1863:
After dark, Gardner Fayette Griffith (Bill W.’s maternal grandfather)
[left]
arrived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with the 14th Vermont Regiment. They
had been force-marched 130 miles
[~210 km]
in just over seven days from Washington, D.C., to join the Union’s Army of
the Potomac. It had rained every day that week. General Robert E. Lee’s
rebel army had invaded Pennsylvania in late June and would soon arrive at
Gettysburg. The regiment took up a position near Cemetery Hill.
1938: Honor Dealers, founded by Hank P.
[left]
and based in Newark, New Jersey, relocated from 11 Hill St.
[near right]
to a smaller, two-room suite (#601) on the 6th floor of 17 Williams
St.
[far right]. Both locations also served as the service office for the fledging
fellowship that would later become Alcoholics Anonymous.
1995:
The Los Angeles Times published Tony Perry’s article, “AA Quietly
Marks 60 Years of Deep Impact on Society”
[left]. In this piece, over 2,600 words long, Perry discusses the tens of
thousands who were celebrating Alcoholics Anonymous’s 60th anniversary in
San Diego, as well as the history of the Fellowship and its program of
recovery.2000: Nancy Flynn, author of “The Independent Blonde,” a story found exclusively in the second edition of Alcoholics Anonymous, spoke at the Saturday night session of A.A.’s 11th International Convention. Held at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this convention celebrated A.A.’s 65th anniversary. Though petite and standing on a platform to reach the microphone, Nancy’s spirited presence evoked thunderous applause and cheers of “More!” from the crowd.
2002: The first meeting of the month-long Online Service Conference began with approximately 49 members in attendance, representing about 32 online groups. The conference invitation included the following statement:
The concept of a self-contained general service conference for the online AA world has been, and will continue to be, controversial. Your group’s participation in this exploratory July meeting by sending a rep does not imply your group’s membership in an eventual conference, or even agreement to its principles. It’s just an opportunity for your group to be present at what may someday prove to be another historic moment in AA history.2003: The third meeting of the month-long Online Service Conference began with 43 groups represented. Total attendance, including alternates and steering committee members, reached 57.
Today in A.A. History—July 1–3
1863:
During the American Civil War, Gardner Fayette Griffith, Bill W.’s maternal
grandfather, served in Company B of the 14th Vermont Regiment. This unit was
merged with the 12th, 13th, 15th, and 16th Regiments to form the 2nd Vermont
Brigade, which was assigned to the 1st Army Corps
[right: map with gold arrow near the bottom showing their position].John C. Williams later said of these men:
The regiment bore a conspicuous part in the battle of Gettysburg, and was highly complimented, both by Gen. Stannard, Brigade Commander, and by Gen. Abner Doubleday, the commandant of the division. Though exposed to the severest fire of the enemy, not a man shirked his duty, but all stood their ground, ‘as though rooted to the earth.’ The 2d Vt., brigade being placed in the front line, in the center position, —the most important in the whole line, for nearly twenty-four hours, it gallantly repelled a vigorous attack, by an overwhelming force of seventeen thousand rebels, and after sustaining a terrific fire from seventy-five to one hundred pieces of artillery, the result of which contributed essentially towards achieving one of the most glorious and decisive victories of the war. The casualties of the fourteenth regiment were twenty-five killed and seventy-five wounded.1955: An estimated 5,000 members had attended the 2nd International Convention in St. Louis, Missouri, celebrating A.A.’s 20th anniversary. However, there were only 3,800 paid registrations, leading to an operating deficit of $25,000 [~$310,700 in 2026]. This deficit represented 10% of the New York office and Trustees’ entire annual budget. General Manager Hank G.*, Dennis Manders, and the Trustees concluded that this should be A.A.’s final convention, as the Fellowship could not absorb such substantial losses. Despite this, the Delegates rejected their recommendation at the 1956 General Service Conference.
*My source has “Hank C.”, which I’m all but certain is a typo.
1960: An official estimate reported that 10,000 people attended the 3rd International Convention in Long Beach, California, celebrating A.A.’s 25th anniversary. However, the actual number of paid registrants was closer to 8,700. Despite this, the Convention generated an operating surplus of $600 [~$6,500 in 2025].
Both Long Beach and San Francisco had expressed interest in hosting the event, and the final decision was made by a coin toss between the Delegates from Southern and Northern California. The Trustees required local groups to raise sufficient funds to ensure there would be no financial loss and later agreed to match whatever amount was raised, a practice that continued until 1975. While the full story of the event is both fascinating and lengthy, one memorable detail is that they ran out of coffee!
Today in A.A. History—July 1–4
1993: Six or seven thousand A.A. members and friends from Canada, the U.S., South America, Europe, and Asia gathered in Toronto, Ontario, to celebrate 50 years of Alcoholics Anonymous in Canada. Participants came from various countries, including Mexico, the West Indies, Brazil, England, Ireland, Scotland, Holland, and Sri Lanka. The comprehensive program featured 31 speaker meetings, 26 panels, 40 marathon meetings spanning 50 hours, and two talkathons.
2010:
Despite the ongoing threat of severe weather from the remnants of Hurricane
Alex*, approximately 53,000 people attended the 13th International Convention of
Alcoholics Anonymous in San Antonio, Texas
[left: Big Meeting at the Alamodome]. The convention, themed “A Vision For You,” saw the presentation of the 30
millionth copy of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, to Rebecca
Patchin, former chair of the American Medical Association’s Board of
Trustees.
*Hurricane Alex brought tropical storm-force winds to southern Texas, with a
peak of 51 mph [82 km/h] in Port Isabel. Its spiral bands also produced
record rainfall, a storm surge of at least 3.5 feet [1.1 meters] that caused
beach erosion, and nine EF0 tornadoes. The storm dissipated on July 6 [left:
Hurricane Alex making landfall on Mexico at peak intensity on July 1; right:
track map showing the storm's location at 6-hour intervals. The color of the
data points indicates the storm’s maximum sustained wind speeds, as
classified by the Saffir–Simpson scale].
