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].

September 24 in A.A. History

1940: Bill W. [far left, 1941] is said to have twelfth-stepped Margaret “Bobbie” B. [near left] on this day, although she claimed a sobriety date of March 1940.

A brilliant woman and exceptional communicator, Bobbie had been an aspiring dancer, appearing in supporting roles on Broadway, as well as in Paris and London, before discovering Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) and securing employment at its headquarters (as the Alcoholic Foundation was sometimes called) in New York City. In February 1942, Bobbie would become the second—and last—national secretary for the Alcoholic Foundation office in New York City, following the departure of the first national secretary, Ruth Hock, who left to get married.

Bobbie would take the lead in responding to over 6,000 letters and telegrams from people struggling with drinking problems, and their families, seeking help from around the world. She wrote, edited, and mailed thousands of letters and befriended over 300 A.A. members who fought in World War II.

Additionally, she wrote more than 20 letters to Dr. Sylvester M. [right] in Australia to help establish A.A. there. Many Australians consider her more of a founder than they do Bill W. She worked closely with Bill until her resignation in June 1949. She was so integral to the early work of A.A. that Bill regularly included her name, alongside those of the Trustees, his wife Lois, and co-founder Dr. Bob S. and his wife Anne, in in the annual Christmas letter he sent to A.A. members [left: 1944 Christmas letter].

A.A. History—month & day unknown

1990: The Connecticut Public Radio program, Open Air New England, began broadcasting open meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous. The summary in the program’s nomination for a 1991 Peabody Award [right] said…

We are doing something no other station in the country is doing: holding live “open” meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous on our popular afternoon drive-time call-in show. Listeners can “attend” while commuting or at home—or actually participate by calling in. It seems to have stunned just about everyone.

Yes, almost everyone knows that AA exists, but do most people really know what an actual AA meeting sounds like? Or why it is the worldwide success that it is? The answer is no, though our ongoing experiment with AA could change that.

Amazing things are happening as a result of the broadcasts. People from all walks of life are showing up at AA meetings all over the state saying, “This is my first meeting ever. I heard it on the radio and thought I’d give it a try.” (I believe the radio broadcasts help remove the stigma or shame and reinforce the idea that AA is a normal part of life, not a bunch of religious fanatic [sic] meeting in basements.)

The State Commissioner of Alcohol & Drug Abuse has written us a letter (enclosed) saying he feels we’ve brought alcohol and drug treatment into the 20th century. He tells us he will do anything to help us make our experiment a permanent fixture. In CT alone, there are one million alcoholics, who affect family friends [sic], and co-workers. We work closely with state and national AA organizers because AA rules are so connected to success. We hope to move this one day to a national arena.

Perhaps most stations wouldn’t do this, feeling it to [sic] specialized or obscure. WE feel each caller’s testimony is so powerful that it makes fantastic radio. Best of all, it’s inspiring to catch people in the act of choosing health over illness.

Connecticut Public Radio did not win a Peabody Award for this program.

1990: The National Council on Alcoholism (NCA), formerly known as the National Committee for Education on Alcoholism (NCEA) from 1945 to 1950, was renamed the National Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) [left: logo].

A.A. History—month & day unknown

1987: In its August/September 1987 issue [right], Box 4‑5‑9 published a front‑page story titled “A.A. Comes of [COMPUTER] Age.” The writer had recently been struggling to attend Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) meetings:

I recalled some materials I had read about A.A. meetings on computer bulletin boards. I have owned a computer and modem, at home, for the past several years, but they have been used only for business purposes—certainly not for an A.A. meeting.… and soon I was in the midst of shared A.A. messages from all over the country…; there was straight-forward, traditional, hope-filled, right-out-of-the-Big-Book sharing; there was “dumping”; there was “a-day-at-the-office” sharing—it was all there, just like it would be at my home group. Resentments were revealed, slips acknowledged, and growth in sobriety clearly demonstrated. Principles necessarily prevailed over personalities, because the whole process was so totally anonymous, and I found myself in familiar “surroundings.” I was sometimes moved and sometimes amused, as I thought I recognized sharing just like that of “Joe” or “Susan” from my home group. Thus, while there is still no substitute for a real meeting, I felt that I had been involved in a bona fide A.A. experience likened (for me), perhaps, to reading the Grapevine, only with a much greater sense of on-line, present involvement.

1988: Box 4-5-9 announced the availability of a “List of ‘On-Line’ Computer Meetings Available from G.S.O.” in an article of the same name [left] in the April/May issue. The staff of the General Service Office (G.S.O,) appeared uncertain about the status of these meetings:

As more and more computer-equipped A.A.s are holding “on-line” meetings, a number of their groups have asked to be listed with the General Service Office. Because these meetings necessarily are “open” only to members with computers, it is not yet clear whether any or all such meetings, in the strictest sense fulfill the definition of a group as described by the group conscience of A.A. in the U.S. and Canada. In the meantime, G.S.O. has compiled a separate listing of on-line groups, very much as it has been doing with A.A. ham radio operators and Cbs who meet on a regular basis.

A “charter member” of the new listing is Q-Link BBS—short for Quantumlink Electronic Bulletin Board Service—an on-line group that can be accessed nationally. Says Ron H., of Woodside, N.Y., who acts as SYSOP (system operator): “Our meetings are no substitute for live meetings where A.A.s can see and hear and touch each other, but they are a great help to all of us who need to reach out between meetings and especially to the hearing-impaired and shut-ins—handicapped people, A.A. Loners and the aged who have difficulty getting to a live meeting. We have one woman member, for example, who was so phobic about mingling in groups of people that she rarely attended meetings. For some time, she has been on-line getting suggestions and help, and just recently she ventured out to a regular meeting again.

1989: The Dallas Intergroup incorporated and became the Dallas Intergroup Association, a non-profit organization.

1990: The Kansas Area Public Information Committee established “A.A. Message of the Day,” a telephone service featuring daily readings from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. A report in 1990’s Holiday issue of Box 4-5-9 [right] begins:

The Kansas Area Public Information Committee has found a way to carry the A.A. message directly into the homes of more than 100 people a day. All one need do is pick up the phone and dial a number. In response to the ring on this particular day, a friendly voice says, “Greetings from a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. Today’s reading is from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 88.” After reading the selection, the speaker concludes, “For more information or for the location of a group near you, call A.A.’s 24-hour ‘Hot Line’ number: (913) 384-2770. Pass it on.” “The response to our ‘AA Message of the Day’ has been tremendous,” says Roger H., P.I. chairperson of the Kansas Area Assembly. “The program is under a year old and we’re monitoring it closely, but so far all systems are ‘go.’”

Adds Roy H., P.I. chairperson of District 10, which embraces Kansas City, Kansas: “Many A.A.s say they find comfort in starting their day with the message. One newcomer told me, ‘it puts me on track for the next 24 hours.’ And a seeing-impaired member said that being able to hear the voice of A.A. any time of day or night makes him feel closer to the Fellowship.”

The P.I. committee records its “Message of the Day” through a local answering service. “The cost is unbelievably low,” Roger reports. “We pay about $26 a month for the service and there is no extra charge to the caller. Our speakers are all A.A. volunteers; we try to alternate voices of men and women for purposes of identification.” A side benefit of the project, he notes, is that “A.A.s who never thought about doing service work are becoming involved. Their enthusiasm is something to see.”

A.A. History—month & day unknown

1986: By this time, A.A. meetings, or at least gatherings of A.A. friends, were being held on bulletin board systems (BBSs) in Seattle, Washington; San Francisco and Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; and likely other cities across the U.S. [right: welcome screen for the Dura-EuropaS BBS in Tacoma, Washington, 1986–93]. A few staff members at the General Service Office (GSO) in New York City were aware that A.A. members were meeting electronically and began maintaining contact addresses.

Little is known about the first A.A. members who reached out to others through computer-based communication. It is likely that those among the first to use email sought to connect with others to share their experience, strength, and hope. There are fragmentary records and oral histories of A.A. members using the earliest BBSs over local telephone connections via modems, which were both slow and unreliable. Hardware concerns were paramount, and while communication between computers over distances was possible, it was very challenging.

1986: A.A. members began meeting on Q-Link, also known as Quantum Link, an online service launched in 1986 as a precursor to modern Internet services. Within two years, the group grew to 200 members across the United States. Designed specifically for users of Commodore 64 and 128 home computers, Q-Link featured a relatively advanced graphical user interface for online services at the time [left: Q-Link home page, c. 1986]. It connected users via dial-up modems, typically at speeds of 300 or 1200 baud (bits per second [about 2.9–4.3 Mb per hour]), and offered a variety of innovative online services, including:

• online chat;
• multiplayer games;
• early versions of role-playing games;
• file sharing;
• email; and
• news, weather, and other information.

1986: The first mention of anything “online” in Box 4-5-9 appeared in the Holiday issue in an article [right] titled “A.A.W.S./Intergroup Seminar” (the first ever). Of the 82 Intergroups and Central Offices, “12 have on-line computers and 12 more are considering” going online.

1986: For the first time, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (AAWS) published the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, in a softcover (paperback) 3½" × 5½" format [left]. By the end of the year, approximately one softcover copy was sold for every nine hardcover copies (81,200 vs. 725,000).