July 23 in A.A. History

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

1943: Clarence S. and four other members of Alcoholics Anonymous 12th-stepped Esther C. into sobriety while she was hospitalized in Cleveland, Ohio, just two months after her 34th birthday. She became known for riding her “Little Indian Scout” motorcycle [right: Esther on her bike] from Cleveland to meetings in Akron, Ohio. 

Sixty-some years later, when informed that someone from California was coming to ask her about A.A. history and the Big Book, Esther quipped, “What’s the matter with him, doesn’t he have a Big Book?”

1946: Bill W. wrote a note [far left] to Ricardo “Dick” P. [near left] to thank him for translating Alcoholics Anonymous into Spanish. It read:

Dick, an A.A. member since 1940, had worked for three years with his wife, Helen, on this translation.

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 to Mr. Hal M., an A.A. member in Arlington, Virginia. He enclosed 12 copies of the President’s message to A.A.’s 50th International Convention. He also noted his pleasure with the “resounding ovation” received when Bob P. read this message to the Convention. Unfortunately, whatever response the President's message might stimulate, it wouldn't be known for at least 11 days; the letter [right] was dated 24 June; the Convention would be held 5–7 July in Montreal, Quebec.

Today in A.A. History—July 23–25

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

July 22 in A.A. History

1873: William Duncan Silkworth [left, 1908] was born in Brooklyn, New York, the oldest of seven children born to Isabelle Duncan and William Silkworth Sr.

1917: Junius C., Jr. [right, as a midshipman] of Pike, Mississippi, was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy. He would later become one of the co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous in Jacksonville, Florida.

1980: Margaret “Marty” M. [left], 75, died at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut, following a stroke. Her final public appearance was earlier in the month at A.A.’s 7th International Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she was a featured speaker.

She had been briefly married in her twenties but identified as a lesbian for the remainder of her life. She used her maiden name and the title “Mrs.” to protect her privacy. Marty had a distinguished career as a magazine editor, art critic, and photojournalist, contributing to prominent publications such as Vogue, Harper’s, and Tatler [right, respectively]. However, alcoholism ultimately left her unemployable. 

Marty began attending Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) meetings on 11 April 1939, at the home of Bill and Lois W., the day after the publication of the book Alcoholics Anonymous. This made her one of the earliest women involved in the Fellowship. She developed a close friendship with Bill W. and was in a 40-year romantic relationship with fellow alcoholic Priscilla P. [right: together at Fire Island, 1948]. Peck 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 authored at least three books: Primer on Alcoholism, Marty Mann’s New Primer on Alcoholism, and Marty Mann Answers Your Questions about Drinking and Alcoholism [left, respectively], as well as numerous articles for various publications. She played a pivotal role in founding High Watch Farm, the world’s first recovery center based on A.A. principles, and established the National Council for Education on Alcoholism (NCEA^*).

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^*The NCEA evolved into the National Council on Alcoholism (NCA) in 1950 and later became the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) in 1990; in 2019, NCADD merged with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids to form the Partnership to End Addiction.

A.A. History—month & day unknown

1942: The first New York City Central Committee was established to respond to inquiries from prospects. Based at the A.A. Clubhouse at 334½ West 24th St. in Manhattan, the committee hired two secretaries to answer letters and phone calls. At this time, New Jersey groups also used this Clubhouse as their headquarters.

1942: [Year-end] In New Orleans, Louisiana, Steve C. had gotten sober and was seeking to help others struggling with alcoholism.

A.A. History—month & day unknown

1940: [Second half] Three well-off members of Alcoholics Anonymous from the Washington, D.C. area—Bill A., Bill E., and Hardin C.—purchased 30 shares of Works Publishing, Inc. Preferred Stock [right: non-preferred Works Publishing stock certificate], with a par value $100 [~$2,400 in 2026], a total of $3,000 [~$71,600 in 2025].

1941: After Kathleen [far left] divorced him, Hank P. [near left] married Caroline Wright, sister of Dorothy Wright S., Clarence’s wife.

1941: Dr. Bob S. [right] wrote to the Alcoholic Foundation trustees, stating that he considered the idea of royalties “unwise” and that the book should be “the property of the foundation 100 percent.”

1941: After the first Alcoholics Anonymous group in Richmond, Virginia disbanded—Bill W. noted its members “believed in getting away from their wives and drinking only beer”—Jack W. started a new, more traditional Richmond group with five members.

1941: NBC launched a 13-part syndicated radio program titled “Is Alcohol a Problem in Your Home?” Broadcast nationwide, the idea of using the radio to inform the public soon inspired local A.A. groups to utilize radio in their own outreach efforts to spread the word about Alcoholics Anonymous.

1941: Detroit, Michigan's first “Central Office” was located in the home of Sarah Klein [left], a non-alcoholic with a telephone. She would receive calls for help and dispatch local A.A. members on 12th-Step calls.

1942: Bill W. and Dr. Bob S., the co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, faced accusations of excessively profiting from the sales of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.

Rumors circulated in Cleveland, Ohio, that the Alcoholic Foundation office and the Big Book operated as a “racket,” primarily generating royalties from book sales. Clarence S. [right, 1942] claimed he was unaware that either Bill or Dr. Bob was receiving royalties until…

I met Bill at the depot when he came in for the shindig [Doc Smith Day in March 1941]. He told me then. I was stunned. I thought it was a labor of love—no one was supposed to get any royalties. But Bill didn’t make any bones about it. People in New York [City] knew, and he assumed that Dr. Bob would tell them in Akron. Bill was willing to tell them in Cleveland—about himself, but not about Dr. Bob. He would admit anything. I told him, “Not right now, that I would work it out.”

In hindsight, it might have been better if Bill had immediately discussed the royalty issue with the Cleveland members. Despite Clarence’s assurances that he would squelch the rumors, they persisted.
To confront the problem directly, some Cleveland A.A. members organized a dinner where Dr. Bob and Bill were invited to speak. After a sparsely attended dinner, the two “guests of honor” were asked to meet privately with the chairpersons or secretaries of all local groups, an attorney, and a CPA. The dinner organizers voiced concerns that Bill and Bob were profiting significantly from the book, alleging they had shared $64,000 [~$1.46 million in 2026] in 1941. In reality, Bill earned $25 [~$550 in 2026] weekly from Works Publishing sales, and both he and Dr. Bob received $30 [~$684 in 2026] weekly from contributions by wealthy non-A.A. supporters. Records indicate Dr. Bob received a total of $1,000 [~$22,800 in 2026] in 1941; even the weekly $30 was not consistently paid.

Bill “just happened” to have brought a certified audit of all A.A. financial affairs from its inception. The investigating committee’s CPA read and confirmed the statement’s accuracy. Bill and Dr. Bob received apologies from those present. The group officers vowed to quash the rumors, but they never fully disappeared, and talk of this as a “racket” persisted for years.

July 20 in A.A. History

1898:	Q.	What did the future Dr. Bob S. [far right, c. 1904] do between his graduation from St. Johnsbury Academy on 24 Jun 1898, and his enrollment at Dartmouth College on 15 September 1898?
	A.	He worked in the shipping department of E. and T. Fairbanks & Co. at the scale works in St. Johnsbury, Vermont [near right: clippings from the St Johnsbury Republican (top), The St Johnsbury Caledonian (bottom) on 20 July 1898].

1918: During the Great War (WW I), Bill W., en route to Europe aboard the H.M.T. Lancashire, had his first taste of brandy.

1935: In a circular letter, Lois W. [left: graduation, 1912] wrote to three of her oldest friends from Packer Collegiate Institute [right, 1910]: Elise Valentine Shaw,¹ Edith Roberts,² and Helen Cruden,³ 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.

1970: At 26, Tom L. [left] attended his first A.A. meeting in India, a moment that would forever change his life through the Twelve Steps and a newfound 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 1975, he moved to Abu Dhabi to work as a laborer. Two years after that, in a small room in Deira, he would start the first A.A. meeting in the United Arab Emirates.

A.A. History—month & day unknown

1940: [Likely between May–December] A manuscript and a pamphlet [right: cover] detailing the “Little Rock Plan” were published, probably by the Central Group in Little Rock, Arkansas. These materials outlined a structured approach for new prospects, covering “Initial Contact,” “First Interview,” “After the First Interview,” and “Assignments” for those accepted into the program.
The nine assignments, paraphrased or quoted below, were:

1. Make amends, including a repayment plan, to all local creditors.
2. Do the same for all out-of-town creditors.
3. Make amends to all former employers from “the time of his abnormal drinking.”
4. Make a list of all others against whom the prospect harbors resentment or dislike, or to whom an apology is owed.
5. Make a list of old friends—not drinking acquaintances—with whom he has lost touch but with whom he would still like to be friends; contact at least one every each day.
6. Discuss progress, troubles, and other topics with different group members for a few minutes each day.
7. Attend six daily lectures in the following order: “There is a Solution,” “More About Alcoholism,” “How It Works,” “Into Action,” “Working with Others,” and “A Vision for You.”
8. After completing the above, ensure full amends have been made to the prospect’s wife, and begin daily heart-to-heart conversations with her about his progress so she understands the program he is following.
9. “Select some minister, priest, rabbi, and or practitioner and go to him for... the purpose of a ‘confession.’”

Upon completing these tasks, the prospect could be presented to “the Committee” for approval. The Committee “may make any suggestions it deems necessary and may make some additional assignments” or, more commonly, authorize a vote on the prospect’s admission at its next meeting. “With admittance, the prospect is a Junior Member until he has attended twelve consecutive weekly meetings of the group, then he is a full member.”

July 19 in A.A. History

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

A.A. History—month & day unknown

1940: Bill W. wrote a personal letter, likely reflecting on his first five months of sobriety, to an unidentified recipient.

At first, the remedy for my personal difficulties seemed so obvious that I could not imagine any alcoholic turning the proposition down were it properly presented to him. Believing so firmly that Christ can do anything, I had the unconscious conceit to suppose that He would do everything through me—right then and in the manner I chose. After six long months, I had to admit that not a soul had surely laid hold of the Master—not excepting myself.

1940: [Fall] Clarence S. [left] and other A.A. members organized “Doc S―― Day” in Cleveland, Ohio. The event featured an afternoon of talks and fellowship, followed by dinner. It was scheduled for March 1941 in Cleveland, Ohio, with tickets priced at $1.35 [~$32 in 2026], which led to some complaints about affordability.

In a letter inviting Bill W. [right, 1942] to attend, Clarence also mentioned that he was...

… quite apprehensive about Doc’s condition. He is not at all well and should be taking things easy. In his position, it is quite difficult. So many people… continue to put pressure on him.

A.A. History—year, month & day unknown

1940s: [Early] James “Jim” S. [left] operated the Middlebury Book Shop in Akron, Ohio, and was a member of the Summit County War Finance Committee during World War II.

1940s: [Early] The first Alcoholics Anonymous Club in Detroit was established on Milwaukee Avenue, one block from the General Motors Building [right, 1920].  Many members would stop by for lunch or after work to socialize and discuss A.A.

The club was started by Miles W. and Bill B. (who was still sober as of 1998).

1940s: By the time Alcoholics Anonymous, often called the Big Book, was published in 1939, A.A. had already undergone a significant transformation. While a notable segment of the movement, particularly in the Akron-Cleveland area, still maintained ties to the Oxford Group (OG) at the time of the book’s release, A.A. literature from the subsequent decade made no reference to OG-related books or practices. Recommendations for works by prominent OG members were absent, signaling a clear fading of the connection. Instead, during this decade, a substantial group within the A.A. fellowship became deeply committed to Emmet Fox [left, 1930s–40s] and New Thought spirituality, actively encouraging newcomers to explore New Thought literature.

1940s: The English version of the French prayer “Belle prière à faire pendant la messe” (A Beautiful Prayer to Say During Mass) gained widespread popularity during and immediately after World War II, particularly through the works of Francis Cardinal Spellman [right, 1946]. Its inclusive language resonated with many faiths that promote service to others. A French Franciscan priest titled it “Prière pour la paix” (Prayer for Peace) when he published it on the back of a picture of St. Francis, without crediting any author. The prayer had first been published in December 1912 in Paris, France, in the magazine La Clochette (The Little Bell) and eventually evolved into what we now recognize as “The Prayer of St. Francis.”

July 18 in A.A. History

1918: [19th?] Bill W. sailed from Boston, Massachusetts, to New York City Harbor, where he boarded the H.M.T. (Hired Military Transport) Lancashire [right] in Hoboken, New Jersey. The Lancashire would transport Bill and his unit to England. After a two-week quarantine in Winchester due to a minor epidemic, they would be sent to France, where they would serve behind the lines for the remainder of the Great War (World War I), which would end less than four months later.

1938: Dr. Esther L. Richards [left] of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, responded very positively to the two-chapter prospectus Bill W. sent her for what would eventually become the Big Book. In her reply [right], she advised, “I think you should get an A No. 1 physician who has a wide knowledge of the alcoholic’s medical and social problem to write an introduction…” Within a few days, Dr. William D. Silkworth would write the “To Whom It May Concern” letter that would introduce “The Doctor’s Opinion” in the book. Dr. Richards’ letter clearly indicates that Bill was already using the term “Alcoholics Anonymous” as both the working title of the book and the name of the Fellowship.

1940: Virginia’s Richmond Times-Dispatch published Pat Jones’s article “‘Alcoholics Anonymous’ Organizes in Richmond for Attack on Common Enemy,” subtitled “‘It Changed Me From a Monkey Into a Man’ Says One Member.” The article [left] began:

A national organization with no paid officers, no dues, no membership rolls, has gained a nucleus in Richmond and, in September, will start earnestly upon its self-appointed task of curing alcoholics who actually want to be cured.

1965: Frank B. Amos, [near right], 83, died in Anderson, Indiana. His obituary [far right] in The New York Times referred to him as “one of the five original co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous.” However, he was actually one of the five original Class A (non-alcoholic) Trustees of the Alcoholic Foundation, a trusted associate of the Rockefellers, and a close friend of A.A. He was buried in Northwood Cemetery in Cambridge, Ohio.

A.A. History—month & day unknown

1939: [Fall?] Kaye M, a non-alcoholic, divorced her alcoholic husband, Ty, in the fall. At the time, Ty was in Akron, Ohio, attempting to get sober. Kaye then traveled to New York City to meet Bill W.

Two years prior to their divorce, Ty had achieved two years of sobriety, and he and Kaye had moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Los Angeles, California. However, Ty relapsed in Los Angeles, His attorney in Cleveland, Ohio, sent him a copy of the multilith manuscript of Alcoholics Anonymous, which Bill W. had provided. Though deeply impressed by the manuscript, Ty continued to drink. Kaye, who did not read the manuscript herself, was moved by her husband’s reaction and wired the Alcoholic Foundation for help.

When informed that the nearest A.A. meeting to Los Angeles was in Akron, Ohio, Kaye brought Ty there and sought assistance from Dr. Bob S. and Wallace “Wally” G.

Upon meeting Bill in New York City, Kaye was surprised when he focused not on Ty’s issues, but on her own, stating that she was “spiritually bankrupt.” She later recalled:

Bill told me that I had been an extremely bad wife because I had broken all his falls for him and never let him hit bottom.

Bill gave Kaye a copy of the newly published Alcoholics Anonymous. While in New York, Kaye attended her first A.A. meeting, which significantly affected her. Saying goodbye to Bill, she declared:

I’m going home to Los Angeles, and if Ty can stay sober on these twelve steps of yours for six months, I’m going to beat the drum for Alcoholics Anonymous up and down the state of California, I swear to God.

Kaye returned home—without Ty—by freighter, a journey that likely took two to three weeks. She used this time to read the Big Book [right: freighter passing through the Panama Canal, 1939].

July 17 in A.A. History

1918: Bill and Lois W. were in Newport, Rhode Island, where Bill was stationed at Fort Adams. It was just a few hours before his deployment to Europe for possible action in World War I. He would later write,

I remember going out to dinner with Lois and another officer and his wife. A pall of gloom settled over us all. I remember feeling an aversion to the mood of pessimism and thinking how selfish and self-concerned it was. Lois and I stood alone on one of the beautiful cliffs at Newport, overlooking the sea. It was an utterly desolate part of the shoreline. She and I gazed out over the ocean, wondering. The sun was just setting, and we talked about the future with joy and optimism. There I felt the first glimmerings of what I was later to understand as a spiritual experience, while it evolved in me over the years. I shall never forget it [right: Cliff Walk in Rhode Island at a sunset in 1918].

1946: Margaret “Bobbie” B. [left], National Secretary at the Alcoholic Foundation in New York City, replied to an A.A. member from Atlanta, Georgia. The member had written to complain that the March of Time episode “Problem Drinkers” [below right] was not being shown in local theaters:

THE MARCH OF TIME headquarters here tells me today that they do not think any pressure group is keeping the film from Atlanta. They think it is a matter of local theatre policy. They suggest that you see [the] District Manager or [the], Branch Manager, for the local office of the 20th Century Fox at 127 Walton Street N.W., Atlanta 3 (MARCH OF TIME distributes their films thru 20th Century Fox). Perhaps these men may be able to help you on how to get the MOT film, Problem Drinkers, into an Atlanta theatre. It is worth a try anyway. I certainly hope you see it—it has been well received by the groups so far. Naturally we think it is pretty good but we could be prejudiced having worked on the parts dealing with AA for many long months.

1952: Bill W. wrote to Fr. Ed Dowling [left] about his difficulties writing essays on each Step for the book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.

The problem of the Steps has been to broaden and deepen them, both for newcomers and oldtimers. But the angles are so many, it’s hard to shoot them rightly. We have to deal with atheists, agnostics, believers, depressives, paranoids, clergymen, psychiatrists, and all and sundry. How to widen the opening so it seems right and reasonable to enter there and at the same time avoid distractions, distortions, and the certain prejudices of all who may read, seems fairly much of an assignment.

1960: Albert “Abby” G. [left], 70, died in at St. Alexis Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, following two years of failing health [right: obituary]. Notably, the first A.A. meeting in Cleveland took place in his and his wife’s home while he was under the care of Dr. Bob Smith at Akron City Hospital.

A.A. History—month & day unknown

1939: [Early] Knowing that James “Jim” S. [left] had a background in journalism, Dr. Bob S. asked him to help the Akron and Cleveland members write their stories. Jim gladly accepted, encouraging them to document their experiences and prodding them when they procrastinated. He edited and rewrote some stories, striving to maintain the original flavor. These stories were included in the first edition of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. Jim’s own story appeared in the first edition as “Traveler, Editor, Scholar” and in the second and third editions as “The News Hawk.”

1939: [Late spring] Bill and Lois W., their Brooklyn home having been foreclosed on in April 1939, stayed for a time at Frank “Horace” C.’s bungalow in Green Pond, New Jersey.