June 13 in A.A. History

In 1939, Lois W.’s [near right] diary entry for these dates noted that Hank P. [center right] was fighting with his wife, Kathleen [far right], and was determined to divorce her.

June 12 in A.A. History

In 1931, Rowland Hazard [right] departed on a three-month family trip to Europe. The Hazard Family Papers in the Manuscripts Division of the Rhode Island Historical Society show that he was in France on July 9, Italy on July 20, and apparently left for England on August 13. There is no evidence to suggest that Hazard visited Switzerland during this trip, making it highly unlikely that he saw Dr. Carl Jung, despite suggestions otherwise.

In 1941, Ruth Hock [left] wrote Henry S., a printer and member of A.A. in Washington, D.C., to get costs for printing the Serenity Prayer as a wallet card.

    She had received a clipping [right] of this prayer from Jack C. [below right], a newspaperman and fellow A.A. member, which he found in the “In Memoriam” section of the 28 May 1941 edition of the New York Herald Tribune. 

Ruth wanted to keep the clipping to include copies in outgoing mail. Horace suggested printing the prayer as a card and paid for a first printing. In response to Ruth’s request, Henry S. printed 500 cards [left: a vintage such card, date unknown] at his own expense and sent them to her, offering to provide more at no cost.

June 11 in A.A. History

In 1938, after what he described as “a very good week” selling car polish in New England, Jimmy B. [right] was taken out to lunch by two of his customers. Having been sober for just over five months, he refrained from drinking when they each ordered a round of beers, leaving both glasses untouched.

    Then it was my turn—I ordered, “Three beers,” but this time it was different; I had a cash investment of thirty cents [~$6.80 in 2025], and, on a ten-dollar-a-week salary [~$227 in 2025], that’s big thing. So I drank all three beers, one after the other, and said, “I’ll be seeing you, boys,” and went around the corner for a bottle. I never saw either of them again.

    The story of “Ed,” recounted—though inaccurately—on pages 143-5 of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, is Bill W.’s version of this part of Jimmy’s story.

In 1947, the 11th printing of the first edition of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous [left: copyright page], was published by Works Publishing, Inc. In this printing, all instances of the term “ex-alcoholic” were replaced with “ex-problem drinker” or “non-drinker.”

In 1969, Dr. Bob S.’s 23-year-old grand­daughter, Bonna [near right], the daughter of Sue S. and Ernie G. (A.A. #4, whose story is “The Seven Month Slip” in the first edition of Alcoholics Anonymous), shot and killed herself after first killing her six-year-old daughter, Sandy [far right], Dr. Bob’s great-granddaughter. Sue and Ernie had been divorced for four years, and Sue believed that Bonna was an alcoholic and abused diet pills.

In 1971, Ernest “Ernie” G. [left], referred to in the Big Book (p. 159) as “the devil-may-care chap,” died at the age of 66. Sue wrote, “Ernie never got over [Bonna’s death], and he died two years later to the day…”

In 2016, the Anchorage Dry Dock Club [right], established in Alaska in March 1982 by Alcoholics Anonymous members “to create a permanent meeting place for meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous available to recovering alcoholics in the South Anchorage area,” is officially incorporated as “The Dry Dock of Anchorage, Inc.” Today,

    … the Anchorage Dry Dock operates a social club where recovering alcoholics and addict [sic], their families and friends can spend leisure hours in an alcohol and drug free environment. The Anchorage Dry Dock provides space where groups of Alcoholic Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Al-Anon, Pills Anonymous or any other recovery group can hold meetings.

June 10 in A.A. History

In 1935, this widely accepted date for Dr. Bob’s last drink marks the official founding of Alcoholics Anonymous. However, many historians believe the founders may have gotten the date wrong in their attempts to reconstruct history, suggesting that Dr. Bob’s last drink actually occurred on June 17. Barefoot Bill L. confirmed through the American Medical Association (AMA) Archives in Chicago, Illinois, that the 1935 AMA Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was held from Monday to Friday, June 10–14, 1935. Others speculate that Dr. Bob attended specialty meetings before the convention, during which he started drinking, preventing him from attending the main event and leading him to go home early.

June 9 in A.A. History

In 1886, John Mark Whalon [right, listening to phonograph records, late 1942], commonly known by his middle name, was born. He would go on to become one of Bill W.’s closest and longest-lasting friends. In 1943 he would be featured in a Life magazine photo essay titled “Life Rides the Route of a Rural Mailman in Vermont,” from which this photograph was taken.

In 1924, Gardner Fayette Griffith, Bill W.’s maternal grandfather, died in Dorset, Vermont, due to valvular heart disease complicated by rheumatism. He and his wife, Ella A. Brock, began raising Bill and his sister when Bill was 10 years old. Gardner was buried in the East Dorset Cemetery [left: death certificate, gravestone].

Today in A.A. History—June 9–10

In 1945, Alcoholics Anonymous in Cleveland, Ohio, hosted a two-day “Big Meeting” at the Cleveland Music Hall and the Carter Hotel^* [right], at 1012 Prospect Avenue, to celebrate A.A.’s 10th anniversary. Approximately 2,500 attendees from 36 states, 2 Canadian provinces, and 1 from Mexico participated. Bill W. reflected on his relationship with Dr. Bob S., stating, “Although we have had many differences, we have never had an angry word.” Dr. Bob shared that he had averaged at least an hour of reading each day for the past 10 years, consistently returning to the fundamental teachings found in the Sermon on the Mount, the Book of James, and the 13th chapter of I Corinthians in the Bible.

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^* At the time, the chef of the hotel’s swanky Rainbow Room was Ettore “Hector” Boiardi—better known today as Chef Boyardee.

Today in A.A. History—June 9–11

In 1978, the 21st International Conference of Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous (ICYPAA) took place at the Downtown Marriott in Atlanta, Georgia, with the theme “Love Will Keep Us Together” [left: registration form, program cover].

June 8 in A.A. History

Today in A.A. History—June 8–9

In 1991, el X Congreso Zonal de Alcohólicos Anónimos [derecha] se celebró en la ciudad colombiana de San José de Cúcuta. 
    [The 10th Zonal Congress of Alcoholics Anonymous [right] was held in the Colombian city of San José de Cúcuta.]

June 7 in A.A. History

In 1925, on Granby Lane in Dublin, Ireland, on his way to Mass, Matt Talbot [far left: restored photo], 69, collapsed and died of heart failure A manual laborer who spent most of his life alone, Talbot might have gone unnoticed had it not been for the cords and chains found on his body after his death. He was buried [near left] in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin on June 11. 

    In 1952, his remains were moved [right: “Irish Tribunal Exhumes Body of Matt Talbot, The Catholic Times, Columbus, Ohio, 11 Jul 1952, p. 3.] to a tomb at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on Seán McDermott Street, Dublin. Although he has not been formally recognized as a saint, he has been declared Venerable and is considered a patron of those struggling with alcoholism. [While not part of Alcoholics Anonymous history, Talbot’s story is noteworthy; by age 28, he was deemed a hopeless alcoholic but “took the pledge” (renounced alcohol) and remained sober for the last 40 years of his life.]

In 1933, James “Jim” R. had his first day of what would become his permanent sobriety, marking a sobriety date more than 18 months before Bill W.’s. Continued binge drinking had led Jim to enter The Keswick Colony of Mercy [left, 1920], a religious recovery mission in New Jersey, where he would remain for the next 10+ months. He later became a co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous in Baltimore, Maryland.

In 1997, the Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal published the article “AA Meeting a Piece of History” [right], which discussed the upcoming Founders’ Day celebration.

June 6 in A.A. History

In 1940, the first Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) group in Richmond [right: downtown, c. 1940s], Virginia, began meeting.
    In the spring of 1940. Ted C., who had been treated at Rockland State Hospital in Orangeburg, New York, was returning to Richmond when the Alcoholic Foundation office in New York City asked him to serve as their local contact. One of his initial referrals was McGhee B., whom Ted successfully helped to get sober. Together, they established the group, holding their first meeting in McGhee’s apartment with ten attendees. However, as Bill W. later recalled, they “believed in getting away from their wives and drinking only beer.” This approach did not work, and the group fell apart almost immediately.

In 1961, Dr. Carl Gustav Jung [far left] died from circulatory problems at his home in Küsnacht, located in the canton of Zürich, Switzerland [near right: Jung family gravestone]. He became a full professor of medical psychology at the University of Basel in 1943 but resigned the following year after suffering a heart attack, choosing to lead a more private life. He experienced another illness in 1952. 
    Despite these health challenges, Jung continued to publish books until his death, with his last work being, “Approaching the Unconscious,” a contribution to Man and His Symbols, written in early 1961 and published posthumously in 1964.

In 1979, in New York City, Lois W., the widow of Bill W., presented the 2,000,000th copy of Alcoholics Anonymous to Joseph Califano, who was then the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare [right: Dr. Norris presides over presentation by Lois to Califano].

June 5 in A.A. History

In 1918, Robert “Smitty” Ripley S. [right, mother and son, father and son], the son of Anne Ripley and Dr. Bob S., was born.

In 1939, Ebby T. [left] started a new job. As he later put it,

    … through the connections of my brother [the politically influential Jack T., II] I secured a job at the New York State World’s Fair Commission at the fairgrounds [right: aerial view, 1939].

    During this time, he frequently spent time with Bill and Lois W., and may have even stayed with them. Lois believed he was sober and attending meetings. However, Ebby later admitted, 

    I did not sober up. I managed to drink and hold [the job] pretty well, and with so many people there, and crowds, I wasn’t noticed much. I got away with it all summer.

    By fall, though, he was “drinking it up pretty hard.” The following spring, he convinced his boss that “I was again on the straight and narrow” and was rehired for the same position.

In 1947, A.A. National Secretary Margaret “Bobbie” B. [left] sent a bulletin [right] to A.A. groups informing them that

    Pathé Pictures, makers of the “This Is America” movies series, has completed a 15-minute “short” film about Alcoholics Anonymous which would be distributed through RKO. They tell us that this film will be shown soon in neighborhood theatres—we cannot supply it. The film is called “I Am an Alcoholic.” It not only shows how one man recovered through AA, but portrays a reasonable facsimile of the founding of AA in Akron [Ohio] by Bill [W.] and Dr. Bob [S.].… We were unable to cooperate with the makers when the story was filmed.…
    On the subject of movies, MARCH OF TIME has informed us that 16-mm films of PROBLEM DRINKERS are now available through their distributional outlet. Write directly to MARCH OF TIME, 369 Lexington Ave., New York if you would like to rent or buy for a group showing.

    The March of Time newsreel series, including “Problem Drinkers” [right: screen capture] were shown in thousands of movie theaters.

In 1988, an A.A. memorial service for Sybil C. [left, 1985], who died on May 14, just six days shy of her 90th birthday, was finally held after several delays due to A.A. conference schedules. The service lasted over two hours. Sybil got sober in A.A. on 21 Mar 1941, in Los Angeles, California, and she was recognized as the first woman in A.A. west of the Mississippi.

June 4 in A.A. History

In 1878, Franklin “Frank” Buchman, Jr. was born in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, to Sarah Ann Greenawald and Franklin Buchman, Sr. [right, from left: Sarah, Frank Sr., Frank Jr., and brother Dan, in front of their home in 1894]. A Lutheran, he would found the First Century Christian Fellowship in 1921, which was renamed the Oxford Group in 1928, Moral Re-Armament in 1938 and finally Initiatives of Change in 2001. The Oxford Group likely had a greater influence on the development of Alcoholics Anonymous than any other organization.

    Additionally, Buchman would be honored by the French and German governments for his efforts in promoting Franco-German reconciliation following World War II [left: Croix de Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur and Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany].

In 2002, Caroline Knapp [right], 42, died from lung cancer after getting sober in 1995. She was the author of Drinking: A Love Story [left: cover]. In her obituary, The New York Times stated that

    Ms. Knapp wrote about the disturbing incongruities of her life as what she called a “high-functioning alcoholic”: she was an award-winning journalist, an Ivy League graduate from a well-to-do New England family and by all appearances a happy, healthy and successful young woman. But drinking had slowly taken hold of her life, and she was desperate to conceal its effects.
    She was, she wrote, “smooth and ordered on the outside; roiling and chaotic and desperately secretive underneath, but not noticeably so, never noticeably so.” The book, published by Dial Press in 1996, was praised by critics for its painful honestly in describing the grip of addiction and the difficulty of overcoming it. In a review in The New York Times, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt called it “a remarkable exercise in self-discovery.” The book remained on The New York Times best-seller list for several weeks in both hardcover and paperback editions.

June 3 in A.A. History

In 1950, Bill W. wrote to Charles W.:

    As to changing the Steps themselves, or even the text of the A.A. book, I am assured by many that I could certainly be excommunicated if a word were touched. It is a strange fact of human nature that when a spiritually centered movement starts and finally adopts certain principles, these finally freeze absolutely solid. But what can’t be done respecting the Steps themselves—or any part of the A.A. book—I can make a shift by writing these pieces [i.e., the essays on the Twelve Steps which would be published in Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions in 1953] which I hope people will like.

June 2 in A.A. History

In 1944, Marty M. [left] wrote a letter on lavender* stationery from her 48th Street address in New York City to Paul H., Esq. [right, 1956], at “Man. Ave, N.W.” [Massachusetts Avenue NW], Washington, D.C. In the letter, she said in part:

    I don’t remember whether I told you anything of my pet project when I was there – [inserting above the line] or you were here – making alcoholism respectable. In any case, I worked out a practical feasible place for beginning a campaign of education on a nation-wide scale. It needed scientific backing and it needed funds. Both have since been provided by Yale, where, as you probably know, Drs. Haggard & Jellinek of the Laboratory of Applied Physiology have established 1) a Section on Alcohol Studies, 2) a summer school of Studies in Alcohol, 3) the Quarterly Journal of Studies in Alcohol, 4) The Yale Plan – which has opened two free clinics, one in Hartford, one in New Haven, for alcoholics. Apparently, they were just getting ready for project no. 5 – an educational campaign – when my plan turned up, they accepted it – and me.

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^* Marty chose lavender as the color for the National Council on Alcoholism stationery. This versatile, aromatic shrub is celebrated for its beautiful purple flowers and soothing fragrance, and it has a wide range of uses. Lavender flowers symbolize purity, calmness, devotion, and serenity, while the color purple is associated with royalty, elegance, and luxury. Historically, lavender has been used in rituals, perfumes, and even in ancient Roman baths; the name itself derives from the Latin word lavare, meaning “to wash.” Additionally, amethyst, a lavender-hued type of quartz, was believed by early Greek and Roman cultures to protect its owner from drunkenness. I am uncertain whether Marty was aware of any of this.

June 1 in A.A. History

In 1949, Anne Ripley S. [right], 68, the wife of Dr. Bob, died at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio.
     Before her death, Sister Ignatia performed a secret baptism for her as an act of love. Anne was cherished by the Akron members and by Bill and Lois W. In her final years, she suffered from severe cataracts, which left her nearly blind. The July 1949 issue of the A.A. Grapevine featured a memorial article by Bill, stating that Anne was “quite literally, the mother of our first group, Akron Number One” and that “in the full sense of the word she was one of the founders of AA.”

    After her passing, Anne’s remains were sent to Cleveland for cremation before being buried in Akron [left: gravestone].

In 1962, Henry Berton “Bert” D. founded Harbor House, a treatment center in Memphis, Tennessee, rooted in the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous, along with religious beliefs and philosophical teachings. Bert realized that maintaining his sobriety depended on his active involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous. His life was a continuous battle for sobriety, and Harbor House became his life's work. The center continues to operate today [right: Harbor House, Feb 2023].

In 1998, this was the deadline for submitting personal stories to be considered for inclusion in the 4th edition of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous [left]. A.A.W.S. received 1,222 story submissions.

May 31 in A.A. History

In 1949, Bill W. responded [right] to a May 15th note from Ed W. [far left]. Ed had written to inform Bill that Barry C. [near left], a founder of A.A. in Minnesota, was doing much better.

     He also asked Bill to confirm that he had received the copies of The Little Red Book [right] that Ed had sent. As the primary author, Ed wanted the Alcoholic Foundation to take over its publication. Dr. Bob S. had contributed to the book, and Bill had praised it, but A.A.W.S. would not publish it because the Trustees preferred an A.A.-owned book.
    Bill wrote:

    I did receive those books.… Lois and I continue to reminisce about our pleasant visit with your group. God forbid that Alcoholics Anonymous ever become frozen or rigid in its ways of doing or thinking. Within the framework of our principles the ways are apparently legion. There is little doubt that the contributions you folks have made to our progress will always be a part of the folk lore [sic] of our well-loved fellowship.

In 1963, the Kodiak (Alaska) Mirror featured an article on page 5 titled “Local Alcoholics Anonymous Group Hears Report” [left] . It told of a representative—likely from Kodiak’s only A.A. group, the Isle of Hope Group—who attended the Alaska State A.A. Assembly in Anchorage. This representative delivered a report to local members, which included the following details:

    Methods of furthering AA’s efforts to help the alcoholic who still suffers from this disabling disease were discussed and a report was heard from Alaska’s delegate to the headquarters of Alcoholics Anonymous in New York City where the annual conference of delegates from the entire United States and the Provinces of Canada was held on April 15.

May 30 in A.A. History

In 1941, in Hartford, Connecticut [right, in early 1945] the two founding members of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) had their last drinks without having met or known of each other until shortly afterward.
    Hal S., from the Shaker Heights Group in Ohio, was in Hartford on business when he asked a doctor if he knew any drunks. The doctor did not, but his nurse provided Hal with the name of Harold “Red” W. Hal called Red that evening, but Red was “indisposed.” They eventually met a few days later, and Red had his last drink on May 30.

    Meanwhile, Harold H., a salesman and periodic drunk, had read Jack Alexander’s article in The Saturday Evening Post [left: cover] but was put off by the “God business” and resigned himself to remaining a drunk. Shortly after, he found himself in a hospital after being beaten up and arrested. Upon his release, he attended a party on May 30, where he encountered an old drinking buddy, Brad P., who had sobered up in the Scarsdale Group in New York. He asked Harold if he wanted to die as an alcoholic. Having witnessed a man suffer from delirium tremens (the DTs), Harold said no and never drank again.
    Not long after, Harold and Red met and began recruiting other drunks.

In 1944, in Georgia, The Atlanta Constitution published an article [right] titled “‘Bill’ [W.] Defines Alcoholic as ‘Bankrupt Idealist.’” This demonstrates that Bill used the term “bankrupt idealist” eight years before it appeared in his Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (Tradition 6, page 156).

1964, Ebby T. arrived at McPike’s Farm [left], an innovative alcoholism treatment facility located in Galway, New York, near Saratoga Springs. Founded by Margaret and Mickey M. in the winter of 1958, the farm offered Ebby a chance to find some peace and alleviate the inner turmoil that had plagued him for much of his life. Sadly, less than two years later, he would die in a nearby hospital.

May 29 in A.A. History

In 1921, The Boston Globe (Massachusetts) published Dr. Frank Crane’s piece titled “Just for Today” [left], which has since been widely circulated in A.A. and Al-Anon. Dr. Crane [right] himself later remarked, “Bill [W.] did say we ‘borrowed.’ This time from Dr. Crane’s 1921 copyrighted material.”

In 1944, The Patriot (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) published a column by Beatrix Fairfax, titled “Advice to the Lovelorn: ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’ Helps Make Homes Happy” [left], a column Fairfax is described as a “Famous Authority on Problems of Love and Marriage.”

In 1980, Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers [right: 1st edition, 1st printing], an authorized biography of A.A.’s co-founder and a history of early A.A. in the Midwest, was published. Niles P. was hired to write it, apparently with assistance from Barry L.; Ed N. and Ruth Hock may have also contributed.

In 2022, Elizabeth “Liz” B. [left] of Boston, Massachusetts, 100, died after 69 years and 11 months of sobriety. Originally from New York City, she was a friend of Bill W. and spoke at his 26th anniversary celebration.