1898: James “Jimmy” B. [right, c.
1918]
was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Robert and Nellie Chapman B.
In 1938, he was introduced to Alcoholics Anonymous and got sober. Although he relapsed briefly a few months later, he returned to A.A. and remained sober for the rest of his life. His story, “The Vicious Cycle”, appears in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.
1936: Bill and Lois W. visited John Fitzhugh “Fitz”
[far left]
and Elizabeth Gwathmey M. [near left]
at their home in Cumberstone, Maryland. Bill, an intellectual and scholar,
found common ground with Fitz, whom he recognized as a fellow dreamer. The
W.s and the M.s became devoted friends. Lois recalled that she and Bill had
“practically commuted” to the M.s’ home, while Fitz often visited them in
Brooklyn, frequently attending the Tuesday night meetings of the “nameless
drunks” there. Lois described Fitz as an “impractical, lovable dreamer.”
Fitz’s story, “Our Southern Friend,” appears in all four editions of
Alcoholics Anonymous.
1941: Sybil Doris Adams Stratton Hart M. (later adding “C―” and “W―”)
[right]
got sober in Los Angeles, California, becoming the first woman to join
Alcoholics Anonymous west of the Mississippi River. Her story, “Learning to
Fly,” appeared in the February 1982 issue of the
A.A. Grapevine.
In 1938, he was introduced to Alcoholics Anonymous and got sober. Although he relapsed briefly a few months later, he returned to A.A. and remained sober for the rest of his life. His story, “The Vicious Cycle”, appears in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.
1936: Bill and Lois W. visited John Fitzhugh “Fitz”
[far left]
and Elizabeth Gwathmey M. [near left]
at their home in Cumberstone, Maryland. Bill, an intellectual and scholar,
found common ground with Fitz, whom he recognized as a fellow dreamer. The
W.s and the M.s became devoted friends. Lois recalled that she and Bill had
“practically commuted” to the M.s’ home, while Fitz often visited them in
Brooklyn, frequently attending the Tuesday night meetings of the “nameless
drunks” there. Lois described Fitz as an “impractical, lovable dreamer.”
Fitz’s story, “Our Southern Friend,” appears in all four editions of
Alcoholics Anonymous.
1941: Sybil Doris Adams Stratton Hart M. (later adding “C―” and “W―”)
[right]
got sober in Los Angeles, California, becoming the first woman to join
Alcoholics Anonymous west of the Mississippi River. Her story, “Learning to
Fly,” appeared in the February 1982 issue of the
A.A. Grapevine.
Her journey began in 1939, when she read
the article “Alcoholics and God” in Liberty magazine. She was intrigued, but
took no action. Eighteen months later, she read Jack Alexander’s article
about A.A. in the 1 March 1941 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Prompted
to act this time, she wrote to the Alcoholic Foundation in New York City and
received a response from Ruth Hock. Ruth informed her that while there were
no women A.A. members in California, Marty M. was sober in New York and
referred her to a small group of men in her Los Angeles.
Accompanied by her non-alcoholic husband, she attended a meeting. They found 10 to 12 men seated around a table and three or four women standing against a wall. The chairman began by announcing, “As is our custom before the regular meeting starts, we have to ask the women to leave.” Sybil and the other women complied, while her husband remained, leading the other men to believe he was the alcoholic. When he rejoined Sybil, he said, “They don't know you’re alive. They just went on and on bragging about their drinking until I was about to walk out, when they jumped up and said the Lord’s Prayer, and here I am.” Discouraged, Sybil went to the nearest bar and got drunk.
However, she later recalled Ruth Hock’s offer of help: “If you need help, call Cliff W.
[left],” giving her his phone number. Upon calling him, Cliff explained, “You
didn’t tell us you were an alcoholic. We thought you were one of the wives.
If you had identified yourself as an alcoholic, you would have been welcome
as the flowers in May.” The following week, Sybil returned and became the
group’s only female member.
Soon after, Frank R. brought in a large carton of letters, bundled in groups of twenty to fifty. These were inquiries and calls for help from people in Southern California. He announced, “Here they are! Here they are! If any of you jokers have been sober over fifteen minutes, come on up here and get these letters. We’ve got to get as many of these drunks as we can in here by next Friday, or they may die.” The last bundle contained letters from women, prompting Frank to call out, “Sybil M――, come on up. I am going to put you in charge of all the women.”
While Sybil liked the idea of “being in charge,” she expressed her reservations: “I can’t, sir. You said I have to make all those calls by next Friday, or somebody might die. Well, I’ll be drunk by next Friday unless you have some magic that will change everything so I can stay sober.” Frank assured her that everything she needed was in the Big Book, “and it says right in here that when all other measures fail, working with another alcoholic will save the day. That’s what you will be doing, Sybil, working with other alcoholics. You just get in your car and take your mind off yourself. Think about someone sicker than you are. Go see her and hand her the letter she wrote, and say, ‘I wrote one like this last week, and they answered mine and told me to come and see you. If you have a drinking problem like I have, and if you want to get sober as bad as I do, you come with me, and we'll find out together how to do it.’ Don't add another word to that, because you don't know anything yet. Just go get ’em.”
The approach worked, and Sybil never drank again.
1995: In Tokyo, Japan, the first Asia/Oceania Service Meeting (AOSM) convened seventeen years after Bob P. of New Zealand envisioned a zonal gathering for the Alcoholics Anonymous General Service Offices of Asian and Pacific Island nations. Mirroring a smaller World Service Meeting, the AOSM offered countries within the same geographical area a platform to share experiences.
Six delegates from Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and
Vanuatu participated with the theme “Twelfth Stepping Your Neighbor
Country.” Although geographically part of the region, Australia was unable
to attend due to financial limitations. Bob P. chaired the meeting, which
also included four non-member observers, while George D.
[right], General Manager of the General Service Office in New York City, served as
the keynote speaker.
Accompanied by her non-alcoholic husband, she attended a meeting. They found 10 to 12 men seated around a table and three or four women standing against a wall. The chairman began by announcing, “As is our custom before the regular meeting starts, we have to ask the women to leave.” Sybil and the other women complied, while her husband remained, leading the other men to believe he was the alcoholic. When he rejoined Sybil, he said, “They don't know you’re alive. They just went on and on bragging about their drinking until I was about to walk out, when they jumped up and said the Lord’s Prayer, and here I am.” Discouraged, Sybil went to the nearest bar and got drunk.
However, she later recalled Ruth Hock’s offer of help: “If you need help, call Cliff W.
[left],” giving her his phone number. Upon calling him, Cliff explained, “You
didn’t tell us you were an alcoholic. We thought you were one of the wives.
If you had identified yourself as an alcoholic, you would have been welcome
as the flowers in May.” The following week, Sybil returned and became the
group’s only female member.Soon after, Frank R. brought in a large carton of letters, bundled in groups of twenty to fifty. These were inquiries and calls for help from people in Southern California. He announced, “Here they are! Here they are! If any of you jokers have been sober over fifteen minutes, come on up here and get these letters. We’ve got to get as many of these drunks as we can in here by next Friday, or they may die.” The last bundle contained letters from women, prompting Frank to call out, “Sybil M――, come on up. I am going to put you in charge of all the women.”
While Sybil liked the idea of “being in charge,” she expressed her reservations: “I can’t, sir. You said I have to make all those calls by next Friday, or somebody might die. Well, I’ll be drunk by next Friday unless you have some magic that will change everything so I can stay sober.” Frank assured her that everything she needed was in the Big Book, “and it says right in here that when all other measures fail, working with another alcoholic will save the day. That’s what you will be doing, Sybil, working with other alcoholics. You just get in your car and take your mind off yourself. Think about someone sicker than you are. Go see her and hand her the letter she wrote, and say, ‘I wrote one like this last week, and they answered mine and told me to come and see you. If you have a drinking problem like I have, and if you want to get sober as bad as I do, you come with me, and we'll find out together how to do it.’ Don't add another word to that, because you don't know anything yet. Just go get ’em.”
The approach worked, and Sybil never drank again.
1995: In Tokyo, Japan, the first Asia/Oceania Service Meeting (AOSM) convened seventeen years after Bob P. of New Zealand envisioned a zonal gathering for the Alcoholics Anonymous General Service Offices of Asian and Pacific Island nations. Mirroring a smaller World Service Meeting, the AOSM offered countries within the same geographical area a platform to share experiences.
Six delegates from Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and
Vanuatu participated with the theme “Twelfth Stepping Your Neighbor
Country.” Although geographically part of the region, Australia was unable
to attend due to financial limitations. Bob P. chaired the meeting, which
also included four non-member observers, while George D.
[right], General Manager of the General Service Office in New York City, served as
the keynote speaker.
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