1935: [Assuming Dr. Bob’s last
drink was June 17th…]
In Akron, Ohio, the day after his last drink, Dr. Bob Smith suggested to
Bill Wilson that they find other alcoholics to work with.
A local minister, J. C. Wright, connected them with Edgar “Eddie” Reilly
[left], an “alcoholic atheist” known for creating significant daily crises. They
spent the summer trying, in vain, to sober him up. Notably, Eddie once
chased Bob’s wife, Anne, around their home with a knife. Eddie also claimed
to have visited Bill Dotson (A.A. #3) in the hospital alongside Bill and
Bob.
Though he missed the chance to become A.A. #3, years later, at a large A.A. meeting in Youngstown, Dr. Bob exclaimed, “Holy Moses!” upon seeing Eddie, who was reportedly sober for one year at that time. Eddie attended Dr. Bob’s funeral in 1950 and later became a member of the Youngstown, Ohio group. When Eddie died in 1963, his wife stated he had been sober for 17 years, dating back to 1946.
1940: The first meeting at the first A.A. clubhouse, located at 334½ W. 24th St. in New York City, drew 100 attendees. A February 1951 article in the A.A. Grapevine described the location:
The cryptic letters “AA” had gone up on a battered green doorway in the undistinguished neighborhood of New York’s once elegant Chelsea district. It isn’t a very auspicious doorway, nor a conspicuous sign.… Wedged in between two old-fashioned brick-fronts,… there isn’t supposed to be any doorway there at all.… You push open the door. You’re in a little vestibule.… And you open the inner door to find—nothing! Nothing, that is, except a long, bare, tunnel-like and mysterious looking hallway.…
Actually this is merely the passageway between the two houses back to the oddity of an “extra building” built in the rear, over what had once been the “gardens.” It was Bill who first christened this hall “The Last Mile.”… Ultimately you step into the inner sanctum which… is the “meeting room.” An old upright piano, a card table or two, a few nondescript chairs and, of course, people. But the center of the room to your newcomer’s eye is the fireplace, pine panelled [sic], with a plain wooden mantel and, over it… the sign reading—“But For The Grace of God….” On the second floor there is another room of about the same size only somewhat lighter and airier because of the skylight. Here, in addition to the secretary’s desk, is what is called… grandly… “the lounge” … two wicker divans, three chairs and a table! Off in the far corner is a door leading to two tiny rooms that will be Lois and Bill’s living quarters during a period when AA’s financial affairs could easily be kept on the back of an old envelope.
Herbert “Bert” T. and Horace C. personally guaranteed the building's rent. [Below, first row, left to right: climbing the the stairs behind the entrance; main room of clubhouse; The Saturday Evening Post’s photo of “a typical meeting,” which was anything but typical; entrance; the “long, bare tunnel-like and mysterious” hallway; the upstairs room, where Bill and Lois lived for the first year the clubhouse was open. Below, second row: location of clubhouse at 334½ W. 24th St, New York City, with arrow pointing to entrance (c. 1940).]
A local minister, J. C. Wright, connected them with Edgar “Eddie” Reilly
[left], an “alcoholic atheist” known for creating significant daily crises. They
spent the summer trying, in vain, to sober him up. Notably, Eddie once
chased Bob’s wife, Anne, around their home with a knife. Eddie also claimed
to have visited Bill Dotson (A.A. #3) in the hospital alongside Bill and
Bob.Though he missed the chance to become A.A. #3, years later, at a large A.A. meeting in Youngstown, Dr. Bob exclaimed, “Holy Moses!” upon seeing Eddie, who was reportedly sober for one year at that time. Eddie attended Dr. Bob’s funeral in 1950 and later became a member of the Youngstown, Ohio group. When Eddie died in 1963, his wife stated he had been sober for 17 years, dating back to 1946.
1940: The first meeting at the first A.A. clubhouse, located at 334½ W. 24th St. in New York City, drew 100 attendees. A February 1951 article in the A.A. Grapevine described the location:
The cryptic letters “AA” had gone up on a battered green doorway in the undistinguished neighborhood of New York’s once elegant Chelsea district. It isn’t a very auspicious doorway, nor a conspicuous sign.… Wedged in between two old-fashioned brick-fronts,… there isn’t supposed to be any doorway there at all.… You push open the door. You’re in a little vestibule.… And you open the inner door to find—nothing! Nothing, that is, except a long, bare, tunnel-like and mysterious looking hallway.…
Actually this is merely the passageway between the two houses back to the oddity of an “extra building” built in the rear, over what had once been the “gardens.” It was Bill who first christened this hall “The Last Mile.”… Ultimately you step into the inner sanctum which… is the “meeting room.” An old upright piano, a card table or two, a few nondescript chairs and, of course, people. But the center of the room to your newcomer’s eye is the fireplace, pine panelled [sic], with a plain wooden mantel and, over it… the sign reading—“But For The Grace of God….” On the second floor there is another room of about the same size only somewhat lighter and airier because of the skylight. Here, in addition to the secretary’s desk, is what is called… grandly… “the lounge” … two wicker divans, three chairs and a table! Off in the far corner is a door leading to two tiny rooms that will be Lois and Bill’s living quarters during a period when AA’s financial affairs could easily be kept on the back of an old envelope.
Herbert “Bert” T. and Horace C. personally guaranteed the building's rent. [Below, first row, left to right: climbing the the stairs behind the entrance; main room of clubhouse; The Saturday Evening Post’s photo of “a typical meeting,” which was anything but typical; entrance; the “long, bare tunnel-like and mysterious” hallway; the upstairs room, where Bill and Lois lived for the first year the clubhouse was open. Below, second row: location of clubhouse at 334½ W. 24th St, New York City, with arrow pointing to entrance (c. 1940).]
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