October 17 in A.A. History

1935: Edwin “Ebby” T., the man Bill W. called his sponsor, moved in with Bill and his wife, Lois, at 182 Clinton Street [right: c. 1940, 2009] in Brooklyn.

1940: Toledo, Ohio’s first meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous took place at the home of Ruth Haviland T., located at 2222 River Rd. [left] in Maumee Township. The attendees included Ruth, Clinton “Duke” P., who led the meeting, Charlie “CJ” K., Walter C., Chet M., Bill W.^*, Pete B., Ed B., and Ernie G.^†, one of the first 100 members of A.A. All nine had previously traveled to Akron, Ohio, to learn firsthand about A.A.

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^*Not A.A.’s co-founder.

^†Not the Ernie G. who married Dr. Bob and Anne S.’s daughter, Sue.

October in A.A. History—day unknown

1941: An unsuccessful attempt was made to start an A.A. group in Des Moines, Iowa. Emil W. reported to the Alcoholic Foundation office in New York City that there had been four attendees. The Foundation responded by sending him inquiries it had received from the area. However, the group was apparently unable to sustain itself.

1941: The first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Bridgeport, Connecticut [left: low aerial view of wharves, 1941] occurred when members of the New Haven, Connecticut, A.A. group traveled there to help start it. Not long thereafter, a group was started in Westport [right, c. 1940s–50s].

1942: Margaret “Bobbie” B. [left] and Bill and Lois W. visited the Alcoholics Anonymous group in Milwaukee, Wisconsin [right: 1940 skyline], giving them a “shot in the arm.” Dr. Gilbert “Gib” K., a dentist, had written to the Alcoholic Foundation office in New York City in October 1940 asking for help. He was put in touch with the groups in Madison, Wisconsin, and Chicago, Illinois. Within three or four months, Gib had gathered three more members and began holding meetings in his home. Spouses were usually included, together with members from Madison and Chicago, for support. On 30 April 1941, a meeting open to the public was held at the Plankinton Hotel, with about 50 in attendance, including out-of-towners. By January 1943, the group had 25 members with a year or more of sobriety.

1942: Members of Alcoholics Anonymous in Cleveland, Ohio, published the first issue [right: p. 1] of their local newsletter, the Central Bulletin.

1942: Clarence S. [left] stirred controversy in Cleveland, Ohio, after discovering that Dr. Bob S. and Bill W. were receiving royalties from Big Book sales. In light of this revelation, Bill and Dr. Bob re-examined their financial situation and concluded that receiving royalties from the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, appeared to be the only solution to their financial difficulties. Bill also sought the advice of Father Ed Dowling [right, 1940], who recommended that Bill and Bob refrain from accepting money for 12th Step work but suggested that they could accept royalties as compensation for their special services to Alcoholics Anonymous.

October 16 in A.A. History

1937: Bill and Lois W. left Akron, Ohio, at 4:30 p.m. and traveled with Sterling P. (who drove) and his wife, arriving in Newark, New Jersey, at 5:30 a.m. the next morning, about 13 hours later [probably via US 22, a likely total of 480–500 miles or 770–800 km]. The four of them had breakfast at a local restaurant before Bill and Lois took the subway home to 182 Clinton St. in Brooklyn, where they presumably collapsed into bed.

1941: The Downtown Group of Detroit, Michigan, which met at the Cass Avenue Methodist Church [left, 1911] community center at 4242 Cass Avenue and comprised about forty members, split into three, creating two new groups: the Eastside (or East) Group,^* which would meet at the Mack Avenue Business Men’s Club^† [right: see footnote]; and the Westside Group, which would meet at a barber shop on Hamilton and Puritan Avenues [left: interior, undated] for about a month and then move to Richard’s Card Shop at 10216 Plymouth Road, near Ilene Street, and change their name to the Northwest Group.

Before Ontario, Canada, had A.A. meetings (in Toronto from 13 January 1943 and in Windsor from 22 October 1943), recovering alcoholics from Windsor could come to the Detroit meetings. An early Windsor member said about going to the Detroit meeting on Plymouth Road:

We used to have to drive our car to the tunnel (gasoline was rationed), park the car, drop a nickel in the fare box for the tunnel bus, ride thru the tunnel, walk several blocks to the Grand River Street Car, ride the street car for an hour out to Plymouth Road, then walk about half a mile to Plymouth and Ilene [right: 1947 map of Detroit and environs showing all locations mentioned here].

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^*However, another source, who compiled “many small notes and information on this group, much of [which] appeared to be inaccurate and confusing,” said that the group was started by Archie T. and Mike E. on 2 February 1941 in a men’s club that Mike regularly attended at Cadillac Boulevard (apparently incorrectly identified as Cadillac Avenue) and Mack Avenue, above a furniture store. This location is just over a mile southwest of the Mack Avenue Men’s Club. This group faced two issues: (1) “attendance began to swell immediately” and, perhaps more significantly (2) “women alcoholics were very hesitant to go into a private Men’s Club to attend an alcoholic recovery program.” So by October they moved to St. Columbia [sic, should be “Columba”] Episcopal Church [far left, c. 1930], 1021 Manistique Street, in Detroit, and at the same time decided to split in two, the the new group calling themselves the Grosse Pointe (Memorial) Group, meeting at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church [near left, recent], 16 Lake Shore Drive (<600 ft [183 m] from Lake St. Clair), in Grosse Pointe Farms.

^†This club’s history is very poorly documented. It still exists as a registered public nonprofit organization based in Shelby Township, in Macomb County, Michigan (nonprofit status was recently revoked). It was originally located in Detroit where Mack Avenue crossed the Detroit Terminal Railroad (DTR), between Connor and St. Jean Streets (documented in a request to the Common [City] Council on 30 September 1924 for grade separation where Mack Avenue crossed the DTR tracks). That part of Mack Avenue was converted to an overpass (seen at the extreme ends of the panoramic image above) over the railroad tracks in the early 1950s. The former Mack Avenue road surface was renamed Mack Service Road and can be seen extending east to Connor Street in the right half of the panorama. This panorama comprised a series of images from the same location at the far western end of Mack Service Road, toward the WSW at the left end and toward the SSE at the right end. The 1950s overpass is behind the middle of the image, and the location of the former DTR railroad tracks can be seen in the leftmost third of the panorama above right.

1943: Nearly 200 people attended the third anniversary of Alcoholics Anonymous in Toledo, Ohio, at the A.A. clubrooms on Superior Street. Among them were six of the nine founding members [right: article from the 18 October 1943 Toledo Blade, p. 20].

1962: L. Earle T. [far left], 62, died in Sarasota, Florida. He would be buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio [left: middle—obituary, near—gravestone].

1971:^* The North Rustico Group, located in North Rustico, Prince Edward Island, Canada, presented Louis H. with an engraved coin [near right] to commemorate his one-year anniversary.

1976:^* The North Rustico Group, located in North Rustico, Prince Edward Island, Canada, presented Louis H. with an engraved coin [right] to commemorate his five-year anniversary.

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^*One of three things must have occurred: (1) Louis H. slipped on the day of his 1st anniversary; (2) at least one of the years reported is incorrect; or (3) at least one of the anniversary numbers is wrong. The period 1971–1976 is 5 years, while a 5th anniversary would come 4 years after the 1st, if there were no slips.

2012: The U.S. National Park Service designated Stepping Stones, the home of Bill and Lois W. from 1941 until their respective deaths, as a National Historic Landmark. The official marker [left] says,

Bill and Lois W—— lived here from 1941 until their deaths. Bill co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous, and Lois co-founded Al-Anon Family Groups. Their pioneering work advanced the treatment of alcoholism and inspired addiction recovery programs throughout the world.

The State of New York also erected a similar historical marker outside Stepping Stones [right].

Today in A.A. History—October 16–18

1974: The 3rd World Service Meeting (WSM) of Alcoholics Anonymous took place at the Gloucester Hotel [right] in London, England, marking the first time the event was held outside the United States. The theme for this meeting was “Sharing.” Thirty-three delegates attended, representing nineteen countries [left: report from Box 4-5-9, 1974 Holiday issue]:

Argentina*	Australia	Belgium (Flemish)	Canada
Germany	Central America (north zone)*	Central America (south zone)*	Colombia
Finland	France	Ireland	Mexico
New Zealand	Norway	South Africa	Sweden*
United Kingdom	United States
*First time represented.

Nicaragua was represented at the 2nd WSM but did not attend the 3rd WSM.

1904: Margaret “Marty” M. [left: as a debutante, c. 1925] was born to Lillian Christy and William Henry M. in her maternal grandparents’ home on Magnolia Avenue in Sheridan Park, a new upscale neighborhood on the North Shore of Chi­cago, Illinois. Her family lived just down Magnolia Avenue [right: Typical single-family home (built c. 1910), 4500 block of N. Magnolia Ave, Sheridan Park, similar to the one Marty M. was born in]. Marty was the oldest of five children. A sister, Christy, was born in 1906 but died within 36 hours. Lillian Christy “Chris” was born in 1910, and twins Mary Elizabeth “Betty” and William Henry arrived in 1918. Young Marty led an upper-middle-class life, attending private schools, traveling extensively, and making her social debut.

October in A.A. History—day unknown

1940: The first Alcoholics Anonymous group in San Francisco, California, found a “more or less permanent” meeting place at the Telegraph Hill Community House [far left: looking south toward downtown, March 2022; near left: interior, c. 1910–25], located at 1736 Stockton Street in the North Beach district (converted to 11 commer­cial offices). Since its founding in November 1939, the group had been meeting at Mrs. Gordon Oram’s boarding house at 51 Potomac Street [near right, recent; far right: historical plaque there], as well as in other homes.

1940: Alcoholics Anonymous members Marty M. [left, 1940s], Walter W. [right, 1925], and Ray C., the artist who designed dust jacket covers for the first edition Big Book, were elected to the first board of directors of High Watch Farm, which had recently been established as a tax-exempt charitable organization. It is believed to have been the first treatment center in the world based on the Twelve Step program of A.A.

1941: A new Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) club was established at 19th and Park Ave. in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to coordinate A.A. activities in the city and surrounding areas. Only six months had passed since the creation of the Minneapolis Group of Alcoholics Anonymous, the first in the state, and just two months since that group had moved to larger quarters at 200 East Franklin [left, Oct 2008]. Six months later, the club would purchase and move into 2218 1st Avenue South [right].

There was much to be done. A new group had formed in St. Paul, and Pat C. [left], the founder of A.A. in Minnesota, was assisting individuals in Hibbing and Duluth, as well as in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Minneapolis also served as the point of contact for prospects in Fargo, North Dakota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Omaha, Nebraska; and Des Moines and Sioux City, Iowa.

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.