October 14 in A.A. History

1939: The Journal of the American Medical Association published a brief and unfavorable review [right] of the book Alcoholics Anonymous, which concluded:

The book under review is a curious combination of organizing propaganda and religious exhortation. It is in no sense a scientific book, although it is introduced by a letter from a physician who claims to know some of the anonymous contributors who have been “cured” of addiction to alcohol and have joined together in an organization which would save other addicts by a kind of religious conversion. The book contains instructions as to how to intrigue the alcoholic addict into the acceptance of divine guidance in place of alcohol in terms strongly reminiscent of Dale Carnegie and the adherents of the Buchman (“Oxford”) movement. The one valid thing in the book is the recognition of the seriousness of addiction to alcohol. Other than this, the book has no scientific merit or interest.

Dr. Foster Kennedy [left], a world-renowned neurologist who treated alcoholics at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, responded with a letter to the Editor. At the Rockefeller dinner for Alcoholics Anonymous on 8 February 1940, he spoke about it: “I did not like that review much, and I sent a letter to the editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association and asked him to put it among the, oh, trivia, or whatever they would put it in. But he wrote a very decent letter back and said he thought no good purpose could be served by publishing my letter. One never likes to see one’s child aborted, so I thought I would read you my reply here:

Sir:

An unsigned review appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association October 14th of ‘Alcoholics Anonymous,’ the story of how more than 100 men have recovered from alcoholism. The cheapish tone of the review is surely a reflection on the thoughtfulness, the experience, and the innate kindliness of the reviewer, and not at all indicative of lack of humane spirit in the Journal.

The aim of those concerned in this effort against alcoholism is high, their success has been considerable and I believe medical men of good will should aid these decent people rather than loftily condemn them for not being scientific.

One might ask the reviewer to produce a book on the subject of alcoholism concocted by him out of “pure science.” Medicine, surely, is Science touched with emotion. It is quicker and more precious in vivo than in vitro. This group of workers I have regarded as enlisting Belief and the herd-instinct to fortify and implement emotionally men’s actions. In doing so they have chosen well-tried weapons. It would be unfortunate if the opinion of your “Cynic Anonymous” be given too wide credence by our profession which has never before refused to use faith to move mountains.

I thank you.”

October in A.A. History—day unknown

1940: [Early] The original A.A. group in Baltimore, Maryland, which had held its first meeting in James “Jim” R.’s home four months earlier, on 16 June, moved to the basement of the Altamont Hotel at 1215 Eutaw Street [left]. After several months, they would have to move so the hotel could accommodate the processing of World War II draftees into the military.

1940: Bill W. traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to speak with Judge William Curtis Bok [left, 1933], who had heard high praise for Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) from two local friends, Drs. A. Wiese Hammer [near right] and C. Dudley Saul [far right], and wanted to learn more.

Bok was one of two heirs to the Curtis Publishing Company fortune. The company had been founded by Bok’s maternal grandfather, Cyrus H. K. Curtis, but Bok never held a official position at Curtis Publishing or any of its many magazines or newspapers; instead, he served as a judge from 1936 until his death in 1962. Nonetheless, in December, he would ask Jack Alexander [left] to write a story about A.A. for The Saturday Evening Post, which, at that time, had the largest circulation of any general magazine in the U.S., boasting a readership of 3 million.

October 13 in A.A. History

1937: At an “alcoholic squadron” meeting^* in T. Henry and Clarace Williams’ living room [right] in Akron, Ohio, Bill W. formally proposed expanding the movement with hospitals for alcoholics, paid missionaries, and a book.

Later, Bill said that after “counting noses” with Dr. Bob S. and realizing the success they were having, he made this proposal to Bob. While Bob was initially cool to the idea, he found the notion of a book somewhat appealing. Together, Bill and Bob decided to call a meeting of the Ohio members, along with the New York City members Bill had brought with him, to thoroughly discuss Bill’s ideas and take a vote.

Eighteen voting members attended the meeting. Bill presented his proposal, suggesting that the rich would be willing to fund these plans. But as he made his case, it became clear that the Ohio contingent was not impressed. They preferred to keep things simple, believing that money would create a professional class and ruin everything. Active alcoholics wouldn’t trust paid missionaries any more than early Christians would have trusted paid apostles. Jesus, they noted, did not rely on pamphlets or books; his program was word-of-mouth. Moreover, the publicity surrounding a book would overwhelm them as they tried to answer all the inquiries. According to Schaberg’s Writing the Big Book (pp. 25–6),

[T]he arguments put forward against Bill’s proposals… also contained a strong element of support for the Oxford Group that Bill did not mention. It was this tenacious loyalty to the Group that drove the Akron members’ resistance, raising the stakes of their arguments to a much higher level than Bill’s versions of the story allow. As far as the Ohio group could see, these men from New York were not just suggesting an organizational revolution—they were proposing heresy. [Note that the New York City Group had severed all ties to the Oxford Group in April or May of 1937.

After passionate arguments and counterarguments, the group seemed angrily deadlocked, but they reluctantly agreed to take a vote. Bill’s proposal narrowly passed, 10–8 (note that a two-thirds majority would have required 12 votes in favor). Bill certainly voted in favor; Dr. Bob likely gave his reluctant approval. No one knows for certain who was there, who voted, or how anyone voted. Bill was in Akron with three members from New York City: Bill R., Sterling P., and Fitz M. It would not be surprising if Dick S. of Akron was favorably inclined. If these men were present and voted for Bill’s proposal, that would account for four more votes in favor. If so, there had to have been four additional votes for the prevailing side.

Schaberg also notes (pp. 27–8) that

[I]t is clear that Bill’s bare majority was obtained only after he made some concessions. He agreed that he would not try to raise those lavish funds in Ohio nor would he be expecting any contributions to come from the Akron Fellowship.… Finally, perhaps at least a few of these harshly contested votes were won based on the belief that this was all just another one of Bill Wilson’s flamboyant pipe dreams. The likelihood of him being able to persuade the rich to contribute that much money to a bunch of drunks—even in New York City—seemed to be a remote possibility at best.

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^*Note the 13th is only the most likely date, as Schaberg deduces in a footnote in Writing the Big Book on page 27, partly because that was the regular night for the “alcoholic squadron” of the Oxford Group meeting at the Williams’ home; however, it could have been any day between the 11th and 15th.

1947: The first permanent A.A. group in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, held its initial meeting in the deacons’ room of the Independent Hall on Collins Street.

Attendees included Lillian R. [far left, 1947], a Hollywood movie star on tour in Australia; her husband, Burt McG. [near right, 1968]; Harold J., a local drunk; and Jack O’H. [far right, with his wife], a composer and playwright who chaired the meeting. Two non-alcoholics also attended: Rev. Dr. Gordon Powell [left, 1947], the Presbyterian minister of the Collins Street Independent Church [left] (now St. Michael’s Uniting Church), broadcaster, and author; and Norman Ley, secretary of the Independent Church. Harold was elected secretary. This group, known as the Melbourne Group of Alcoholics Anonymous, met at least once a week for the next two years in Powell’s room in the Independent Hall.

Three additional weekly meetings soon followed: one on High Street in St. Kilda [right, 1957]; another near Brighton railway station [near right]; and one at Talbot House [far right: interior, 1928], better known as “Toc H,” a soldiers’ rest and recreation centre located at 476 Collins Street in Melbourne.

October 12 in A.A. History

1911: Ruth Miller [right] was born in Newark, New Jersey, to Fredric and Sophie Kraemer Muller.

She married George Hock in 1929, but they separated in 1935 and divorced in 1941. In January 1936, she was hired as a secretary at Honor Dealers by Hank P. In 1940, she became the first National Secretary of Alcoholics Anonymous.

1948: Paul H. [left, 1956] wrote a memo titled “BILL’S STORY OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE ‘TWELVE STEPS’.” In this memo, he recounted a story shared by Bill W. during a train ride from New York City to Washington, DC, on 1 January 1948. They were traveling to a regional banquet where Paul was scheduled to speak about the late Fitz M.

Later, Paul wrote to Bill, mentioning that upon arriving in Washington, he had dictated Bill’s story to Eileen Barrett, who had also been on the train and who confirmed the accuracy of Paul’s recollection. It was from these dictated notes that Paul composed the memo, which included the following:

Bill said that Fitz himself had no actual part in the writing of the “Twelve Steps” but that his spiritual perception and influence were a definite factor in their formulation.

Bill went on to explain how the pioneers in A.A. fought, thought—and prayed—their way through to recovery. In his effort to rehabilitate himself the alcoholic was obliged:

1. To admit he was powerless over alcohol. 
2. To make an inventory of his own character. 
3. To put trust in God. 
4. To work with other alcoholics. 

As it stood, this program needed clarification. Bill sat down and began to figure out the various phases of his own recovery. Setting them down on paper, he found there were twelve separate and distinct steps.

The significance of this account lies in the fact that, despite occurring more than nine years after the event, it was the first known account Bill provided about the writing of the Twelve Steps. His later accounts would introduce important variations. Notably, this account identifies only four steps that were used in the pioneering days of A.A. instead of the later six that Bill publicized so widely. Paul’s account also indicates that Bill based the steps on “the various phases of his own recovery” rather than, as Bill later said, that “the words kept right on coming”^* and that “Why the Steps were written down in the order in which they appear today and just why they were worded as they are, I had no idea whatever.”^†

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^*Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 161.

^†The “Blue Book,” Vol. XII, “National Clergy Conference on Alcoholism: Alcoholics Anonymous,” pp. 179–210, 1960.

October 11 in A.A. History

1917: (John) Frederick “Fred” Seiberling, Sr. and Henrietta McBrayer Buckler [right: both, c. 1917] were married in Akron, Ohio. The couple would have three children but would separate in early 1935, though they would never divorce. Henrietta would move from the huge Manor House of Stan Hy Shortly after the Oxfwet (pronounced “stan HEE-wit”), the Seiberling estate in Akron, to the much smaller Gate Lodge, located on the edge of the estate.

ord Group came to Akron in January 1933, Henrietta would become involved with them. In May 1935, she would introduce Bill Wilson to Dr. Bob Smith at her home, playing a crucial role in the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous. Both Henrietta and Fred would become devoted supporters of A.A.

1937: [12th?] In Akron, Ohio, Bill W., Dr. Bob S., and Bob’s wife Anne [left, respectively] sat in the couple’s living room [right] discussing the two-year-old fellowship they had started. Taking stock of the achieve­ments so far, they counted 35 to 40 people who had sobered up, with more than 20 having maintained sobriety for at least a year. This conversation would come to be known as the “counting noses” meeting.

In Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, written after the 1955 International Convention in St. Louis, Missouri, and published in 1957, Bill wrote:

It was on a November^* day in that year [1937] when Dr. Bob and I sat in his living room, counting the noses of our recoveries. There had been failures galore, but now we could see some startling successes too. A hard core of very grim last-gasp cases had by then been sober a couple of years, an unheard-of development. There were twenty or more such people. All told we figured that upwards of forty alcoholics were staying bone dry.

As we carefully rechecked this score, it suddenly burst upon us that a new light was shining into the dark world of the alcoholic. Despite the fact that Ebby had slipped, a benign chain reaction, one alcoholic carrying the good news to the next, had started outward from Dr. Bob and me. Conceivably, it could one day circle the whole world. What a tremendous realization that was! At last we were sure. There would be no more flying totally blind. We actually wept for joy, and Bob and Anne and I bowed our heads in silent thanks.

Bill wrote about this meeting in the October 1945 issue of the A.A. Grapevine:

The realization that we “had found something” began to take hold of us. No longer were we a dubious experiment. Alcoholics could stay sober. Great numbers perhaps! While some of us had always clung to this possibility, the dream now had real substance. If 40 alcoholics could recover, why not four hundred, four thousand—even forty thousand?

And on 12 June 1954, speaking at the Texas State Convention in Fort Worth, Texas, Bill said:

Bob and I saw for the first time that this thing was going to succeed. That God in his providence and mercy had thrown a new light into the dark caves where we and our kind had been and were still by the millions dwelling. I can never forget the elation and ecstasy that seized us both.

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^*Not only was this date incorrect—despite his repeated assertions over the years that the meeting had taken place in November—but Bill was also conflating this trip with another one he made in search of work in Detroit, Michigan, and Cleveland, Ohio, which included a visit to Akron by himself.

October 10 in A.A. History

1937: After spending the night in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, with Bill and Lois W., Bill and Kathleen R. picked up Fitz M. just outside Pittsburgh. The five of them then continued on to Akron, Ohio, arriving around 5 PM. They received a warm welcome and were entertained by the large crowd gathered for dinner at Paul Stanley's home. Sterling Parker and his wife, also from New York City, arrived separately and were presumably welcomed as well. Bill and Kathleen stayed with T. Henry and Clarace Williams, while Bill and Lois would spend the next 5½ days with Dr. Bob and Anne Smith [right: Bob S., Anne S., Lois W., Bill W., respectively, c. 1937].

1970: In New York City, Bill W.’s wife, Lois, read “Bill’s Last Message” of 266 words [left] to 2,000 attendees at the annual dinner hosted by the New York Intergroup Association in honor of Bill’s 36th anniversary of sobriety. It read, in part:

My thoughts are much occupied these days with gratitude to our Fellowship and for the myriad blessings bestowed upon us by God’s Grace.

If I were asked which of these blessings I felt was most responsible for our growth as a fellowship and most vital to our continuity, I would say, the “Concept of Anonymity.”

Bill was unable to attend, as he was hospitalized with acute emphysema at the time.

1988: Lois W. was buried next to her husband, Bill, in the East Dorset Cemetery in East Dorset, Vermont [right: Lois’ headstone].

2002: The second Gulf Conference began in Bahrain’s American Mission Hospital [left]. Under the title “A.A. Primary Purpose in Full Throttle in Arabian Gulf,” Bahrain’s central office would later report,

October 10 witnessed a miracle for us; we experienced A.A.’s altruistic movement ripple its way through the atmosphere, deep into our souls. The second Gulf Conference started at 4:30 p.m. with a recovery meeting in Bahrain’s American Mission Hospital and ended past midnight with everyone boogying in a member’s home.

There was mingling, sharing and bonding. There was fellowship from Oman, Riyadh, Kuwait, Daharan, Dammam and even Bournemouth. Attendance was quite overwhelming. To be honest, the organizing committee had expected 35-45 people, but almost double that number came. Some were in A.A., while others were from the medical body. Overall the message of recovery was carried effectively.

No committee, no human power, absolutely nothing but God can take credit for such success.…

God bless your trudge along the Road of Happy Destiny.

October in A.A. History—day unknown

1939: Dorothy Wright S. [right] (Clarence’s wife, who at this time still believed she wasn’t an alcoholic) wrote to the Alcoholic Foundation office in New York City to report that the first A.A. central committee, consisting of five men and two women, had been established in Cleveland, Ohio. She wrote,

It’s really functioning. They appoint leaders, discuss tendencies, and arrange social affairs, and they are thinking of a masked dance for Halloween.

She also noted that each month, one man and one woman would be replaced by the next most senior member, establishing the principle of rotation.

Bill W. later attributed this principle to Albert “Abby” G. [left], the committee’s first chair, saying, “Up to that time, all of our affairs had been in charge of [sic] the ultra-oldtimers, and we naturally supposed it would always be that way.” But Mitchell K.’s How It Worked claims that it was really Clarence’s idea.

Just six months earlier, on 17 April, Abby had been admitted to Akron City Hospital under Dr. Bob S.’s care. On 18 May, he was still in Akron when his non-alcoholic wife hosted Cleveland’s first A.A. meeting at their home. Abby’s story, “He Thought He Could Drink Like a Gentleman,” appears in the 2nd and 3rd editions of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.

October 9 in A.A. History

1937: [Bill W. typically referred to this event as occurring “in late fall” and that it also included trips to Cleveland and Detroit to look for work. Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers states that it was in November, while others date it to 1936.] While Sterling P. and his wife drove separately to Akron, Ohio, Bill [near right] and Kathleen R. from Hackettstown, New Jersey, picked up Bill and Lois W. [far right, c. mid-late 1930s] in Brooklyn at noon to travel to Akron. The four of them stopped for the night in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

Today in A.A. History—October 9–11

1969: The first World Service Meeting (WSM) took place in the East Room [left] of the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, attended by 27 delegates from 16 countries [right: WSM banner, country flags] :

	Australia	Belgium	Canada	Costa Rica	Colombia	England
	Finland	France	Germany	Guatemala	Holland	Mexico
	New Zealand	Norway	South Africa	United States

The theme of the WSM was “Our Common Welfare.”

October in A.A. History—day unknown

1939: [Early?] Sterling C. and Harlan N., both from Little Rock, Arkansas—possibly together—read Morris Markey’s article “Alcoholics and God” in Liberty magazine, which would lead to them starting first “mail-order” group, in which no one had gone to one of the existing groups to be “sponsored” by an “old-timer” into the Fellowship.

Sterling, an excellent insurance agent with a serious drinking problem, had been trying to get and stay sober for years. During this time, he lost several jobs due to his drinking. In 1938 [or perhaps 1935], he secured a new job at the Foster Cochran agency and made a deal with his boss: he would be automatically fired if he got drunk on the job. Things went well for a while, but then the cravings returned. Sterling confided in his boss about these cravings and his fear of drinking again. His boss advised him to take a few days off “to find himself.” Sterling ended up in New Orleans, where he spoke with an Episcopal priest who recommended reading Richard C. Peabody’s The Common Sense of Drinking and praying for relief. Following the plan outlined in Peabody’s book, Sterling began to turn his life around.

Back in Little Rock, Sterling was able to stay sober. People began to notice that he was becoming a different person. Eventually, a furniture dealer informed Sterling that he had a wonderful salesman, Harlan N., whom he was about to fire due to his inability to stay sober on the job. He asked Sterling to help Harlan. For six months, Sterling met daily with Harlan, trying to help him get and stay sober. Then they read Markey’s article in Liberty.

After reading the article, they wrote to the Alcoholics Foundation’s national office in New York City for a copy of the newly published Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. It was sent C.O.D. (cash on delivery), and when it arrived, conflicting accounts emerged regarding what happened next. One account says that it came to Harlan, who was out on a bender, while another says that neither Sterling nor Harlan had the money to cover the cost. In any case, the book was returned. It is also unclear how Sterling eventually obtained his copy of the Big Book; one account says he wrote again for it, while another suggests he convinced his boss at the insurance company to order it for him. The latter account adds that the Foundation’s New York office asked why an insurance company wanted their book, and it took some time to clarify the situation.

Despite these challenges, Sterling eventually got his Big Book. In May 1940, Sterling, Harlan, and Bud G. founded Little Rock’s Central Group [right, date unknown], the first Alcoholics Anonymous group west of the Mississippi River.

October 8 in A.A. History

1937: Bill W. [right, c. mid-late 1903s] lost his job at Quaw & Foley,^* and at that time, he was still owed one of his two weeks of vacation.^† Bill claimed he was let go due to the March 1937 market crash; indeed, the market losses on 10 March 1937 are ranked as the second-worst day in U.S. financial history. Following this, all aspects of the nation’s business remained depressed for well over a year, with unemployment reaching about 18%. Lois’s diary notes that Quaw & Foley was forced to let Bill go “because they nearly failed.” This would be the last substantive job Bill ever held outside of Alcoholics Anonymous.

[William Schaberg, in Writing the Big Book: The Creation of A.A., asserts at this point in the story (p. 24) that…

W―― was never happy with his ongoing lack of real employment and he would spend the rest of his life chasing the occasional job opportunities that came his way, while just as constantly trying to resign from the central leadership position that was always being forced back on him by the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.^** In many ways, these two factors defined Bill W――'s life from this point forward: he never again held a job outside of A.A. and he was never able to completely let go of the reins that controlled A.A.

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^**Dipping into any of the folders containing W――’s voluminous thirty-five years of correspondence that are carefully preserved at Stepping Stones will provide ample support for both of these observations. However, it must be noted that Bill W――’s desire to hand over the leadership of A.A. to others was always tempered by a conflicting desire on his part to continue “running the show.” He was a complicated and fascinating man.]

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^†Quaw & Foley was a firm that specialized in stock market investigations and provided Bill W. with most of the professional work he did in the early 1930s.

^†Bill would use this week, October 9–16, to visit the alcoholics in Akron, Ohio.

1988: A memorial service for Lois [below, near the end of her life], Bill W.’s widow, was held in Bedford Hills, New York. About fifty family members and friends gathered for an informal Quaker-style service in the living room of Stepping Stones, in front of a roaring fire in the stone fireplace. During the service, Michael Alexander, Class A (non-alcoholic) Trustee and chair of the General Service Board, spoke of her many talents and facets: not only was she the leader and organizer of Al-Anon, but she was also a writer, artist, poet, musician, highly sought-after speaker, lover of nature, homemaker, tireless hostess, and devoted wife. “She was a remarkable and great lady and we shall sorely miss her.”

October in A.A. History—day unknown

1939: The first A.A. meeting in Chicago, Illinois, proper was held.

At the meeting held at Earl [left] and Katie T.’s apartment in Evanston, Illinois, the attendees discussed their obligation to make Alcoholics Anony-mous available to everyone in the Chicago area, which meant establishing a meeting place in the Loop (downtown).

The historic location, A.A.’s first home in the city, was the top two floors of the Medical and Dental Arts Building^* [near right] at Lake and Wabash. The first meeting there took place on a Tuesday night in October 1939 [i.e., the 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, or 31st]. As a bonus for their “mass patronage” of the 65-cent [~$16 in 2026] table d’hôte† on the topside [below right: top four floors], they were given the use of the lounge on the floor below. It was convenient and congenial and much good would be done there.

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^*Designed by Lois’s second cousins, Daniel, Jr. and Hubert Burnham, this 24-story building was completed in 1927.

^†A menu that offers a multi-course meal—with multiple options for each course—at a fixed total price.