September 30 in A.A. History

In 1939, Liberty magazine [near right: cover] published “Alcoholics and God” by Morris Markey [far right]. Bill W. thought the article “a bit lurid” and worried that the title would scare off alcoholics. The article generated “800 frantic inquiries,” all of which were answered by Ruth Hock. While letters arrived from across the U.S., only a few could be directed to the three existing groups in Akron, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; and New York City.

		Charles B. Towns [far left], proprietor of Towns Hospital, had encouraged Markey to write the piece. Liberty editor Fulton Oursler [near left], the author of The Greatest Story Ever Told, became a close friend of Bill and later served as a Class A [non-alcoholic] Trustee of the Alcoholic Foundation, A.A.’s headquarters (as it was then called) in New York City. He also became a member of the A.A. Grapevine editorial board.

In 1955, the Alcoholics Anonymous General Service Headquarters in New York City distributed a 6-page flyer titled “The Structure and Services of A.A.” [right: front cover], written by Frank B. It included the first service structure diagram and summaries of A.A.’s five service agencies:
    (1) General Service Board of A.A., Inc.;
    (2) General Service Headquarters;
    (3) A.A. Publishing, Inc.
    (4) The General Service Conference; and
    (5) The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.

    The description of A.A. Publishing, Inc. states:

    The General Service Board, with the approval of the General Service Conference, has also granted to Bill [W.], as the surviving co-founder of the movement, a 15% royalty on sales of the A.A. book. These royalties represent Bill’s only income from A.A. sources.

    The back cover [left] listed the Twelve Traditions in short form, as published in the November 1949 A.A. Grapevine.

	In 1975, Bill W.: The Absorbing And Deeply Moving Life Story Of Bill Wilson, Co-Founder Of Alcoholics Anonymous [left: 1st edition cover], written by Robert Thomsen [right], was published by Hazelden Publishing.

	In 2003, Searcy W. [left], 93, died in Dallas, Texas, with 20,962 days (57 years, 4 months, 20 days) of sobriety.     In 1949, Searcy began establishing treatment clinics in Dallas [right: where Ebby T. sobered up], Houston, Lubbock (all in Texas) and Carlsbad, New Mexico. Alcoholics came for a week and paid $125, all-inclusive. Then they went to A.A., and 75% stayed sober.

    Searcy’s motto was, “Trust God, clean house, help others. And it doesn’t have to be done in that order!”

September in A.A. History—day unknown

In 1953, the first Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) group in Argentina was founded in Buenos Aires [right: location of Buenos Aires within Argentina].
    After reading the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous and getting sober in December 1952, Hector had spent nearly nine months unsuccessfully trying to start an A.A. group. He had maintained contact with the U.S. while he visited alcoholics in jails and hospitals. Through the Alcoholic Foundation's General Service Office (GSO) in New York City, he had met with A.A. members visiting Buenos Aires. He had also obtained unofficial A.A. publications from other countries and corresponded with many individuals. Gradually, Hector had educated himself about Alcoholics Anonymous and strengthened his own sobriety.
    In September 1953, another alcoholic, Arthur M., a British national and lifelong resident of Argentina, reached out to Hector. After traveling to the U.S. to visit family, Arthur had received treatment for alcoholism and subsequently joined A.A. in Dallas, Texas. Before returning to Buenos Aires, he obtained Hector’s name from GSO. Together, the two men worked with renewed vigor, aided by Arthur’s knowledge of A.A. in the U.S. As a result, they successfully founded the first A.A. group in Argentina.

In 1965, the A.A. Grapevine [left: cover] published a short article titled “Best of Bill.” It said, in part,

    About a year ago, we began to think of printing readers’ favorites of Bill’s articles in separate form so that they would be readily available now that some of our back issues containing them are sold out. We chose five articles on subjects which are no strangers to any of us—Fear, Faith, Honesty, Humility, and Love—and had them printed in small booklets (3½ by 5½ inches) all packaged in a little envelope. We hope to add others to the package from time to time, so we gave the group of articles the overall title, “The Best of Bill”.…

    We just returned from the Convention in Toronto, where the “Best of Bill” was introduced to the more than 10,000 people who attended this exciting, important and exhausting gathering of AAs around the world. The Grapevine had two booths on the Convention floors floors which were in continual danger of capsizing beneath the waves of AAs rushing back and forth to panel meetings. We’re pretty certain thousands never saw our booths, or our new “Best of Bill” packet. But we are also certain (because we counted) that thousands stopped to look and to buy. We hope you will like the “Best of Bill,” too. Turn the page to see about prices and ordering [right: order form].

In 1970, [early] Bill W. [left, at April 1970's General Service Conference] became completely bedridden.

In 1974, Bob P. [right] was hired as the General Manager (GM) of the General Service Office (GSO); he served in that role until October 1984.
    He got sober in New York City in 1961. His story, “A.A. Taught Him to Handle Sobriety,” has appeared in the 3rd and 4th editions of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. Bob had served on the General Service Board as a Class B (alcoholic) Trustee from 1968 to 1974 and continued working at GSO until 1986.
    After retiring, he contributed to A.A. in many ways. For one, he would write a history of the Fellowship from the publication of Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age in 1957 through A.A.’s 50th [51st?] year in 1985, including some additional early history. Unfortunately, this manuscript would never be published, but it is available online.

September in A.A. History—day unknown

In 1950, [Early] Dr. Bob S. [right] underwent another operation. His live-in caretaker at the time, Emma K., recalled in 1977:

    Then the pain was getting really bad. Every day, he went down a little further. And he did so hate to go to the hospital. But there were things that had to be done to him, and they couldn’t be done at home. So we [she and her alcoholic husband Lavelle K.] would take him in, and may he would stay a day and a night. Then we’d bring him back home. We had good days, and we had bad days. I know one time he was in bed for six weeks. Sometimes, he had to have five or six shots. And he would always say, “Thank you kindly.”

In 1950, Bill W. [left] reported on the proceedings of the July 28–30 1st International Convention and A.A.’s 15th Anniversary Celebration in Cleveland, Ohio, in an A.A. Grapevine article titled “We Come of Age.” It began:

    On AA’s 15th Anniversary everybody knew that we had grown up. There couldn't be any doubt about it. Members, families and friends—seven thousand of them—spent three inspiring, almost awesome days with our good hosts at Cleveland.
    The theme song of our Conference was gratitude; its keynote was the sure realization that we are now welded as one, the world over. As never before, we dedicated ourselves to the single purpose of carrying good news of AA to those millions who still don't know. And, as we affirmed the Tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous, we asked that we might remain in perfect unity under the Grace of God for so long as he may need us.

	In 1952, the A.A. Bulletin, a newsletter regularly sent to A.A. groups from the Alcoholic Foundation’s office in New York City, was renamed The Group Secretary. In 1955, it would be renamed again, to The General Service Bulletin. Then, in May 1956, it would be consolidated with several other A.A. bulletins to create the A.A. Exchange Bulletin [left: Vol. I, No. 1]. Finally, in December 1966, the A.A. Exchange Bulletin would be renamed Box 4-5-9 [right: first Box 4-5-9, “formerly the A.A. Exchange Bulletin”].

September 27 in A.A. History

In 1937, Dr. Bob S. [near right] responded to a letter that Bill W. [far right] had sent him a few days earlier. Bill mentioned his upcoming trip to Akron, stating that he and Lois planned to arrive on Sunday, 10 October, along with two other couples and a friend^* from New York City. Dr. Bob was enthusiastic about the visit and expressed his excitement in his reply:

We can easily find room for as many as you want to bring for as long as you wish. Between Paul [S——], T. Henry [Williams] and ourselves we will have no trouble housing and feeding you and your gang.

---

^*The Sterling P.s, the William R.s, and Fitz M.

September in A.A. History—day unknown

	In 1940, in Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Group of A.A. made its first prison commitment at the House of Correction     [left, c. 1940]. This commitment continued until the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns began in 2020. (Note that this occurred before the first A.A. meetings at San Quentin Prison, initiated by Warden Duffy [right, c. 1943?] in California, which would start two years later.)

In 1941, Ernie G. married Sue [right], the adopted daughter of Anne and Dr. Bob Smith. He was nearly twice her age. Sue later said,

    I think my dad got the bright idea that if he could get Ernie to take me out, and he’d pay the way, he might be able to get me away from Ray [Windows, her then-boyfriend]. We’d go down and get hamburgers, and Dad would buy them. I knew all that, but I didn’t realize it was in connection with Ray at the time. Now I think it was. I think Dad was using Ernie, and it backfired on him.

    Both her parents strongly objected to the idea of Sue's marriage, and she never informed them of it, assuming they would learn about it from the local papers. Ernie was drunk at the wedding and would not be able to stay sober. The marriage turned out to be a disaster, and Sue eventually divorced Ernie to marry Ray.

In 1947, the A.A. Grapevine published “Records Carefully Kept” by B.H.G., presumably Bud G., the founder of the Central Group in Little Rock, Arkansas [left: looking north down Main Street, 1940]:

    More than five hundred men and women have been initiated into A.A. through the Little Rock Approach Plan…
    It is interesting to note that of these men, the founders of the movement here, all are alive and only one ever had a relapse. They are living, walking proof of the statement that “it works.”
    The Little Rock Plan was, we believe, the first of its kind in the country.… and because this group has kept accurate records and statistics, we can report that our success is better than the national average of 75%…
    When a person has expressed a desire to achieve sobriety and has had a sponsor appointed for him, he must leave his work or position for at least two weeks. Usually the prospect is required to spend that entire time within the confines of the club rooms, studying, preparing a case history, meeting and filling assignments laid out by the sponsor.
    If, after two weeks, he has discharged his assignments to the satisfaction of his sponsor, he is brought before the executive committee and there his request for membership is presented by his sponsor in his presence. In some instances, because of the peculiarity of the case, he may not be admitted for varying periods as high as six months in some cases. However, if he is deemed eligible by the committee, he is brought before the next meeting, receives a warm welcome, is handed a copy of the “Approach Program” and the 12 Steps.…
    We give him a small diary and ask that each day thereafter for 28 days, he record his impressions of the day, any event, whether a happy one or a sad one, and enter therein, “I have not taken a drink this day,” and sign his name.
    At the end of this period he returns the diary to the club, is again welcomed and is admitted to full membership, the privilege of the ballot and an unrestricted part in the activities of the fellowship. He is then assigned to a squad, given some definite task, and encouraged to work, guided by some older member, with new prospects.

September 25 in A.A. History

In 1897, with just $1.87 [~$73 in 2025] and boundless faith in God, Australian William Raws [right] founded the Keswick Colony of Mercy in Whiting, New Jersey, as a spiritual restoration center for men addicted to alcohol. After experiencing a miraculous salvation and liberation from his own addiction, Raws dedicated his life to helping other men who had lost everything to the bondage of alcohol. Now known as America’s Keswick [left], it describes itself as…

    a ministry that teaches and models biblical Christian living through Addiction Recovery for men and women, training and resources, Christian conferences, concerts, and events, and by providing group retreat rental facilities and service to other like-minded organizations.

In 1962, Warren C. [A.A. #12?] spoke to “some 50 men” about Alcoholics Anonymous at the Canton, Ohio, Lion’s Club, as reported [right] two days later in Dover, Ohio’s The Daily Reporter.

September 24 in A.A. History

In 1940, Bill W. [near right] is said to have 12th-stepped Margaret “Bobbie” B. [far right] on this day, although she claimed a sobriety date of March 1940.     A brilliant woman and exceptional communicator, Bobbie had been an aspiring dancer, appearing in supporting roles on Broadway, as well as in Paris and London, before discovering Alcoholics Anonymous and securing employment at its headquarters (as it was then called).

    In February 1942, Bobbie would become the second—and last—national secretary for the Alcoholic Foundation office in New York City, following the departure of the first national secretary, Ruth Hock, who left to get married.

    She would take the lead in responding to over 6,000 letters and telegrams from people with drinking problems and their families seeking help from around the world. She wrote, edited, and mailed thousands of letters. She befriended over 300 A.A. members who fought in World War II. She wrote more than 20 letters to Dr. Sylvester Minogue in Australia to help start A.A. there. Many Australians consider her more of a founder than Bill W. Bobbie worked closely with Bill until her resignation in June 1949. She was so important to the early work of A.A. that Bill regularly included her name along with those of the Trustees, his wife Lois, and co-founder Dr. Bob S. and his wife Anne, in the annual Christmas letter he sent to A.A. members [below: 1944 Christmas letter].

September A.A. History—day unknown

In 1939, Your Faith magazine [right: cover with red arrows pointing to the relevant article] published D. J. Defoe’s interview with Dr. Bob Smith (who is not named), which was titled “I Saw Religion Remake a Drunkard.”

	In 1939, prior to the September 30 publication of an article about A.A. in Liberty magazine, which would be A.A.’s first national publicity, Bill W. [left] wrote to Dr. Bob S. [right], “We are growing at an alarming rate, although I have no further fear of large numbers.”

    Bill’s concern arose from the recent sudden expansion to thirty groups and several hundred members in Cleveland, Ohio. This rapid growth demonstrated that the Fellowship could reach a significant size. A few weeks later, Bill wrote to Dr. Bob again:

    The press of newcomers and inquiries was so great that we have to swing more to the take-it-or-leave-it attitude, which curiously enough, produces better results than trying to be all things at all times at all places to all men.

In 1939, Mort J. [left], a resident of Denver, Colorado, bought a copy of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. Without even looking at it, he packed it in his suitcase and forgot about it. In November, after coming to in Palm Springs, California, following a weeks-long international spree, still shaking violently, he would find and begin to read it. He would never drink again and would eventually help reestablish A.A. in Los Angeles, California. 

September in A.A. History—day unknown

In 1935, Bill W. began working with Hank P. [right] who was from Teaneck, New Jersey. Hank would become Bill’s first or second 12th-step success in New York City, the other being Fitz M. This event also marks the roots of A.A. in New Jersey.

In 1936, James Dellie “J.D.” H. [left] got sober and became A.A. #10 [though other sources cite him as #8 or #17]. A native of Graves County, Kentucky, J.D. was a newspaper writer from Akron, Ohio, and was nicknamed “Abercombie” by Dr. Bob Smith for reasons that J.D. never understood. He later recalled being taken care of by “nine or ten who preceded me.” He remembers meeting Dr. Bob and hearing his…

    … screwball idea about the drink problem. He was a Vermonter and I was a Southerner, and to me, he had the professional Northern type of attitude—gruff and blunt. But later, after he told me his story, I knew it was just his manner of speaking.

    There is evidence that J.D. slipped after a few months but returned after approximately four months. He would go on to establish Indiana’s first A.A. group in Evansville on 23 April 1940, which became known as the Tri-State Group. Subsequently, with Doherty “Dohr” S. [right], he would help spread A.A. throughout the state.

	In 1938 , Frank Amos [left] arranged a meeting between Bill W. [near right] and Eugene Exman [far right] , a friend of Amos and the religious editor of Harper Brothers Publishers. Exman offered Bill a $1,500 advance [~$34,400 in 2025] on the royalties from the sales of the book that would become Alcoholics Anonymous.

    Upon hearing this, the Alcoholic Foundation Board of Trustees would urge acceptance, but Bill and Hank P. [left] wanted book ownership to remain within the Fellowship. At Exman's suggestion, Hank would persuade Bill that they should form “One Hundred Men Corp.,” which, when women began seeking sobriety in A.A., became “Works Publishing, Inc.,” later “Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing,” and eventually “Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.” (AAWS), the name that remains today. They planned to sell stock at a par value of $25 [~$570 in 2025]. Six hundred shares would be issued; Hank and Bill would each receive 200 shares, and the remaining 200 shares would be sold to others. Later, 30 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $100 [~$2,300 in 2025] would also be sold.

    Eventually, all of these shares would be bought back by the Alcoholic Foundation, with a loan from John D. Rockefeller [right]—except for Bill’s and Hank’s, which would essentially^* be relinquished without compensation. To appease the board, the author’s royalties, which would initially go to Bill, would instead go to the Alcoholic Foundation.

---

^*Hank insisted on getting back the Alcoholic Foundation furniture he believed had come from Honors Dealers, but for which Bill claimed they had already compensated him. They eventually gave Hank another $200 [~$4,600 in 2025].

September 21 in A.A. History

	In 1902, six-year-old Bill W. [left, c. 1902] wrote to his mother, Emily [right, c. 1905], who was away with his sister, Dorothy: Dear Mama,     School has begun and we are in the second reader. I have a brand new arithmetic. We have the same teacher that was here before. I have two new under teeth. They look just like little saws. Granpa and I went to Captain Thomases show. The Cap is a slick one. When are you and Dorothy coming home? I want to see you ever so much. I try to be a good boy. Grandpa says I am. I am learning to read and do numbers very fast.     From your little son Willie.     P.S. Kiss sister for me.

September 20 in A.A. History

	In 1939, the first A.A. meeting in the Chicago area took place at the home of Sylvia K. [left] on Central Street in Evanston, Illinois*. Eight people attended—four men and four women, including two non-alcoholics. This was also the first A.A. meeting in Illinois. *According to the 1940 U.S. Census, Sylvia was living in the Evanshire Hotel [right] at 860 Hinman Avenue, Evanston, Illinois.

September 19 in A.A. History

	In 1953, Paul S. [left] died in an automobile accident in Springfield Township, Ohio, southeast of Akron, Ohio [right: headstone]. Ironically, his brother Dick’s story in the first edition of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, is titled “The Car Smasher.” Paul got sober on 2 Jul 1936 (A.A. #10), and his story in the first edition is titled “Truth Freed Me!”

	In 1964, The Saturday Evening Post [left: cover] published the article “Alcoholics CAN Be Cured—Despite A.A” by Dr. Arthur H. Cain [right]. The lower left corner of the magazine cover featured a teaser that read, “Down with A.A.” The article said, in part,

    Unfortunately, A.A. has become a dogmatic cult whose chapters too often turn sobriety into slavery to A.A. Because of its narrow outlook Alcoholics Anonymous prevents thousands from ever being cured. Moreover A.A. has retarded scientific research into one of America’s most serious health problems.… Actually, there is no scientific evidence that alcoholism is an incurable, physical disease.… After all, sobriety in itself is not a way of life. It is simply the absence of intoxication. It is what one does with his sobriety and his life that is important.

In 2015, [±1 day] Bill W. was posthumously inducted into the Burr and Burton Academy Hall of Fame as the 2015 recipient of the Alumni Service Award, which recognizes “significant volunteer service to Burr and Burton and/or youth in the broader community” for those who “graduated 10 or more years ago.” The Hall of Fame was established in 2001, and in its 24 years, only 19 Alumni Service Awards [right: list of all recipients] have been given.