August 9 in A.A. History

1943: [This event is frequently cited as having taken place in 1890!] The Los Angeles Times reported [right] that 400 members of Alcoholics Anonymous had attended an annual picnic at Sycamore Grove Park the day before. These attendees represented 11 groups, totaling around 1,000 members. During the picnic, it was announced that Bill W. would be visiting Southland (Greater Los Angeles, California) groups for two months, beginning in early October.

August in A.A. History—day unknown

1950: [p. 334 of Pass It On says that this meeting took place on 12 November 1950, just two weeks before Dr. Bob’s death] Bill W. made his final visit to Dr. Bob S. [left: the two of them together, likely in the 1940s] in Akron, Ohio. During the meeting, Bill told Bob that the Alcoholic Foundation’s Board of Trustees would likely approve a General Service Conference if Bob backed the plan. Bill later reported to the Board that Dr. Bob had endorsed establishing the Conference.

1956: A question and answer about how to open a meeting was featured in the “Round-Up of Group Experience” section [right] of the AA Exchange Bulletin (later renamed Box 4-5-9). The section was titled “Variety of Topics Are Highlighted”:

Q. Does A.A. have a prepared “preamble” for use in opening meetings or discussions at an “outside” gathering?

A. Although there is no set procedure, the description of A.A. originally developed for use in “The A. A. Grapevine” is used to open many group meetings and might be considered equally useful at “outside” meetings:
[The piece then quotes the complete Preamble from the A.A. Grapevine at that time, which still mentions “an honest desire to stop drinking.”]

1958: The AA Exchange Bulletin, later renamed Box 4-5-9, announced [left] that September had been designated “AA Census Month.”

All groups were encouraged to conduct an accurate count of their members—those participating in group affairs, as well as members “presently sober who are not known to be affiliated with other groups.”

The same issue included a report outlining plans to increase subscriptions to the A.A. Grapevine:

Russ C., business manager of the journal, reported that test mailings to obtain new subscriptions would be made in three areas before a decision was made on whether to ask all subscribers to join the current circulation effort. The new campaign is based on asking each current reader to obtain at least one new subscription.

1960: The AA Central Bulletin reported [near right] that the A.A. Grapevine, Inc.’s special publication, AA Today [far right: cover], commemorating A.A.’s 25th anniversary, had sold nearly 20,000 copies to date, with only 5,000 copies remaining. A third printing was already planned for the coming winter.

1978: The A.A. Grapevine published a news item announcing the French translation of The Best of Bill:

And here’s a news note on a Grapevine publication, “Best of Bill,” five small pamphlets (enclosed in a folder) reprinting GV articles by our co-founder. The five articles have been translated into French in Canada and have been printed there… in a single pamphlet of standard size. Titled “Par Bill” [left: cover of recent version, now titled Les meilleurs articles de Bill], it is available from Service de Littérature AA du Québec, 7210, rue Saint-Denis, Montréal, Qué., Canada H2R 2E2.

August 8 in A.A. History

1879: Robert Holbrook (later “Dr. Bob”) S. [near right, 1898] was born in the front bedroom of a large, nineteenth-century clapboard house at 20^* Summer Street in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. His parents were Susan A. Holbrook and Judge Walter Perrin S. [far right].

He had a much older foster sister, Amanda Northrop [left],^† who later became a history professor at Hunter College in New York City.

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^*Later renumbered to be 297 Summer Street.

^†Born in 1858, her father died in 1864. Just 18 days short of her 22nd birthday, the 1880 U.S. Census shows her living in Fairfield, Vermont with her mother, who died 4 months later. Presumably this resulted in her being put up for a time as a foster child—beginning no later than 1891—with Judge Walter and Susan S.

1942: The U.S. Army approved Clarence Snyder’s application to enroll in its Volunteer Officers Candidate Program. Earlier that summer, Clarence [right, in uniform] had decided it was time to enlist and had contacted the Selective Service Board to apply.

1944: Ed B.,^* who had previously been in A.A. but had returned to drinking, woke up in the basement of a small community hospital. Once he’d sobered up, Dr. Bob S. came to see him and asked, “What happened, Ed?” Ed later recalled telling him that he’d found himself in a bar with no idea how he’d gotten there. At that, Dr. Bob rose from his chair, pointed a finger at him, and delivered a lecture on the importance of honesty, saying in part:

You’re taking up my time, and I have better ways to spend it than to talk to you. If I were you, I’d go out and get drunk and stay drunk until I made up my mind what I wanted to do. As far as I’m concerned, you stink!

Ed was furious, but later that night he called Dr. Bob’s wife, Anne. After that call, he never drank again. He went on to become editor of the Akron Intergroup News.

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^*This may well be the Ed B. of Akron, Ohio, who was A.A. #59, and whose original sobriety date was in January 1938.

1974: H. Alfred “Al” S. [far left] wrote to Nell Wing [near left] about an article on Anne S., Dr. Bob’s wife, that he had inadvertently taken home 24 years earlier [right: letter].

August in A.A. History—day unknown

1946: The physical dimensions of the 10th printing of the 1st edition of Alcoholics Anonymous were changed to a more conventional size, reducing them from 9 3/16" × 6" to 8 ½" × 5 ⅝" [left: relative sizes]. Despite this change, it continued to be called the “Big Book.”

1947: In his essay for the A.A. Grapevine [right: pp. 3, 8] titled “Last Seven Years Have Made A.A. Self-Supporting,” Bill W. wrote:

Two years ago the [Alcoholic Foundation] Trustees set aside, out of A.A. book funds, a sum which enabled my wife [Lois] and me to pay off the mortgage on our home and make some needed improvements. The Foundation also granted Dr. Bob Smith and me each a royalty of 10% on the book Alcoholics Anonymous, our only income from A.A. sources. We are both very comfortable and deeply grateful.

1948: The Grapevine announced [left: p. 1, p. 16] that, beginning the following month, the magazine would shift to a 32-page format measuring 5½"×7½", replacing its current 16-page, 8½"×11" size [right: old vs new size].

August 7 in A.A. History

1938: In response to a request from Dr. Bob S. for clarification on what he wanted from the personal stories of Akron, Ohio A.A. members, Bill W. wrote:

About the stories, I should say that everyone should write at whatever length they want to; the more, the better. Then the thousand word manuscripts can be edited down to the right size. The idea is that a chance word or phrase or experience may be the most telling point of the story, which would be missed entirely if people were trying to restrict themselves to a given number of words.

August in A.A. History—day unknown

1943: Eight women in Charleston, West Virginia [right: Capitol Street, 1944] came together to form a women’s group.

1943: The Alcoholic Foundation received tax-exempt status from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), likely in response to the Revenue Act of 1943, which required certain tax-exempt organizations to file Form 990 information returns. This was not, however, when Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) became a 501(c)(3) organization—that designation didn't exist until the Revenue Code of 1954 introduced it as a specific section of the tax code. In 1954, the Alcoholic Foundation was renamed the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, Inc., retaining its tax-exempt status under the new designation.

1945: The A.A. Grapevine [left: pp. 1, 4] published Bill W.’s first essay on the Traditions, “Modesty One Plank for Good Public Relations.” This essay marked the start of a five-year campaign in which Bill advocated for the Traditions and for a General Service Conference. The previous month’s issue had featured an article on the Washingtonians, written by a member identified only as CHK, from Lansing, Michigan. Bill referenced that article in his own piece, writing:

Those who read the July Grapevine were startled, then sobered, by the account which it carried of the Washingtonian movement. It was hard for us to believe that 100 years ago the newspapers of this country were carrying enthusiastic accounts about 100,000 alcoholics who were helping each other stay sober; that today the influence of this good work has so completely disappeared that few of us had ever heard of it.

1945: The Richmond, Virginia, chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) [right: aerial view, 1948; left: downtown, 1940s] held its first public meeting, drawing a sizable crowd. Bill W. noted that the original Richmond group, founded in June 1940 by Ted C. and McGhee B., had “believed in getting away from their wives and drinking only beer.” In 1941, Jack W.—whom Bill W. called “the Virginia squire”—started a new group of five members that took a more traditional approach to A.A.

1945: The A.A. Grapevine reported:

The wilds of Alaska have been penetrated by A.A. Well, not exactly the wilds, for Alaska’s first group is in Skagway—a town known historically as the landing place of large quantities of supplies and thousands of people during the 1897–98 “Klondike Rush” to reach the gold mines in the upper (Canadian) Yukon.

[Right: map showing Skagway's location—84 miles (135 km) NNE of Juneau, at the upper end of Taiya Inlet]

1945: Margaret “Bobbie” B. [left], National Secretary of the Alcoholic Foundation in New York City, received Lynn G.’s contact information from Bob V. following their brief meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Bobbie promptly wrote to Lynn to confirm the details, expressing her excitement about adding a new connection to her international network. In reply, Lynn confirmed a willingness to serve as an AA contact in Rio de Janeiro, though noting that the stay in Brazil would be brief. Lynn also requested materials—memorandums and bulletins—and added:

I have avoided the first drink for four months; by doing something, I believe I will maintain my sobriety… I would like to have some participation in the growth of Alcoholics Anonymous here in Brazil.

Lynn Goodale was never heard from again, and no one knows what became of him or her.

August 6 in A.A. History

1945: The Central Group [right] in Little Rock, Arkansas, adopted by-laws [left] that established nine fundamental principles:

1. That the problems of men and women alcoholics are so entirely different that, while we will gladly and freely give such help as we can when requested by women, this shall always be kept a group of male alcoholics.
2. The officers of this group shall be composed of a chairman and four committeemen, all elected by secret ballot, the Chairman for a term of 4 months, the committeemen for 1, 2, 3, & 4 months, and one committeeman elected each month thereafter for a 4 month term to succeed the retiring member.
3. That one slip is understandable, two slips, while not desirable, are acceptable, but three slips indicate a lack of sincerity and regardless of our personal feelings in the matter, that man cannot attend any meetings or be in any way affiliated with this group for a period of 1 year.
4. That the original approach program be adopted and used in its entirety.
5. That no housing facilities for prospects be provided by this group.
6. That no financial aid be extended any prospect by this group.
7. That regular weekly dues be paid, whether in attendance or not, and any deficits be met by assessments according to each members [sic] ability to pay.
8. That two sponsors be assigned each prospect.
9. That all controversial questions be settled by secret ballot, majority ruling, and any member has the right to [a] secure written ballot simply by request.

August in A.A. History—day unknown

1941: Clarence S. [far left], founder of Alcoholics Anonymous in Cleveland, Ohio, joined with Albert “Abby” G.^* [near left], and other Cleveland members, to establish the Cuyahoga Central Committee, later renamed the Cleveland Central Committee. All Cleveland A.A. groups would be invited to send representatives to its second meeting on 15 August.

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^*The Cuyahoga/Cleveland Central Committee was the first A.A. body to adopt the principle of rotating leadership. Accounts differ on its origin: Bill W. credited Abby G. with introducing it in Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, while Mitchell K.’s biography of Clarence S., How It Worked, attributes the idea to Clarence.

1942: While temporarily living in Kansas City, Missouri [right: Main St., 1942] during World War II, Jeanne C. was struggling with alcoholism when she saw an advertisement for Alcoholics Anonymous in The Kansas City Star [left: ad that ran in The Star every Sunday during this time]. She contacted Kansas City Group Number One and joined.

After returning home to Springfield, Missouri [right: Park Central Square, c. 1940s], Jeanne managed to stay sober for two years—despite gas rationing—by frequently traveling back to Kansas City for meetings and by corresponding with National Secretary Margaret “Bobbie” B. at the Alcoholic Foundation in New York City.

She would go on to establish the first A.A. meetings in Springfield and Joplin, Missouri [left: 200 block of Main St., looking south, 1941].

1942: Bill W. visited Miami’s A.A. group [right: Miami Beach, 1942], Florida’s first, formally organized in April 1941. By then it had grown to 45 members, meeting twice a week.

August 5 in A.A. History

1917: Congress drafted the National Guard into federal service, allowing the U.S. Army to build the manpower needed to fight alongside the Allied Powers against the Central Powers^* in the Great War (World War I). National Guard units played a significant role in the forces that ultimately secured Allied victory.

At Norwich University, where Bill Wilson was a student, all students were required to belong to the Vermont National Guard—so when the call-up came, he was among those sent to serve.

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^*The Central Powers—collectively known as the Quadruple Alliance—comprised the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.

1938: The Alcoholic Foundation was legally established as a charitable, tax-exempt organization, giving what would become Alcoholics Anonymous a formally incorporated, New York City-based center. Frank Amos [far left] recruited John Wood [near left], a non-alcoholic attorney, to handle the legal work.

The Foundation was formally created with the signing and delivery of a 13-page “Trust Indenture,” prepared by Wood. Its initial trustees were Wood; Frank Amos (non-alcoholic); Willard "Uncle Bill" Richardson  [near right] (non-alcoholic); Bill R. [far right], who had accompanied Bill W. to Akron the previous October; and Dr. Bob S.

An Advisory Board was also elected, comprising Bill W., Hank P., Albert Scott [left] (non-alcoholic), and A. LeRoy "Chip" Chipman [right] (non-alcoholic). The deed of trust required that non-alcoholic trustees hold a majority. One challenge Wood faced while drafting the document was that there was no legal way to define the difference between an alcoholic and a non-alcoholic. To solve this, he created the terms Class A and Class B to distinguish non-alcoholic members from alcoholic ones, respectively.

Richardson served on the board until April 1949, when he became the first Trustee Emeritus—a position he held until his death in 1952. Wood’s tenure was brief: having focused his efforts on drafting the original Trust Agreement, he resigned in December 1939. Bill R., whose story “A Business Man’s Recovery” appears in the first edition of Alcoholics Anonymous, served as the Foundation’s first President (a role later renamed Chairman of the Board). He submitted his resignation^* in December, citing the stress of work combined with a newborn at home; his resignation wasn’t accepted until February. Harry B.^† [left]—whose story “A Different Slant” also appears in the first edition—was then elected to succeed him, after which Bill R. joined the Advisory Board.

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^*A persistent myth holds that Bill R. resigned because he had relapsed into drinking. He had not.

^†In the chapter “More About Alcoholism,” “Fred” is a pseudonym for Harry B.

August in A.A. History—day unknown

1939: Herbert “Bert” T. [right, late 1930s], a New York Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) member, pledged his fashionable Fifth Avenue tailor shop—already heavily mortgaged because of his drinking—as collateral for a $1,000 loan [~$24,000 in 2026] to Works Publishing.

Bill W. was desperate to keep Works Publishing afloat until “Alcoholics and God,” edited by Fulton Oursler, appeared in Liberty magazine. To raise the money, Bert approached a wealthy client in Baltimore, Mr. Cochran, who was sympathetic to A.A. Bert laid out the situation and asked for a loan. Cochran hesitated. When Bert suggested he instead buy stock in Works Publishing, Cochran grew even more doubtful and, after reviewing the balance sheet, turned that down too. Fially, Bert proposed that Cochran co-sign a loan—and Cochran agreed enthusiastically. Bill later wrote, “This probably saved the book company.”

The article ran on September 30 [left: magazine cover], drawing 800 inquiries and generating enough book sales to carry Works Publishing through the rest of 1939. Bert’s tailor shop, however, went broke within a year or two.
[Some sources date this loan to December 6, but that date doesn’t fit the timeline.] 

August 4 in A.A. History

1947: The 80th U.S. Congress enacted H.R. 2659, (“an act to establish program [sic] for rehabilitation of alcoholics, promote temperance, and provide for medical and scientific treatment of persons found to be alcoholics by courts of District of Columbia, and for other purposes”) into law. Julius S., a member of Washington, D.C.’s Alcoholics Anonymous Cosmopolitan Group, had testified at the bill’s hearings.

Today in A.A. History—August 4–5

2001: An ad hoc Roundtable convened in Manhattan to discuss issues and plan future directions for Area access to group records maintained by the General Service Office (GSO). The Roundtable members included a mix of computer-savvy and less experienced A.A. members, including an Area Delegate, a regional Class B Trustee, at least four area registrars, and three representatives from GSO.

Participants agreed to utilize the Microsoft Access database platform, which was favored by delegate areas in a GSO-conducted survey. Discussions also covered the original purpose and future direction of the ‘DelArea’ program, a joint development between GSO and the Areas concerning group data management, update timing, and record-editing rights.

One attendee remarked, “We were fortunate in having a cross-section of service experience and computer capabilities.” They added that the new DelArea program “will encourage the frequent exchange of information and, consequently, the timely receipt of GSR (general service representatives) Kits for incoming GSRs.”

August in A.A. History—day unknown

1937: Bill and Lois W. [left], along with other members of their small group of recovering alcoholics, ceased attending Oxford Group (OG) meetings in New York City. This decision followed criticism from OG members who faulted Bill for exclusively working with alcoholics, labeling both him and Lois as “not maximum”—an extreme OG insult. Furthermore, OG leaders had prohibited alcoholics residing at Calvary Rescue Mission from attending the “drunk squad” meetings held at 182 Clinton Street in Brooklyn. These events unfolded while Rev. Sam Shoemaker [right] was on vacation.

Concurrently, in Akron, Ohio, OG members outside the “alcoholic squadron” criticized the OG meetings led by T. Henry and Clarace Williams [left], arguing they overly emphasized assisting alcoholics. These developments initiated Alcoholics Anonymous’s separation from external affiliations and established the foundation for Tradition Six. Despite this, the Akron “alcoholic squadron” maintained its affiliation with the OG for more than two years.

1938: About a year after Earl T. [right] had gotten sober during his initial trip to Akron, Ohio, his boss, aware of Earl’s recovery, asked him to help a salesman, Dick R., who was drinking heavily. Earl visited Dick at the sanitarium where he was being treated. To Earl’s surprise, Dick was receptive to his support, having long wanted to address his drinking problem but not knowing how to begin. After a few days, Earl suggested Dick go to Akron and stay with a local family, which Dick did.

Upon returning to Chicago, Earl and Dick began holding informal daily meetings and seeking others to help.