May 11 in A.A. History

1935: It was Saturday. Bill W. [right], less than five months sober, stood in the lobby of the Mayflower Hotel in Akron, Ohio. Howard Tompkins of Baer and Company had involved Bill in a complex proxy fight for control of the National Rubber Machinery Company^* in Akron. A successful outcome could have made Bill president, lifting him and Lois out of their dire financial situation. However, the deal fell through, possibly due to rumors of Bill’s drinking. Dejected and distressed, he returned to the Mayflower.
    In the lobby, Bill felt a powerful pull towards the hotel bar. After a brief internal struggle, a sudden realization struck him: his work with alcoholics at Towns Hospital, though unsuccessful for them, had ironically been instrumental in maintaining his own sobriety.^† Turning away from the bar, he found a public telephone and began calling ministers from a nearby church directory, seeking someone he could work with. He finally reached Rev. Walter Tunks [left], who connected him with Dr. Norman Arthur Shepard, a local member of the Oxford Group. Shepard, in turn, provided the phone number for another member, Henrietta Seiberling [right].
    Henrietta had recently been praying for a particular Oxford Group member who struggled with alcohol. When Bill introduced himself, declaring, “I’m from the Oxford Group, and I’m a rum hound from New York,” Henrietta felt her prayer answered, thinking, “This is really like manna from heaven.” She had been praying for someone to help Dr. Robert “Bob” S. [left], a surgeon who, despite attending her Oxford Group meetings for two and a half years, had been unable to get sober. She told Bill about the doctor. Though she would have invited them both for dinner, the doctor was too drunk to meet anyone that night. Henrietta instead made plans for the two men to meet the following evening at her home, the Gate Lodge [right] at Stan Hywet, the Seiberling estate.

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^*T. Henry Williams—at whose home the Oxford Group that included Henrietta, the doctor, and the doctor’s wife met—had lost his job as Chief Engineer of the National Rubber Machinery Company in a reorganization earlier that spring.

^†There is no basis for believing that it was Lois who pointed this out, as much as many of us would have wanted it that way.

1939: Inspired by the recently published book Alcoholics Anonymous, the first group to adopt that name convened at Albert “Abby” Golrick’s home at 2345 Stillman Road in Cleveland, Ohio [left]. This pioneering group would later be known by several names, including the Cleveland Group, the Stillman Road Group, and the “G” Group.
    Before forming their own fellowship, these Cleveland A.A. members had been part of the Akron, Ohio Oxford Group’s “alcoholic squad,” attending weekly Wednesday meetings. The night before their inaugural meeting, Clarence S. [right] had announced their decision to leave the Akron group and establish an independent one. Clarence later reflected on the Akron group's reaction:

    I made the mistake of telling these people the address. They invaded the house and tried to break up our meeting. One fellow was going to whip me. All in the spirit of pure Christian love! But we stood our ground.

May 10 in A.A. History

1939: Clarence S. [right] announced at the regular Wednesday night meeting of the Oxford Group in Akron, Ohio, as he later recounted:

    … that this was the last time the Cleveland [Ohio] bunch was down as a contingent—that we were starting a group in Cleveland that would only be open to alcoholics and their families. Also that we were taking the name from the book Alcoholics Anonymous.
    The roof came off the house. “Clarence, you can’t do this!” someone said.
    “It’s done.”
    “We’ve got to talk about his!”
    “It’s too late,” I said.…
    I made the mistake of telling these people the address. 

    Newly sober Albert “Abby” G., [left] a patent attorney from Cleveland, was still in Akron City Hospital, but his wife, Grace, had offered their large home to host the new Cleveland meeting.

1946:  Searcy W. [right] took his last drink, and would remain sober for 57 years, until his death on 30 September 2003.

1962:  Dr. Frederick “Freddie” B. [left: artificially aged from 1923], 81, died in San Diego, California. He had been Bill W.’s first prospect, a man Bill had met just six days after his final discharge from Charles B. Towns Hospital.

1969: For Searcy W.’s 23rd anniversary, Bill W. gave him a signed copy of his paper promoting vitamin B-3 (niacin) therapy, inscribing it: “For / Searcy W. / 5/10/69 / Bill W.” [right: inscription].

May in A.A. History—day unknown

1940: Richmond “Rich” W. [left] took his last drink upon joining the newly formed Boston, Massachusetts, Alcoholics Anonymous group, beginning a lifelong period of sobriety. Rich had first gotten sober in 1939 through the Oxford Group, a time when no A.A. group yet existed in Boston. He had stayed sober for 2½ years before relapsing in 1941. After another 1½ years of drinking, he found permanent recovery with A.A.
    In 1948, after moving to Daytona Beach, Florida, Rich compiled and self-published Twenty-Four Hours a Day [near right: a later book cover] using a mimeograph machine [far right: two cut-and-pasted pages ready for mimeographing]. The book became wildly popular, making him the second best-selling A.A. author, surpassed only by Bill W.
    Rich would die on 25 Mar 1965, at the age of 72, with 22 years of continuous sobriety.

May 9 in A.A. History

1882: Silas B. [right, as an adult] was born in Millersburg, Kentucky, the youngest of three known children of Rev. James McClelland and Sarah Ann “Sallie” B. He would become a journalist and author. In late November 1935, he would get sober in New York City, becoming A.A. #4 there. Then shortly before the Big Book was published, Silas would write the earliest published story about Alcoholics Anonymous, which appeared in the 19 January 1939, issue of The Hackettstown (NJ) Courier-Post. Unfortunately, however, he would relapse within a year and die in 1945.

1944: At the invitation of Drs. Silkworth and Tiebout, Bill W. spoke on “Basic Concepts of Alcoholics Anonymous” to the Section on Neurology and Psychiatry during the annual meeting of the Medical Society of the State of New York. This took place at the Hotel Pennsylvania [left] in New York City, located on the east side of Seventh Avenue between W. 32nd and W. 33rd Streets.

May in A.A. History—day unknown

1940: ^*Bill W. transferred his Works Publishing shares [right: certificate for one share] (one third of the total issued) to the Alcoholic Foundation. He then sought to persuade a hesitant Hank P., who had relapsed in 1939 and was still drinking, to transfer his own one-third share. Hank eventually agreed, but only if he was first paid for the Honors Dealers’ office furniture. Bill had moved this furniture in February from 17 Williams Street, Newark, New Jersey, to 30 Vesey Street, New York City (Lower Manhattan). Despite Bill’s claim that he had had already paid Hank for it, he consented to have the Alcoholic Foundation purchase the furniture a second time for $200 [~$4,700 in 2026].

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^* Sheehan dated this event to 22 May 1940; Schaberg to May 1940. Olson, however, was uncertain, and neither Pass It On nor Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age provides a date.

1941: Chicago, Illinois, established Alcoholics Anonymous’s first organized local service center. Members of A.A. there opened a Central Office at 127 N. Dearborn St. [left], a development Bill W. highlighted in Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age. He noted, “This was A.A.’s first organized local service center, the forerunner of the many Intergroup Associations we maintain in large cities nowadays.”
    While there was once debate about whether Chicago or Cleveland, Ohio, had A.A.’s first Central Office, the Cleveland A.A. website now acknowledges Chicago’s primacy. Cleveland’s claim centered on the formation of its “Cuyahoga County A/A Committee” (later called the Central Committee), which How It Worked reports was formed at a meeting on 2 March 1941, in a Cleveland Switchboard Co. office. Doctor Bob and the Good Oldtimers even refers to this as “the first central committee.” However, this committee did not meet until early August, and Cleveland members subsequently established their District [Central] Office in the Williamson Building [right], on the southeast corner of Public Square at Euclid Ave. in August 1941.
    This timeline clearly places Cleveland’s operational office after Chicago’s.        

May 8 in A.A. History

1935: Five hundred sober alcoholics gathered in Akron, Ohio, to celebrate the eighth anniversary of Alcoholics Anonymous’s first group. Officially founded on 4 July 1935—the day Bill D. (A.A. #3) was discharged from Akron City Hospital—this group was referred to by Bill W. as “Akron Number One” and is now known as “King School Group #1.” After splitting from the Oxford Group in December 1939, the A.A. group initially met a few times at Dr. Bob S.’s home before relocating to the King School [right] in January 1940. It remained there for many years, possibly until the building closed in 2018.

1971: Following a church memorial service [left: with a white-haired Lois sitting front right], Bill W. was buried [right: gravesite] in a private ceremony at East Dorset Cemetery in East Dorset, Vermont. He had always wanted to be buried there with his family, so his body, enclosed in a Vermont oak casket, was kept in cold storage in Miami, Florida, until the New England ground thawed enough for the burial.

May in A.A. History—day unknown

1940:  Dave W. of Seattle, Washington [left: aerial view, 1930], connected with Mrs. J.J.S. and Margaret D. Both women had sent letters of inquiry to the Alcoholic Foundation in New York City, in November 1939 and February 1940, respectively. Ruth Hock, who had been corresponding with Dave from the Foundation since March, facilitated their connection. With all three living in Seattle, Dave assisted in establishing the first Alcoholics Anonymous group there and in the state.

1940: [March? April?] In Little Rock, Arkansas, Sterling C., Harlan N., and Bud G. founded the first Alcoholics Anonymous group, located in the Wallace Building [right] at the corner of Markham and Main Streets. This group was unique, earning the distinction of being “the first group formed solely by mail.” This meant its members relied entirely on reading the Big Book, without the benefit of attending an existing A.A. meeting or receiving in-person guidance from established members.
    To ensure the seriousness of potential members, the founders implemented a rigorous screening process, asking four key questions:

1. Are you convinced you cannot handle your alcohol problem?
2. Are you willing to let a group of fellows who had the same problem prescribe a course of action?
3. Will you do anything to eliminate alcohol from your life? 
4. Do you believe in a power bigger than yourself?

    A prospect unable to answer “yes” to all four questions was advised to return later. If accepted, however, he faced a set of requirements:

1. Read the Big Book in three days;
2. keep a 28-day journal;
3. write his case history;
4. make time and money budgets;
5. if employed, take a two-week leave of absence to devote full time to the plan; and 
6. accomplish other assignments given to him by his sponsor.

    This rigorous and structured approach became widely known as “The Little Rock Plan.”

May 7 in A.A. History

1946: An article titled “AA Fights Alcoholism As Disease” [right] was published in The Seafarers Log, the official publication of the Atlantic and Gulf Region of the Seafarers International Union of North America. The article references the Alcoholics Anonymous Seamen’s Club (334½ W. 24th St., New York City), its pamphlet “For Seamen Who Drink,” and its newsletter, The Ropeyarn. 

1973: In an episode titled “Alcoholic Women,” David Susskind interviewed five women who were members of Alcoholics Anonymous on his television program, The David Susskind Show [left: Susskind interviewing a Mafia hit man, 1973].

1994:  The AA Flanders National Congress [near right: program cover; far right: flyer] took place in Ypres, Belgium [left: view of the Cloth Hall (a.k.a.Expo Hall) at the Grote Markt (Market Square) of Ypres, where this event occurred].
    A rough translation of the program cover reads:  

MAY 7, 1994 / Start at 10:00 a.m. / DIET^* [of] ANONYMOUS ALCOHOLISTS / WESTHOEK - EXPO HALLS / YPRES / AA: “E”VERYTHING “E”LSE

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^* The term ‘Diet’ is a translation of Landdag, which literally means “country day” or “country assembly.” In this context, ‘Diet’ refers to a formal deliberative assembly.

May in A.A. History—day unknown

1939: Henry “Hank” P.’s company, Honor Dealers, was forced to relocate for the second time in a year when the sheriff arrived with an eviction notice due to non-payment of rent. Despite this setback, the resourceful Hank managed to negotiate a deal that allowed him and secretary Ruth Hock to move to a much smaller office (from #601 to #604) on the same floor of the building at 17 Williams Street [left] in Newark, New Jersey. Bill W. later remarked that it was “a tiny room barely big enough to contain Henry’s large desk, his overstuffed chair, a couple of file cabinets, and Ruth and her typewriter. For callers there was standing room only.”

1939: At the first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting held at the Upper Montclair, New Jersey home [right] of Hank and Kathleen P. (counted by some as A.A. Group #4), attendees voted to establish a Home Replacement Fund for Bill and Lois W. This decision was made while Lois and Bill were out, running an errand. Upon their return, Lois recorded in her diary that they were thrilled by the initiative and the pledges made. In Lois Remembers, her memoir, she wrote,

    The local group, meeting at the home of Hank and Kathleen, voted to provide a “Bill and Lois Improvement Fund” (they didn’t state just what was to be improved—perhaps our dispositions!) and passed the hat at meetings to raise money to help meet our living expenses for a year. I believe we were richer by twenty dollars [~$375 in 2026] a month because of their generosity.

May 6 in A.A. History

1896: Gilbert “Gib” K., was born in Germania, Wisconsin. He would establish the first A.A. group in Milwaukee; it was the first in Wisconsin as well.

1939: Clarence S. [left], not for the first time, approached his sponsor, Dr. Bob S. [right], to discuss the challenges Catholic alcoholics faced within the Oxford Group. This group served as the meeting place for early alcoholics around Akron, Ohio, until Alcoholics Anonymous separated from them in late 1939.

Dr. Bob:	What do you have in mind?
Clarence:	To start a group without all this rigmarole that’s offensive to other people. We have a book now, the Steps, the absolutes. Anyone can live by that program. We can start our own meetings.
Dr. Bob:	(referring to OG members, especially to Henrietta Seiberling, and to T. Henry and Clarace Williams) We can’t abandon these people. We owe our lives to them.
Clarence:	So what? I owe my life to them, too. But what about all these others?, referring to Catholic A.A. members.
Dr. Bob:	We can’t do anything about them.
Clarence:	Oh yes, we can.
Dr. Bob:	Like what?
Clarence:	You’ll see.

    Less than a week later, Clarence founded the first A.A. group in Cleveland, Ohio, widely recognized as the third A.A. group overall. This group was also the first to adopt the name “Alcoholics Anonymous,” taking it from the book published just the previous month.

  1941: The first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in St. Paul, Minnesota, took place in the home of Dr. Glenn Clark [left], a non-alcoholic professor at Macalester College. Inspired by Jack Alexander’s article in The Saturday Evening Post, Dr. Clark sought to help a friend struggling with alcoholism. Just weeks later, a local story in the St. Paul Pioneer Press further boosted membership to 15, including the group’s first woman.

1947: A letter from the New York office to group secretaries announced the availability of Bill Wilson’s first known recorded talk. Made the previous month, this wire-recording* captured a brief talk of just over 13 minutes (though initially referred to as 15 minutes)—a notably short duration for Bill. Bill had initially been very reluctant to make any recordings but had finally agreed.
     The original wire-recording was first converted to a 16-inch vinyl record, then subsequently to a set of two 12-inch phonograph records [right: 1 × 16" vs. 2 × 12" records]. This conversion ensured compatibility with standard phonographs, as not everyone owned equipment that could play the larger 16-inch size.
    The June A.A. Grapevine further publicized the availability of these recordings, describing them [left] as 

    A 15-minute general talk on A.A. by Bill has been transcribed on a set of two regular 12-inch phonograph records. The records can be played on any standard phonograph.
    These records, which are of interest to A.A. members, groups and friends of A.A., are available at the price of $3.30 per set, prepaid air express, New York; $4.00, Canada.
    The records may be obtained by writing Works Publishing Co., Inc., P.O. Box 459, Grand Central Annex, New York 17.
    Because the set is sold at near-cost price, it is requested that persons ordering it enclose check or money order with letter. Cost of the set to persons in foreign countries may be obtained on request.

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^*Recorded on a thin metal wire coated with magnetized particles [right: spools of recording wire].

May 5 in A.A. History

1940: Robert A. Erwin’s article, “Victims of Alcohol Hold Weekly Meetings to Aid One Another in Overcoming Weakness for Drink” [right], published in Washington, D.C.’s The Sunday Star (presumably the Sunday edition of The Evening Star), offered a favorable report on the Washington Group, the first Alcoholics Anonymous group formed in the District of Columbia.
    John Fitzhugh “Fitz” M. [left] was one of Bill W.’s early successes at Charles B. Towns Hospital in the fall of 1935. Although he lived in Cumberstone, Maryland, he spent much of his early sobriety in New York City, making the long trip from home to attend A.A. meetings at Bill’s home in Brooklyn.
    In 1939, Fitz moved to Washington, D.C., where he immediately contacted Hardin C., whose inquiry to the Alcoholic Foundation in New York City had been forwarded to Fitz. They began meeting at Hardin’s apartment and soon recruited Ned F., who had also gotten sober in New York City, along with a retired Navy Commander from California, and other individuals. Their first female member, Dorothy H., joined the following year. James “Jim” B. [right] of Philadelphia significantly assisted the D.C. members. He considered the weekly meetings at Philadelphia General Hospital essential to the success of the Philadelphia group and urged the D.C. group to work with alcoholics at the Psychopathic Ward of Gallinger Municipal Hospital. He also introduced the practice of serving coffee and doughnuts at meetings.
    The D.C. members revisited the discussion Jim and Fitz had previously held in New York City regarding the references to God in the Big Book. Jim emphasized the psychological approach, while Fitz focused on the religious aspect.
    The Sunday Star article would attract many new members, and by the end of the year, the group would grow to 70 members.

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    The article also briefly mentions a “colored group” meeting on Thursday nights at an unnamed Arlington, Virginia, church. This group was established by a “prominent businessman in the [Washington, D.C.] group.” This businessman, presumably white, brought some of his Black employees, who “needed help to find freedom from rum,” to these meetings. The group was only mentioned again in a later A.A. pamphlet, “Black in A.A.” (P-51), which quoted from the same article.
    If true, this would be the oldest Colored/Negro/Black/African-American group of Alcoholics Anonymous, predating the AA-1 Group in St. Louis, Missouri, by approximately five years.

May in A.A. History—day unknown

1935: [Late, after May 20] Joseph H. “Joe” W., Jr.^* edited Bill Wilson’s second draft of “The Strange Obsession.” The third draft of this story would later serve as the basis for “Bill's Story” in the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. The editor^† of Vol. III, No. 3 (Apr–Jun 2007) of Culture Alcohol & Society Quarterly wrote:

    In Jim B[urwell]’s account of early AA, one Joe W. (Jim actually records the last name, but it will not be used here) is identified as the man who told Bill to call the book (and the fellowship) Alcoholics Anonymous rather than Anonymous Alcoholics. Jim records that this Joe W. was with The New Yorker, but no New Yorker records available confirmed this. Research among various Joseph W’s who might have been ours provided a Joseph Hooker W., Jr., b. Bridgeport CT February 2, 1895, son of Emma (b. 1875) and Joseph Hooker W. Sr. (1868-1941), a telegrapher and then metering clerk for the railroad. This identification was confirmed when the first page of signatures in the “First Big Book Bought” in the Archives at GSO showed the name Joseph Hooker W-----, Jr. Further research (Bridgeport Post) indicated he was married in the late summer of 1923, when working for the New York Post, and a son. Joseph Hooker W----- III was born October 13, 1924, at which time the W-----s lived in Cos Cob [sic] CT. The marriage notice provides the information that bride and groom would be living on Livingston St. in Brooklyn Heights, that the bride had attended the Pratt Institute and worked for Franklin Simon, and that the groom had attended Bridgeport High School and the Park Avenue Institute, and previously worked for Metropolitan magazine.

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^*Former President Theodore Roosevelt inscribed [far left] a copy of his autobiography [near left: cover] to Joe. It reads: “Inscribed for / Joseph Hooker W―― Jr. / with the best wishes of / Theodore Roosevelt / May 10th 1916”.

^†Unsigned, this text was presumably written by the editor, Jared Lobdell, who listed himself as editor from July 2003 to December 2013 on his résumé.