August 2 in A.A. History

In 1892, (Lawrence) Richmond W. [right] was born to Caroline and Joseph Richmond W. in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was the second of six siblings, with two brothers and three sisters. 

    Rich would get sober and join Alcoholics Anonymous in May 1942. In 1948, he would self-publish his book, Twenty-Four Hours a Day (also known as “The Little Black Book”) [far left: 1st edition, 1st printing, cover; near left: pages 2–3]. He would later write For Drunks Only (1987) and The 7 Points of Alcoholics Anonymous (1989).

August 1 in A.A. History

In 1993, the General Service Office (GSO) in New York City made group information and contribution details accessible on 3½" floppy disks [left]—to General Service Areas that maintained their records digitally. This initiative resulted from a task force formed by GSO management to review and improve records-keeping procedures.

    In April, during the breaks on Tuesday and Thursday at the 43rd General Service Conference, delegates had the opportunity to attend a presentation of a computer software package demonstrated by two non-alcoholic GSO staff members. This software allowed areas equipped with the necessary technology to access group records retrieved from the GSO mainframe (an IBM AS/400 Model 40) [right, in the upper right corner of the image].

July 31 in A.A. History

In 1879, John Henry Fitzhugh “Fitz” M. [right] was born in Chelsea, New Jersey, to Robert A. and Annie Taylor M.

In 1949, Central Ohio’s first interracial Alcoholics Anonymous group was started by Charlie W. 
   Around the same time, a committee led by Bert P. was organizing the Central Ohio Group Fellowship and opening a new office. The bylaws governing the COGF were approved on this date, at Neil House in downtown Columbus, with Floyd W., Al B., and Harry C. as the primary architects. As always, Reverend Faust provided spiritual guidance during this process. Since its inception, the Central Ohio Group Fellowship has been dedicated to serving the groups and members in need.

In 1952, Henrietta Seiberling [far left] wrote a handwritten letter to Clarence S. [near left] of eight pages (four pages, double-sided). In part, it stated [underlining in original]:

    It looked for a while as if Bill W[—–] would like to crowd God out but we know that it is up to us to seek more & more of God’s power to help other people to know this way of Life & our fellowship. You certainly are doing your part & thank God, all those who have glimpsed the real vision are doing theirs. The joy of it is, to me, that those who have only been offered “the stone,” are so eager & grab at the “bread,” that we know we have to offer - as you say, it is appalling how little they have been offered by the would be “elder statesman” - but the 12 steps & the fact that, as Stanley Jones say, wherever man opens his mind to God, He reveals himself - they have helped the groping AA’s - who have been denied so much of the real “bread” - & given the “stone” of Bill W[—–]’s designs.
    But, Clarence, I have made one big whale of a surrender of Bill & his schemes - & all thought of him & the possibilities of what harm he could do just left me in the most amazing way. I don’t have to try to “not think of him” again, I just don’t - He is completely consigned to God by me & I know He can handle him - We will be closely knit - even with his taking the money & trying to take the book. I am sure he will need our pity & compassion because he has put himself apart from the real fellowship - more and more I see that the 16th Chapter of Luke that I read in answer to my asking to understand Bill & what he was doing, illuminated the situation - He has put himself with the “children of darkness” - he has his henchmen & ingratiates himself with those in the dark - Let us keep ourselves “children of the Light” & keep serving God, instead of “Mammon.” Bill has made his choice - Read the chapter over.
    I heard talk in Missouri 2 years ago about his connection with Sheen but I don’t imagine it is so. He imagines himself all kinds of things. His hand “writes” dictation from a Catholic priest, whose name I forget, from the 1600 period who was in Barcelona Spain - again, he told Horace C[—–], he was completing the work that Christ didn’t finish, & according to Horace he said he was a reincarnation of Christ. Perhaps he got mixed in whose reincarnation he was. It looks more like the works of the devil but I could be wrong. I don’t know what is going on in the poor deluded fellow’s mind.
    He must be wistful. He asked Bill D[—–] if he knew where I was & Bill said “on Park Ave” & he said “Have you seen her”?
    I learned from a Texas friend that a Chaplain in the prisons said the only way they really reached prisoners was thru Alcoholics Anonymous, even for the non alcoholic - so besides such things as that, Bill & his schemes pale into insignificance for us - I am sure.
    We can stand by & see him claim the “glory” if we can keep the “power” to help transform lives - Thank God, you & so many others are still doing that.…
    I saw Henry S[—–] in N.Y. - Bill D[—–] brought him over. Bill W. wouldn’t let him in the “convention.”…
As ever Faithfully
Henrietta

In 1970, Bernard B. Smith [right], 68, died of a heart attack at his home at 1165 Park Ave. in New York City. He was the longest-serving Trustee of Alcoholics Anonymous, holding the position from 1944 to 1970. Initially a member of the Alcoholic Foundation Board, he later became a Trustee of the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, serving as Chair from 1950 to 1956. Bill W. referred to him as “the architect of A.A.’s general service structure.”
    Earlier in the month, due to Bill’s poor health, “Bern,” as he was commonly known, stepped in for many of Bill’s scheduled appearances at the Fifth International Convention in Miami, Florida, which celebrated A.A.’s 35th anniversary.

In 1972, a sober Ralston "Rollie" H. [left], known as “Rollickin’ Rollie,” died at the age of 65 from a heart attack in Washington, DC. He had had a notable 18-year career in Major League Baseball as a catcher, earning five All-Star selections. Hemsley played for several teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds (twice), St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees (winning the World Series in 1943), and Philadelphia Athletics. Following his playing career, he managed various minor-league teams and coached the Washington Senators and Philadelphia Athletics.
    His battles with alcohol were legendary while he played for the Indians. In 1939, while on a train trip, he got drunk, poured water on a sleeping porter, tossed lit matches into sleeping berths, and climbed into manager Oscar “Ossie” Vitt’s bed, blubbering incoherently. As a result, he was immediately suspended. When Cy Slapnicka, the Indians’ general manager, gave Hemsley a $1,500 [~$34,700 in 2025] diamond ring and told him it was a gift for his daughter, the tough catcher was deeply moved and teared up. He vowed to quit drinking on the spot, and Slapnicka arranged for him to meet with some members of Alcoholics Anonymous, who promptly admitted him to the hospital. After four days there, he joined A.A., becoming its 77th member.

In 2002, the first meeting of the month-long Online Service Conference (OSC) concluded.
    During the meeting, representatives discussed several important issues affecting online A.A. groups. Topics included how to establish a group conscience online, the internet publication of A.A. copyrighted documents, online anonymity, relationships with "face-to-face" A.A. bodies, and other relevant concerns.
    The OSC representatives passed two actions:

• ratifying the Conference as beginning a general service structure for online A.A. and planning to meet again in January 2003; and 
• electing six members of a Steering Committee to stand for the Conference and prepare an agenda in the interim between meetings.

In 2003, the third meeting of the month-long Online Service Conference (OSC) concluded.
    Two key actions were discussed: defining online A.A. groups and recommending that these groups provide representatives to the OSC for two-year terms. However, neither proposal achieved substantial unanimity and both were referred for further study. Committees were formed to study the issues, and new members were elected to fill vacant positions on the Steering Committee.
    As with the previous assembly, no Online Advisory Actions were voted on during this third conference.

July 30 in A.A. History

In 1863, the military unit of Gardner Fayette Griffith [right], Vermont’s Company B, 14th Regiment, was mustered out in Brattleboro, Vermont, just a few weeks after its pivotal role in the Union’s decisive victory over Robert E. Lee’s Confederate army at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania [left: a Vermont soldier c. 1863]. Griffith would later become the grandfather of Bill W.

In 1945, Silas B., 63, died in a Stamford, Connecticut hospital after a year of illness [near right: obituary, The Brooklyn (NY) Daily Eagle, 1 Aug 1945, p. 11]. He had been A.A. #3 (or 4) in New York City and, in January 1939, had written the first newspaper article ever published about Alcoholics Anonymous, but he had returned to drinking less than a year later [far right: gravestone].

In 1950, attendees at A.A.’s 1st International Convention at the Cleveland Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio, adopted the Twelve Traditions with near-unanimous acclamation.

In 1950, Dr. Bob S. [left] made a brief appearance at A.A.’s 1st International Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, to deliver his final public remarks. His now-famous talk included the following:

There are two or three things that flashed into my mind on which it would be fitting to lay a little emphasis. One is the simplicity of our program. Let’s not louse it all up with Freudian complexes and things that are interesting to the scientific mind but have very little to do with our actual AA work. Our Twelve Steps, when simmered down to the last, resolve themselves into the words love and service.

July 29 in A.A. History

Today in A.A. History—July 29–August 2

In 1971, a 21-member General Service Board (GSB) of Alcoholics Anonymous met for the first time in New York City. With the election of nine new members at the April General Service Conference (GSC), the Board reached a 2:1 ratio of Class A (alcoholic) Trustees to Class B (non-alcoholic) Trustees. This completed a reorganization begun by the 1966 GSC and advocated by Bill Wilson since before 1955. Historically, the GSB had always maintained a majority of non-alcoholic members. The 2:1 ratio has remained largely unchanged since [right: Report of the Trustees’ Nominating Committee to the 1971 GSC; all nominees were were approved by the GSC Trustees’ Committee and elected by the GSC].

July 28 in A.A. History

1914, Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, in Sarajevo, the capital of the recently annexed provinces of Bosnia-Herzegovina [right: Achille Beltrame’s portrayal of the assassination]. This act provided Austria-Hungary with the justification it needed to initiate hostilities against Serbia, marking the onset of the Great War, later known as World War I. The United States would enter the war in April 1917, and by August, President Wilson would mobilize all National Guard units. At that time, Bill W. was a student at Norwich University and, as such, a member of the Vermont National Guard.

Today in A.A. History—July 28–30

In 1950, Alcoholics Anonymous held its first International Convention [left] in Cleveland, Ohio, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of A.A.’s founding. The event aimed to honor Dr. Bob S., who was seriously ill and would pass away in November, and to adopt the Twelve Traditions by acclamation. While up to 10,000 attendees were expected from an estimated total membership of 96,400, only about 3,000 people registered, with a few hundred attending without registering ahead of time.
    During the convention, Bill W. gave a talk titled “The Group Conscience and the Trusted Servant”* in which he discussed several key points, among them:

    I think that we have developed almost a fetish that this is some terrific infallibility in the group conscience, and I would like to modify it to this extent: that when the group conscience is thoroughly informed, and when experience backs a decision or conclusion it has reached, and when it isn’t too mad or too fearful, it can (and almost always is) supremely wise as to the best interests of Alcoholics Anonymous.

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* This talk is reprinted in Our Great Responsibility: A Selection of Bill W.’s General Service Conference Talks 1951–1970.

July 27 in A.A. History

In 1938, at the request of Bill W., Dr. William D. Silkworth [right] wrote a letter of recommendation titled “To Whom It May Concern” [left] to support fundraising for the book that would eventually become Alcoholics Anonymous. This letter, in modified form, constituted the first part of Silkworth’s contribution to the chapter “The Doctor’s Opinion.” The second part of his contribution was likely submitted just before the Multilith printing in February 1939.

In 1941, Dale A. [left], who had written the Alcoholic Foundation in March after reading Jack Alexander’s article in The Saturday Evening Post, attended his first A.A. meeting. Soon he would be holding meetings in his home across the street from the North City Tavern [right, c. 1927]* in Shoreline, Washington, and would eventually become what many people consider the founding father of A.A. in Seattle, Washington.

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^*17554 15th Ave NE: located 10.6 mi [17.06 km] north of Seattle, it was built as a grocery store in 1927, and is still there, known since 1990 as the North City Lounge.

July in A.A. History (day unknown)

In 1934, Bill and Lois W. returned to their home in Brooklyn after spending another month in the Green River, Vermont, on property owned by Bill’s sister Dorothy and her husband, Dr. Leonard V. Strong. Upon their return, Bill fell back into heavy drinking [below: map showing, south to north, Brooklyn, NY; Green River, VT; and East Dorset/Emerald Lake, VT (in gold)].

In 1934, Ebby T. [left] was approached in Manchester, Vermont, by his friends Cebra G. [near right], a lawyer, and Sheppard “Shep” Cornell [far right], a stockbroker from New York City.  Both were members of the Oxford Group and had previously been heavy drinkers, and specifically drinking buddies with Ebby. They had stopped drinking and were now sober. They told Ebby about the existence of the Oxford Group in Vermont, but he wasn’t quite ready to give up alcohol.

In 1934, Bill W. was admitted to Charles B. Towns Hospital [left] for the second time, again paid for by Dr. Leonard V. Strong, his sister’s husband. During this stay, Bill met Dr. Silkworth [right] for the first time. The doctor explained the concepts of obsession and allergy related to alcoholism. However, shortly after his release, Bill started drinking again. At this point, he was unemployable, over $50,000 in debt [~$1.2 million in 2025], suicidal, and drinking around the clock.

In 1935, [August?] Lois W. traveled to Akron, Ohio, to spend two weeks with her husband, Bill, at the home of Dr. Bob and Anne S., located at 855 Ardmore Ave. [left]. Bill had been in Akron since at least April and had been staying with the Bob and Anne since late May.

In 1935, encouraged by T. Henry Williams [left], Ernie G.—the “devil-may-care chap” in “A Vision for You” (pp. 158–159 of Alcoholics Anonymous)—reached out to Dr. Bob Smith and got sober. At just 30 years old, some believed he was “too young” to get sober. He became the fourth member of A.A. and authored “The Seven Month Slip” in the first edition of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.

    In September 1941, he would marry Dr. Bob Smith’s adopted daughter, Sue, but he struggled with continuing to drink, leading to their marriage becoming a disaster. Tragically, on 11 June 1969, their daughter Bonna would take her own life after killing her 6-year-old daughter—Ernie and Sue’s granddaughter—Sandy. Ernie died exactly two years later [right: Ernie and Sue in happier times]. 

July 25 in A.A. History

In 1943, American Weekly published the third of a three-part series by Genevieve Parkhurst [left] titled “ALCOHOLISM—Laymen Join Science to Cure It.” The combined dimensions of the first two pages [below] measured nearly 5 feet² (32" × 22") [~½ m² (~81 cm × ~56 cm)]. The article continued over several additional pages and prompted 1,100 inquiries to the Alcoholic Foundation office in New York City.

In 1947, the U.S. House of Representatives District Committee released a conference report titled “Rehabilitation of chronic alcoholics in District of Columbia” to accompany H. R. 2659 (“act to establish program for rehabilitation of alcoholics, promote temperance, and provide for medical and scientific treatment of persons found to be alcoholics by courts of District of Columbia, and for other purposes.”) Julius S., a member of Washington, D.C.’s Cosmopolitan Group, had testified during the hearings for this bill, which was ultimately passed into law on August 4.

July 24 in A.A. History

In 1969, Bill W. [near right, 1966], the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, and Marty M. [center right, 1964], the founder of the National Council on Alcoholism, testified before the United States Senate Special Subcommittee on Alcoholism and Narcotics. This subcommittee, part of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, was chaired by Senator Harold E. H. [far right, c. 1969-1975], who was himself an alcoholic. All three were known for publicly breaking their anonymity.

Today in A.A. History—July 24–26

In 1992, a “Freedom in Sobriety” event with the theme “Living in the Answer” (a reference from the Big Book) took place at the Best Western Executive Inn in Fife—near Tacoma—in Washington state [left: Emerald Queen Hotel & Casino in Fife, formerly the Best Western Executive Inn].

July 23 in A.A. History

In 1940, the Philadelphia Group of A.A. set a precedent for the 7^th Tradition by contributing 10% of their funds to the Alcoholic Foundation.

In 1943, Clarence S. and four other members of Alcoholics Anonymous 12^th-stepped Esther C. into sobriety while she was hospitalized in Cleveland, Ohio, just two months after her 34th birthday. She would become known for riding a “Little Indian Scout” motorcycle [right: Esther on her bike] from Cleveland to meetings in Akron, Ohio. Sixty-some years later, when told that someone from California was coming to ask her about A.A. history and the Big Book, Esther replied, “What's the matter with him, doesn't he have a Big Book?”

In 1946, Bill W. wrote a note to Ricardo “Dick” P. thanking him for translating the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, into Spanish. Dick, who had been an A.A. member since 1940, had worked on this translation with his wife, Helen, for three years. [Below: Text of Bill’s note and an unknown person’s translation into Spanish.]

To my friend of AA Ricardo P     In testimony and deep gratitude for his arduous labors of translation—that our Spanish-speaking brothers throughout the world may be led out of darkness into light—                                     Affectionately 7/23/46                       Bill W                                     + Lois 6/19/76

Para mi amigo de A.A. Ricardo P—–     En testimonio y profundo gratitud por sus arduas labores de traducción -las cuales posiblemente guiaron a nuestros hermanos de habla hispana alrededor del mundo, para salir de la obscuridad e introducirse en la luz.                                     Afectuosamente,                                     Bill W—– 7/23/46                                     6/19/46

 

	In 1985, Loran D. Archer [left], Senior Policy Advisor on Alcoholism and Other Health Issues at the Drug Abuse Policy Office during President Ronald Reagan’s administration, wrote [right: letter] to Mr. Hal Marley, an A.A. member in Arlington, Virginia.
The enclosed copies of President Reagan's letter of congratulation to what Archer referred to as “The Fiftieth International Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous”—actually the 8th International Convention celebrating the Fellowship's 50th Anniversary—were dated 24 June; the International Convention was held 5–7 July in Montreal, Quebec.

Today in A.A. History—July 23–25

In 1976, the 19th International Conference of Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous (ICYPAA) took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [far left: letter from U.S. V.P. Nelson Rockefeller; near left: SWAG].

July 22 in A.A. History

In 1873, William Duncan Silkworth [left, 1908] was born in Brooklyn, NY to Isabelle Duncan and William Silkworth, Sr. 

In 1917, Junius C., Jr. [right, as a midshipman] of Pike, Mississippi, was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy and later became one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous in Jacksonville, Florida.

In 1980, Margaret “Marty” M. [left, at New Orleans in 1980], 75, died at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut, following a stroke. 

    She had been briefly married in her 20s but identified as a lesbian for the rest of her life. Marty had a distiguished career as a magazine editor, art critic, and photojournalist, contributing to such prominent publications as Vogue, Harper’s, and The Tatler [right: covers from Nov 1930]. However, alcoholism ultimately left her unemployable.
    Marty began attending Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) meetings at the home of Bill and Lois W. on 11 April 1939, the day after the pubthe publication of the book Alcoholics Anonymous, making her one of the earliest women involved in the Fellowship. 

    She developed a close friendship with Bill W. and was romantically involved with fellow alcoholic Priscilla P. [left: together at Fire Island, 1948] for 40 years. Priscilla served as an Art Editor at Vogue for 25 years. Together, they owned a home in Greenwich Village, a vacation property at Cherry Grove on Fire Island, and later in life, a residence in Connecticut.

    Marty wrote at least three books: Primer on Alcoholism, Marty M––’s New Primer on Alcoholism, and Marty M–– Answers Your Questions about Drinking and Alcoholism [right: covers], as well as many articles for multiple publications. She played a pivotal role in founding High Watch Farm, the world’s first recovery center based on A.A. principles, and founded the National Council for Education on Alcoholism (NCEA^*). Although she was a frequent and well-known breaker of her anonymity, Marty used her maiden name and the title “Mrs.” to protect her privacy.
    Her personal story, “Women Suffer Too,” appeared in the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th editions of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. Her final public appearance had been two weeks earlier at A.A.’s 7th International Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she had been a featured speaker.

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^*The NCEA evolved into the National Council on Alcoholism (NCA) in 1950, and subsequently became the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) in 1990, which continues to operate today.

July in A.A. History (day unknown)

In 1955, Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc. published the second edition [right: 4^th printing, 1960] of Alcoholics Anonymous, which included a new Foreword and thirty-three new stories.

In 1959, the name of Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc. was changed to Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. A.A.W.S. assumed responsibility for non-Grapevine publishing operations and for managing the General Service Office (G.S.O.), which had for many years been known as “headquarters.”

In 1962, the cartoon strip “Victor E.” [left], created by editor Jack M., first appeared in the A.A. Grapevine. It ran until the late 1970s, when Jack’s declining eyesight forced him to stop. Since then, all appearances of Victor E. have been reprints.

In 2021, a revised Preamble was published in the July 2021 issue of the A.A. Grapevine [right: cover]. In “A Letter From the Editor,” it was explained that,

    After two years of discussion by the Fellowship, and after much thoughtful deliberation at the 2021 General Service Conference, the AA Preamble has been updated. The new version can be seen on the inside cover of this issue.

    The 71^st General Service Conference (GSC) had previously adopted an Advisory Action that changed the phrase “men and women” to “people.” This decision sparked significant controversy; however, subsequent GSCs have chosen not to revert to the original wording or consider alternative proposals. 

July 20 in A.A. History

In 1898:	Q. What did the future Dr. Bob S. [faar right] do between his graduation from St. Johnsbury Academy on 24 Jun 1898, and his enrollment at Dartmouth College on 15 Sep 1898?
	A. He worked in the shipping department of E. and T. Fairbanks & Co. at the scale works in St. Johnsbury, Vermont [above near right: clippings from the St Johnsbury Republican (top), The St Johnsbury Caledonian (bottom) on 20 Jul 1898] .

In 1935, in a circular letter, Lois W. [left: PCI graduation, 1912] wrote to three of her oldest friends from Packer Collegiate Institute [right, 1910]: Elise Valentine Shaw1, Edith Roberts2, and Helen Cruden3, to share that…

     …Bill has stopped drinking thru the Oxford Group… Last December Ebby Thatcher [sic] appeared sober for the first time in years and with a very strange story to tell about a religion called the Oxford Group which had cured him just as he was about to be committed to an insane asylum.

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¹Helen Elise Valentine (1890–1976) married Frank Stinson Shaw in 1916. They had three daughters and lived first in Brooklyn, then in Fairfield, Connecticut. Frank was a stockbroker who had worked closely with Lois’s husband Bill in the 1920s while Bill and Lois were investigating companies looking for under-valued stocks.

2Dr. Edith Adelaide Roberts [right] (1881–1977) became an American botanist who studied plant physiology and was a pioneer in plant ecology. She created the first ecological laboratory in the United States, promoted natural landscaping along with Elsa Rehmann, and proved that plants were the main source of vitamin A [from her Wikipedia page].
³Helen Cruden (1892–1992) appears to have married Frederick William Gerhard in 1920. If so, they had three children and lived mostly in or near Washington D.C.

In 1970, in a small room in Deira, Tom L. [left] started the first A.A. meeting in the United Arab Emirates. At 26, he had attended his first A.A. meeting in India, a moment that eventually would forever change his life through the 12 Steps and a new relationship with his higher power. By the late 1960s, alcoholism had stripped him of his job, family, and friends, leaving him homeless on the streets of Mumbai. In 1968, he moved to Abu Dhabi to work as a laborer.

July 19 in A.A. History

In 1939, The Medical Record: A Weekly Journal of Medicine and Surgery published [right: a cover from 1921] “Psychological Rehabilitation of Alcoholics” by Dr. William D. Silkworth [left]. In this paper, nine of the twenty-eight paragraphs from the second part of “The Doctor’s Opinion” in Alcoholics Anonymous were included. Silkworth also added additional passages that described, in his own words, aspects of the stories of Bill W., Hank P., and Fitz M.