March 1 in A.A. History

In 1941, The Saturday Evening Post published Jack Alexander’s article, “Alcoholics Anonymous: Freed Slaves of Drink, Now They Free Others” [right and left: cover, selected pages], which created a national sensation. “Came then the deluge,” Bill W. wrote. Six thousand frantic appeals from alcoholics and their families flooded the Alcoholic Foundation office in New York City. Within a year, membership quadrupled from 2,000 to 8,000.

    Bill and Ruth Hock sifted through the mass of letters, laughing and crying in turn. It was clear they couldn’t handle the mail alone, and form letters wouldn’t suffice. Each letter required an understanding, personal reply. Anticipating a strong response, Lois W. had organized anyone who could type into squads and scheduled those who could not to answer phones.

    Even so, the response exceeded everyone’s wildest expectations. Within days, meeting attendance doubled, and within weeks, newcomers were being sent out on 12^th Step calls to other alcoholics. Ruth Hock and Margaret “Bobbie” B., along with Lois and her volunteers, worked day and night for five or six weeks to respond to all the mail.

    The magazine’s decision to feature A.A. would have been enough for editors across the country to find A.A. newsworthy, but the story went beyond mere reporting; it endorsed A.A.’s effectiveness. It is hard for us today to imagine the immense excitement this article generated among A.A. members.

Backstory: Jim B. [right] had just moved to Philadelphia and was trying to get a local bookstore to carry the Big Book. The bookstore’s manager was uninterested, but a woman named Helen Hammer overheard the conversation. She spoke up, sharing that she had sent the book to her alcoholic nephew in Los Angeles, who had sobered up instantly and remained sober for three months. However, the store manager remained unimpressed. When Mrs. Hammer learned of Jim’s attempt to start a group in Philadelphia, she introduced him to her husband, Dr. A. Weise Hammer.

    Dr. Hammer was a friend of Judge Curtis Bok^* [left, 1933], who had influence at The Saturday Evening Post. Dr. Hammer persuaded Bok to have The Post do a story on A.A. Bok urged the editors to assign Jack Alexander, an experienced, even cynical reporter, to write a feature story. Alexander was chosen because he had a reputation for being “hard-nosed.” He had just completed
a major story exposing the New Jersey rackets and prided himself on his cynicism.

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^* President judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Bok is often described as the owner of The Saturday Evening Post. He was not. The magazine was actually owned by Cyrus Curtis, who had purchased it in 1897. Curtis had founded the Curtis Publishing Company and remained president from 1891 to 1922.
    The confusion might stem from the fact that Bok was related to the Curtis family. Curtis Bok was the son of Edward Bok, who was a previous editor of The Saturday Evening Post, and Mary Louise Curtis, the daughter of Cyrus Curtis. Thus, Bok was the nephew of the owner (and both went by the same name).