October 1 in A.A. History

1941: Local news organizations reported the establishment of the first Alcoholics Anonymous group in New Haven, Connecticut, [right: aerial view, c. 1944], which had actually formed 6½ months earlier, on 15 March.

2022: William “Bill” G. B. [left: with Lois W. near the end of her life], 89, died at his home in Stratford, Connecticut. He had been sober since 8 April 1962, and was a close friend of Lois W., Bill W.’s wife, for the last 16 years of her life.

Bill began his career at the New York Journal-American newspaper and went on to work for several newspapers and magazines, as well as creating syndicated radio shows. In 1969, he founded Borchert-Barrett Associates, a public relations firm in New York City.

Three years later, he became a partner in Artists Entertainment Complex, an independent film and talent management company that produced films such as Kansas City Bomber (1972), Serpico (1973), and Dog Day Afternoon (1975).

In the community of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill is best known as the screenwriter and author of the film My Name Is Bill W. (1989), based on the true story of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill W.; he was nominated for an Emmy for this work. He later wrote a book about Lois, titled The Lois W―― Story: When Love Is Not Enough (2005). A CBS-Hallmark TV movie of the same name, based on his book, was released in 2010.

Bill’s other books include 50 Quiet Miracles That Changed Lives (2009); 1,000 Years of Sobriety: 20 People x 50 Years, co-authored with Michael F., which tells the stories of twenty Alcoholics Anonymous pioneers from the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand (2010); When Two Loves Collide: The Inspiring Story of Dr. John and Dot Mooney (2013); and How I Became My Father … a Drunk (2015).

Bill was a member of the Writers Guild of America and a long-time volunteer at Stepping Stones Foundation, the former home of Bill and Lois in Katonah, New York. He also served on the Board of Directors of Stepping Stones Foundation from 1997 to 2006.

October in A.A. History—day unknown

1872: Jerry McAuley [near right] opened the Water Street Mission [far right, c. 1899] in New York City’s notorious Fourth Ward [left: coffee & sandwiches before a Mission meeting, 1892]. This marked the beginning of the urban mission movement that would spread across America, with The Salvation Army leading the way. The movement focused its message on the alcoholics of Skid Row, a population largely ignored by traditional religious institutions. In 1884, after McAuley’s death, S. H. Hadley [right] succeeded him.

Hadley’s example of recovery from alcoholism was cited in William James’ book The Varieties of Religious Experience. Hadley’s son, Harry Harrison Hadley II, would later work with Rev. Sam Shoemaker to establish the Calvary Mission at 246 East 3rd Street, not far from Calvary Episcopal Church in New York City.

September 30 in A.A. History

1939: Liberty magazine [near right: cover] published “Alcoholics and God” by Morris Markey [far right]. Bill W. thought the article “a bit lurid” and worried that the title would scare off alcoholics. The article generated “800 frantic inquiries,” all of which were answered by Ruth Hock. While letters arrived from across the U.S., only a few could be directed to the three existing groups in Akron, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; and New York City.

Charles B. Towns [far left], proprietor of Towns Hospital, had encouraged Markey to write the piece. Liberty editor Fulton Oursler [near left], the author of The Greatest Story Ever Told, became a close friend of Bill and later served as a Class A [non-alcoholic] Trustee of the Alcoholic Foundation, A.A.’s headquarters (as it was then called) in New York City, and a member of the A.A. Grapevine editorial board.

1955: A.A.’s General Service Headquarters in New York City distributed a 6-page flyer titled “The Structure and Services of A.A.” [right: front cover], written by Frank B. It included the first service structure diagram and summaries of A.A.’s five service agencies:

1. General Service Board of A.A., Inc.; 
2. General Service Headquarters;  
3. A.A. Publishing, Inc.; 
4. The General Service Conference; and
5. The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.

The description of A.A. Publishing, Inc. states:

The General Service Board, with the approval of the General Service Conference, has also granted to Bill [W.], as the surviving co-founder of the movement, a 15% royalty on sales of the A.A. book. These royalties represent Bill’s only income from A.A. sources.

The back cover [left] listed the Twelve Traditions in short form, as published in the November 1949 A.A. Grapevine.

1975: Hazelden Publishing released Bill W.: The Absorbing And Deeply Moving Life Story Of Bill Wilson, Co-Founder Of Alcoholics Anonymous [right: 1st edition cover], written by Robert Thomsen [left].

2003: Searcy W. [right], 93, died in Dallas, Texas, with 20,962 days (57 years, 4 months, 20 days) of sobriety.

In 1949, Searcy began establishing treatment clinics in Dallas (the Texas Clinic-Hospital for Alcoholism [left, c. 1990], where Ebby T. sobered up), Houston, Lubbock (all in Texas), and Carlsbad, New Mexico. Alcoholics came for a week and paid $125 [~$1,760 in 2026], all-inclusive. Then they went to A.A., and 75% supposedly stayed sober.

Searcy’s motto was, “Trust God, clean house, help others. And it doesn’t have to be done in that order!”

A.A. History—month & day unknown

2000: Mongolian A.A. groups opened their doors in the Аймгууд (provinces) of Орхон (Orkhon), Дарх`ан-Уул (Darkhan-Uul), Дорнод (Dornod), Өвөрхангай (Övörhangai), and Сэлэнгэ (Selenge), as well as in other дүүргүүд (districts) of Улаанбаатар (Ulaanbaatar) [right: map of these locations within Mongolia].

2001: [Early] The Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, [far left: cover] and Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions [near left: cover] were published by the Mongolian Service Structure. They had been translated by Mongolians, presumably in an iterative process with Alcoholics Anonymous World Service, Inc.’s Publications department, which would have checked for clarity and for adherence to the sense and spirit of the original English before granting a license to the Mongolian Service Structure. They were likely reviewed, possibly updated, and then approved by a group conscience vote within that structure before being published.

2002: The timeline given in the article “From Akron to the Internet: a Time Line of AA Communication” from the October 2002 A.A. Grapevine [right:cover] had a single short sentence to described a particular “event”:

Representatives of online A.A. groups had met to discuss the establishment of a service conference for A.A. in “cyberspace.”

The full story is much more interesting.

In November 2001, members of the Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous (OIAA) decided to (again) study how online A.A. groups might best fit into the worldwide Fellowship, particularly through participation in a general service structure. The OIAA chairman, Mark E., appointed a study committee headed by Ewart F. of South Africa, who invited a mixed group of online members, some with long experience of the issues, to take part.

The committee quickly realized that online groups had only a few ways to join together in pursuit of a meaningful group conscience:

1. Online Group in Existing Area, 
2. Online Area for Online Groups, or 
3. Online Conference for Online Groups.

All members agreed that only an Online Service Conference offered real hope of meaningful participation in the group conscience process. Its potential future participation in the World Service Meeting or a conceptual “World Service Conference” was an attractive, if uncertain, possibility. The remaining question was whether online groups would understand and support a conference of their own.

The committee produced an Online General Service Statement and offered it to online groups for endorsement. It read,

We, the members of Alcoholics Anonymous who share our experience, strength and hope on the internet, now assemble to discuss our common purpose and establish the Online Service Conference to unify our voice in the worldwide Fellowship of AA.

The committee then reported to the OIAA chairman that its work was finished and recommended that it be dissolved, so that it could reassemble and continue outside the intergroup. This ended the affiliation between the intergroup and the yet-to-be-formed general service structure.

Former committee members took on the tasks of identifying online groups and inviting them to meet, and set up procedures to keep the confusion of a new organization to a minimum. These included a new “Steering Committee” to act in the role of a General Service Office between Conference meetings in “cyberspace.” Six members were designated as the “Interim Steering Committee” to guide the first meetings, and an agenda was prepared for the first meeting, which had been set for July 1, 2002.

September 28 in A.A. History

1873: Etheldred Frances Folsom [right] was born to Frances Elizabeth Fuller and George Folsom, members of a wealthy, well-educated family in New York City.

She identified herself as a book illustrator and landscape artist, but today she is better known as a visionary and healer. As an adult, she became a follower of Emma Curtis Hopkins [left], a renowned teacher with a following of 50,000. Known as “The Teacher of Teachers,” Hopkins was a key founder of the New Thought movement, which influenced early members of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) and continues to influence religious groups such as Christian Science, Moorish Science, Positive Thinking, Prosperity Gospel, and Unity Church.

Folsom preferred to be called Sister Francis, in honor of her favorite saint, St. Francis of Assisi, and most A.A. members knew her by that name. In 1939, she purchased Joy Farm, which since 1926 had served as a residential community for spiritual seekers who were disciples of Hopkins, and renamed it High Watch Farm [right]. She transformed it into a spiritual retreat center where she disseminated Hopkins’ teachings under the name “The Ministry of the High Watch.” After meeting Marty M. and Bill and Lois W., Folsom founded the High Watch Recovery Center, which some have claimed was the world’s first 12-step treatment center.

1918: Bill W. and his unit arrived in Nexon, France [far left: map showing location of Nexon]. They would remain there until 27 October for additional training [near left: men of Bill’s unit in Nexon].

1928: Dr. Bob S. and Sister Ignatia [right: with two of her alcoholic patients] first met at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio. Sister Ignatia, a member of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, was working as the hospital’s registration clerk. Initially, she was unaware of Dr. Bob’s drinking problem, though Bob later share this with her. Later, Dr. Bob, who loved nicknames, called her “Angel of Alcoholics Anonymous,” “Little Angel of AA,” and “Ig.”

A.A. History—month & day unknown

1998: The Grateful Recovering Online Women’s (GROW) Group of Alcoholics Anonymous, an email group, was founded. It continues to operate today.

1999: The second Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) group in Монгол (Mongolia), called Итгэл (Trust), was established in the capital, Улаанбаатар (Ulaanbaatar) [right: aerial view, late 1990s].

2000: Mongolian A.A. groups opened their doors in the Аймгууд (provinces) of Орхон (Orkhon), Дарх`ан-Уул (Darkhan-Uul), Дорнод (Dornod), Өвөрхангай (Övörhangai), and Сэлэнгэ (Selenge), as well as in other дүүргүүд (districts) of Улаанбаатар (Ulaanbaatar) [left: map show these locations within Mongolia].

September 27 in A.A. History

1937: Dr. Bob S. [near right] responded to a letter that Bill W. [far right] had sent him a few days earlier. In it, Bill mentioned his upcoming trip to Akron, stating that he and Lois planned to arrive on Sunday, 10 October, along with two other couples and a friend^* from New York City. Dr. Bob was enthusiastic about the visit, writing:

We can easily find room for as many as you want to bring for as long as you wish. Between Paul [S――], T. Henry [Williams] and ourselves we will have no trouble housing and feeding you and your gang.

---

^*The Sterling P――s, the William R――s, and Fitz M――.

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

1990s: Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD), a form of texting via telephone, began to be used by hard-of-hearing A.A. members to communicate with other members.

In 1964, Robert Weitbrecht [left, with his first TTY adapted for use by the deaf], a deaf scientist, developed the acoustic coupler, which allowed teletypewriter (TTY, also known as textphone) machines to send and receive typed messages over standard telephone lines. This invention enabled deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to communicate directly by phone for the first time. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, TTY relay services began to emerge, allowing TTY users to connect with people using regular phones. State relay programs followed, and in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandated nationwide relay services to ensure that deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals had access to the telephone network [right: $300 Ultratec Minicom IV TTY].

A.A. History—month & day unknown

1995: There’s More to Quitting Drinking Than Quitting Drinking [left: cover] by Dr. Paul O. [right: with his wife, Max] was published by Sabrina Publishing. Paul’s personal story had appeared in the May 1975 issue of the A.A. Grapevine as “Bronzed Moccasins,” in the 3rd edition of Alcoholics Anonymous as “Doctor, Alcoholic, Addict,” and in the 4th edition as “Acceptance Was the Answer.”
 
1996: The 15-millionth copy of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, was presented to Eleanor “Ellie” Norris, the widow of Dr. John L. Norris, former Class A (nonalcoholic) Chairman of the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous [left: presentation]…

with our deepest appreciation for your friendship and continuing commitment to the work of Alcoholics Anonymous; and in recognition of the pioneering and towering service of your husband, former chairman of the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, our beloved Dr. Jack Norris. Your steadfast dedication to our Fellowship is a striking witness of extending the hand of A.A. to others. With love and many grateful memories.

A.A. History—month & day unknown

1992: At the World Service Meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous in New York City, several delegates in attendance engaged in informal discussions about the 1978 proposal for an Asia‑Oceania Service Meeting (AOSM). These discussions were part of a series that would ultimately result in the establishment of the first AOSM meeting in Tokyo, Japan, in 1995.

1992: Thirteen one-hour Alcoholics Anonymous meetings were broadcast multiple times each week on cable television in Portland, Oregon.

1993: The “Reducing Alcoholism Project” was initiated in Mongolia under the leadership of L. Erdenebayar [right (?)], an esteemed physician, professor, and academician. As a result of this work, the concept of Alcoholics Anonymous was introduced to the country.

1995: The General Service Office (GSO) in New York City introduced a software program called DelArea for General Service Areas, allowing them to access group records, including contributions, and eliminating the need for paper reporting.

Previously, updating and sharing group information was a lengthy process that relied heavily on paper. By the time GSO received and recorded the material, it was often outdated and inaccurate. Meanwhile, the stacks of paper continued to grow, leading to increased mailing costs.

However, there were challenges. As Lillianna Murphy [left: at work on A.A. IBM AS/400 computer, 1991], the nonalcoholic director of GSO’s information services, noted at the time:

It worked to an extent, but there was kind of a catch-22: it soon became apparent that for some areas it was the only database application they were using. The program was written in software called dBaseIV because the company allowed us to distribute it without paying a licensing fee for each area. However, as dBaseIV developed into later versions, the software could not be updated because the next version was too large for most of the area computers to handle.

[Increasingly,] the areas were acquiring much better equipment, there were far more record keepers conversant with PCs, and many users had taken the DelArea data and imported it into programs they’d written themselves—frequently in Microsoft Access. The major drawback has been that as each set of data is distributed, it overlays all the other data in the application.

To address the problems, GSO investi­gated new software on the market and sent each area a questionnaire asking about the type of hardware in use and whether Microsoft Access would be an acceptable data percent of respondents used Microsoft Windows and were comfortable with it [right: Gemini-generated summary of differences be- tween dBase IV and Access].

Still, it would be several years before any further action took place.

September 25 in A.A. History

1897: “With only $1.87 [~$75 in 2026] and unbounded faith in God,” Australian William Raws [right] founded the Keswick Colony of Mercy in Whiting, New Jersey, as a spiritual restoration center for men addicted to alcohol. After experiencing a miraculous salvation and liberation from his own addiction, Raws dedicated his life to helping other men who had lost everything to the bondage of alcohol. Now known as America’s Keswick [left], it describes itself as:

A ministry that teaches and models biblical Christian living through Addiction Recovery for men and women, training and resources, Christian conferences, concerts, and events, and by providing group retreat rental facilities and service to other like-minded organizations.

1962: Warren C. (A.A. #12?) spoke to “some 50 men” about Alcoholics Anonymous at the Canton, Ohio, Lions Club, as reported two days later in Dover, Ohio’s The Daily Reporter [right].