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].