85 miles [~ 137 km] south to his hometown of Cambridge, Ohio, where he would visit relatives and familiarize himself with the current status of the family newspaper business, the Daily Jeffersonian. He would stay two days and return to Akron late in the afternoon of the 14th.

1945: The Alcoholic Foundation’s service office in New York City sent a letter to all known A.A. groups explaining that, due to paper rationing for the World War II effort, the War Production Board had ordered a reduction in the weight of paper used for the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. To further conserve materials, the margins were trimmed to a minimum, which, along with the lighter paper, reduced the book’s overall size. During the war, two limited-quantity printings were produced—the 8th and 9th printings of the first edition; both contained a notice of explanation [left: both printings with enlarged notice in foreground].

February 11 in A.A. History

1937: Frank Amos [right] arrived in Akron, Ohio, to evaluate the “Alcoholic Squad” of the Oxford Group as a potential recipient of a Rockefeller charitable contribution. He may have stayed with Dr. Bob and Anne S. or at a hotel.

1938: Clarence S. [left] took his last drink.
    He had been working as a traveling salesman based out of Cleveland. However, his drinking had escalated to the point where it disrupted his travels and business prospects. It had also driven a wedge between him and his wife, Dorothy  [right], who had thrown him out almost a year ago. When he finally returned home, she refused to let him in. He pleaded with her. He was very cold and desperate for a drink. Although she insisted she didn’t need him, she offered him a chance for redemption.
    Dorothy’s sister, Virginia, lived in New York City. After a house call from her family doctor for her sick children, she had started a conversation with him. This doctor was Dr. Leonard Strong  [left], who was also Bill W.’s brother-in-law. When Virginia confided in Dr. Strong about her brother-in-law’s struggles, he shared the story of Bill  [near right], who lived in Brooklyn, and Dr. Bob S. [far right], who lived in Akron, Ohio. He explained how they had remained sober for three years through the Oxford Group and were now helping other alcoholics to stop drinking. Virginia had written to Dorothy about this conversation, providing her with the name and address of Dr. Bob, hoping it might help if Clarence ever showed up again.
    Now that Clarence had returned, she asked if he was ready to stop drinking. He agreed. She told him about the doctor in Akron who “fixes drunks” and insisted he must first undergo Dr. Bob’s “cure.” He consented. She drove him to the bus depot, bought a one-way ticket to Akron, and gave him a sandwich along with a scrap of paper that read:

Dr. Robert Holbrook S――, 810 Second National Building, Akron, Ohio. Office phone: HEmlock 8523, Residence phone: UNiversity 2436. Hours 2 to 4 PM.

To ensure he wouldn’t sell his ticket for alcohol, she helped him board the bus and followed it for a few blocks to make sure he didn’t persuade the driver to let him off.
    Clarence’s story in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous is titled “Home Brewmeister” (1st, 2nd, and 3rd editions).

1939: Hank P. [near left] had telegraphed Fitz M. [far left], asking him to find out how many books in the Library of Congress—located not far from his home in Maryland—were titled The Way Out or Alcoholics Anonymous. Fitz responded by wiring back to Hank at Bill W.’s home address:

1939 Feb 11 AM 12 19
WA 13 50 NL=CA WASHINGTON DC 10
HENRY G P▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
182 CLINTON ST BROOKLYN NY=
NO TITLE CAN BE REGISTERED IN COPYRIGHT OFFICE TO SECURE MONOPOLY OF ITS USE STOP LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAS 25 BOOKS THE WAY OUT 12 THE WAY NINE THIS WAY OUT NONE ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS NONE COMES DAWN MY PET STOP OUR TRIP TO BROOKLYN DEFINITELY OFF-BUSINESS BRISKER AM WRITING.=
FITZ

    Bill and Hank immediately declared the title to be Alcoholics Anonymous or, as Bill later admitted, “we left the title ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’ in the copy that went to the printer [less than a week later]” (i.e., they had already put their preferred title on the master copy). In later retellings, Bill would incorrectly state that the number of books already titled The Way Out was 12, not 25, which allowed him to argue that it would have been bad luck to produce the 13th book with that title.

1940: Margaret D. from Seattle, Washington, wrote to the Alcoholic Foundation regarding her husband. The Foundation would respond by mail on March 6. Margaret would eventually play a role in organizing Seattle's first A.A. group on April 19 [right: New Washington Hotel, site of first A.A. meeting in Seattle, Washington (c. 1908)], although the specifics of her involvement remain unclear.

February 10 in A.A. History

1922: Harold E. Hughes [left] was born on a farm near Ida Grove, Iowa.
    He overcame alcoholism to achieve significant political success, serving as the governor of Iowa and a U.S. senator. He later emerged as a prominent dark horse candidate for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination, although he ultimately withdrew from the race. Hughes authored legislation that established the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, along with other federal measures to support alcoholics and addicts. Throughout his public life, he was candid about his struggles with alcoholism.

1958: Bill W. responded to a letter from Ollie and Ruth J., who had written to him objecting to members calling A.A. “selfish” program. In it, he clarified and drove home what he saw as a necessary distinction in the selfishness of an alcoholic:

    It seems to me that the primary object of any human being is to grow, that being the nature of all living things. There­fore he is bound to have a huge self-interest.

February 9 in A.A. History

1939: After many months of debate in Akron, Ohio, and New York City, during which “more than a hundred titles all told” were considered, The Way Out—which was heavily favored in Akron—was ultimately adopted over Alcoholics Anonymous, which had strong support in New York City, particularly from Bill W. and Hank P.
    Following this decision, Hank decided to

    wire Fitz M― in Maryland asking him to go to the Library of Congress in Washington and find out how many books were called The Way Out and how many were called Alcoholics Anonymous…

    This may have been an attempt to bypass the group’s collective conscience.

1940: The day after the Rockefeller Dinner, which introduced Alcoholics Anonymous to potential supporters identified by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., newspaper headlines were plentiful. Here are a few:
    The New York Daily News ran the story with the headline “ROCKEFELLER DINES EX-SOTS, NOW RUM FOES” [far right] and led with, “Sixty members of Alcoholics Anonymous, an organization of ex-toss-pots….”
    In Washington, D.C., The Evening Star titled its article “Rockefeller Is Backing Move to Cure Alcoholics” [above, near right], referring to A.A. as a “secret organization.”
The New York Post featured the headline, “60 ON WAGON—AND ROOM FOR MORE.”
    Meanwhile, The Daily Argus in White Plains, New York, published under the headline “Rockefeller Supports Regeneration Work” [below, near right], revealing that John D. Rockefeller, Jr. was

    … interested in a “secret” organization aimed at rehabilitating alcoholics. The organization is “Alcoholics Anonymous” which started when three men who overcame their craving for whiskey and wanted to help others in the same plight began the movement that today numbers 120. Rockefeller was host at a dinner last night to hear a report on the work of the men who have been cured or are in the process of reestablishing themselves on a more normal plane.

2002: Suzanne (Sue) S—– W. [far left, 1975], 83, the adopted daughter of Dr. Bob and Anne S., died at home after a long illness, surrounded by her family [near left: gravestone]. She had been actively involved in A.A. most of her life.

February 8 in A.A. History

1939:Bill W. replied to a letter dated February 6 from Janet Blair, one of the two paid editors of the manuscript for what would become the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. In her letter, she addressed suggested changes to the proposed first two chapters. She also recommended a smoother transition from “Bill’s Story” to “There is a Solution,” a suggestion that both Bill and Hank P. accepted, which has remained in all four editions. Bill thanked Blair for having “the perception to understand what it is I want to say and the ability to say it so well. You have certainly cleared up our manuscript.”

1940: John D. Rockefeller, Jr. [far left] arranged a dinner for Alcoholics Anonymous at the Union League Club [near right] in New York City. Out of 400 invited guests [center right: invitation; far right: menu], 75 attended. Due to illness, John D. was unable to host, so his son Nelson [near left] took over the responsibility. The dinner garnered significant positive publicity for A.A. and raised $2,200 [~$50,900 in 2026] from attendees, including John D. himself giving $1,000 [~$23,100 in 2026]. This group would continue to contribute about $3,000 [~$69,500 in 2026] each year until 1945, when they were asked to stop. In line with A.A.’s 7th Tradition, all contributions from non-alcoholics were eventually repaid.
    Paul S. [far left] accompanied Dr. Bob S. [near left] to the dinner. He also persuaded Frank Amos [right], a Rockefeller associate, that Dr. Bob needed financial assistance to continue his work with alcoholics. Paul suggested that John D. Rockefeller quietly provide a monthly stipend for at least two years, which he did. Ultimately, some of these funds were also allocated to Bill W. [near right] and Hank P. [far right].

1940: The Houston Press in Texas published the first of six anonymous articles about Alcoholics Anonymous, written by a newly sober member named Larry J. [far left]. These articles [near left: on display] served as the foundation for A.A.’s first pamphlet, titled simply  “AA” [right].

1942: The Columbus (Ohio) Group of A.A., established just three months earlier, split into two factions. Fourteen members formed a new group called the Central Group, which began meeting at the Odd Fellows Hall located at 24 W. Goodale St. The Central Group continued to hold meetings there until at least 1999.