January 18 in A.A. History

1939: The Alcoholic Foundation Board of Trustees met and unanimously agreed to add two new trustees: one Class A (non-alcoholic) and one Class B (alcoholic). They then unanimously elected Dr. Leonard V. Strong (Bill W.’s brother-in-law) [left] and Harry B. [right] (whose story, “A Different Slant,” appeared in the first edition of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous), to fill these positions. Dr. Strong would serve on the board until October 1954 as secretary, after which he became a trustee emeritus, until July 1960. Harry was elected as the second chairman of the board, following William “Bill” R. However, he would soon return to drinking and would be replaced in December 1939, having served lessthan a year. For the next 85 years, until 2024, the chairperson of the board was always a Class A trustee. The trustees appointed their own successors and were, as Bill W. stated, “chartered to do everything under the sun.”
    Bill W. [left, 1937] provided a lengthy report on the book, tentatively titled 100 Men. The minutes note that “the Alcoholic Foundation does not have any legal connection whatsoever with the organization or operation of this to-be-formed publishing company”; however, they agreed to accept “a contribution of 35¢ per volume [~$8.16 in 2026] sold if and when the book is published and put on sale” (emphasis added).  Nevertheless, “the sentiment [of the board] to render all such possible assistance [as individuals] was unanimous,” and at least three of the Class A trustees purchased stock in that to-be-formed company, i.e. Works Publishing, Inc., within days.

1948: United Press’s “Wire Briefs” [right] on page 2 of The Sunday Morning Star of Wilmington, Delaware, reported on what they referred to as A.A.’s “first international conference”:

DETROIT—The first international conference of members of Alcoholics Anonymous opened here last night in perhaps the driest convention on record. Some 3,000 delegates from throughout the midwest and two Canadian provinces toasted their first meeting with a soft drink punch in an unannounced part of the city.

1950: The Fort Payne (Alabama) Journal published a brief unsigned article [left], offering two glimpses “inside” Alcoholics Anonymous from the perspectives of its members in different locations. The first was a talk described as “very fine and impressive,” while the second was termed “a soul stirring [sic] address along the lines of what Alcoholics Anonymous has meant to him and what it can mean to others.” Regarding A.A. itself, the article stated, “We have nothing but praise,” calling it “a great organization doing a great work. And we believe it to be an inspired one.”
 

1954: Henry “Hank” P. [right], 58, died at Mercer Hospital in Trenton, New Jersey, after a long illness at Glenwood Sanitarium. Lois Wilson said that the cause was alcoholism. 
    Hank’s story in the first edition of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, was “The Unbeliever.” Ruth Hock wrote, “If it weren’t for Bill W., the Big Book would never have been written. If it weren’t for Hank P., the Big Book would never have been published.” Hank is credited in several sources with writing Chapter 10, “To Employers,” in the Big Book. He also added a key portion of Bill’s story—the first four full paragraphs on p. 12—as a handwritten edit to the multilith manuscript master copy.