December 21 in A.A. History

In 1981, United Press International published an article by Charles S. Taylor titled “First Year Crucial for Reformed Alcoholics” [left: from Dubois (PA) Courier Express, 30 Dec 1981, p. 8], reported on a study involving 439 alcoholics who were members of Alcoholics Anonymous and had been sober for at least one year. The study was conducted by Dr. LeClair Bissell [right], who, as President, led the American Society of Addiction Medicine^* and worked with alcoholics at Edgehill Newport [left], a treatment center in Newport, Rhode Island. 
    The article described the research as “the first long-term study of a large group of alcoholics” and noted it had “reached an encouraging conclusion—most chronic drinkers who can stay off booze for one year have a good chance at continued sobriety.” Dr. Bissell said that alcoholics who receive counseling for their problem and abstain for a year usually don’t touch alcohol again for up to seven years. She also observed that abstinence seems to help alcoholics stop smoking, reduce suicidal behavior, reduce encounters with the police and significantly lower hospitalizations for any reason. Dr. Bissell strongly criticized psychologists who try to return recovered alcoholics to “social drinking,” saying, “I think they’re killing a lot of people by encouraging them to return to drinking.”
    Dr. Bissell was also a member of the Carter Mental Health Commission’s Task Force on Alcoholism, founder of International Pharmacists Anonymous [right: logo], and co-author of The Cat Who Drank Too Much (1982) [left: cover].

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^*Misnamed as "American Society on Alcoholism" in the article.

December 20 in A.A. History

In 1849, Ella A. Brock [right], Bill W.’s maternal grandmother, was born to John and Nancy Bowen Brock, in East Dorset, Vermont. She and her husband, Gardner F. Griffith, would raise Bill from the age of about 10.

In 1945, Rowland Hazard III [left], 64, died of a coronary occlusion (heart blockage) while working in his office at Bristol Manufacturing [right: obituary, The New York Times, 22 Dec 1945]. Rowland had carried the spiritual message of the Oxford Group to Ebby T., who then passed it on to Bill W. His position as a top executive of a major corporation at the time of his death suggests that Rowland had managed to stop drinking again, despite several known relapses. However, some historians question whether he was truly sober at the time of his death.
    He had remained active in the Oxford Group and continued his involvement after it was renamed Moral Re-Armament (MRA) in 1938. Some early A.A. members recalled knowing Rowland from his occasional visits to the old 24th Street Clubhouse, which A.A. members had established in June 1940 in a former stable at 334½ West 24th Street in Manhattan. However, there is no evidence that Rowland ever joined A.A. or considered himself a member.

December 19 in A.A. History

In 1922, Lt. Junius C. [right, as a midshipman] and Marjorie Dickerson were married in Pike County, Mississippi. He would become a founder of Alcoholics Anonymous in Jacksonville, Florida.

In 1939, Kaye Miller, a nonalcoholic, held the first A.A. meeting in Los Angeles, California, at her home on Benecia Street in Westwood.
    Earlier that year, Kaye became involved with A.A. while trying to help her ex-husband, Ty, get sober. She visited Akron and New York City, attending meetings and speaking with members, including Bill W. in New York. After divorcing Ty and returning to Los Angeles by freighter via the Panama Canal, she began spreading the word about A.A. to newspapers and public officials. She fell in with two other nonalcoholics who were also trying to help parolees get and stay sober: Genevieve Dodge, a social worker, and Johnny Howe, a psychologist. They had persuaded the Superior Court to allow them to treat alcoholics at Los Angeles County General Hospital [left, c. 1941]. Kaye taught them about A.A. based on her experiences and the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, which she had brought with her from New York. Early successes included Barney H. (or B.?) and Hal S.
    In December, Chuck and Lee T., members of New York City A.A., visited Los Angeles. Bill W. had given them Kaye's number, and they reached out to her. This prompted Kaye to organize an A.A. meeting. Besides Kaye, Johnny Howe, and three other social workers, attendees included Chuck and Lee T., Barney and Ethel H., Hal S., Chauncey and Edna C., Joy S., Dwight S., and Walter K. Afterwards, Kaye telegraphed the news to Bill W. in New York: “Los Angeles held its first meeting tonight. Fifteen present.”

December 18 in A.A. History

In 1917, the U.S. Senate voted 47–8 in favor of a joint resolution to override the veto by President Woodrow Wilson [right] of the Volstead Act, which the House had passed the day before. This Act, officially known as the National Prohibition Enforcement Act, aimed to amend the Constitution to prohibit “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes.”^* It then proceeded to the 48 states for ratification. On 9 January 1919, Nebraska would become the 36th state to ratify it, and one year later, on 9 January 1920, it would officially become the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

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^*Note that it did not prohibit consumption, possession, or production for personal use.

In 1934, Bill W. was discharged from Charles B. Towns Hospital for the last time. The charge for his one-week stay was $125 [~$3,000 in 2025], paid in advance by his brother-in-law, Dr. Leonard V. Strong.

In 1952, Hector C. wrote to the General Service Office (G.S.O.) in New York City from Buenos Aires, Argentina [left: location of Argentina and Buenos Aires], asking for help. Hector had been in treatment for alcoholism there since September. His letter immediately sparked a lively and ongoing correspondence, primarily with staff member Ann M., whom Hector came to consider his sponsor. (At one point, Ann M.’s first letter in this conversation was framed and displayed in Buenos Aires to commemorate the birth of A.A. in Argentina.)

December 17 in A.A. History

In 1895, Florence D. was born to Emma Alexander and Harvey D. in Marion, Massachusetts. Her mother would die in 1907 of carcinoma uteri, the most common form of uterine cancer, and by April 1910, at age 14, she would be living in Boston with her maternal grandmother, Anna Alexander. In 1917, she would marry Lawrence R. in Houston, Texas.
    In March 1937, as Florence R., she would join A.A. in New York City, experience several slips, and became the first woman in New York City—and the second woman anywhere—to achieve a notable length of sobriety in A.A. Her presence was likely the primary reason the publishing company, One Hundred Men Corporation, to be renamed Works Publishing, Inc. She would accumulate over a year of sobriety before writing “A Feminine Victory” for the first edition of Alcoholics Anonymous.

In 1937, Bill W. wrote to Rev. Willard “Dick” S. Richardson [right], who managed John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s private charities and served as his spiritual advisor and close friend:

    The problem is how best to get our message to the great number… if they only knew. How… to preserve sound spiritual construction, simplicity and spontaneity, at the same time making our experience as widely and quickly available as possible, is the conundrum.

In 1949, The Herald Saturday Magazine (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) published John Holden’s article, “Drunkards have found the sober road” [left]. The article occupies nearly half of page 15 and features a photograph of Lillian R., the Hollywood actress who, along with her husband, “Jack” McG. [right], helped establish Melbourne’s first permanent A.A. group on 13 October 1947. At the bottom of the article, there is a cartoon credited to “‘The Grapevine’ journal of Alcoholics Anonymous.”

December 16 in A.A. History

In 1934 [15th? 17th?], Edwin “Ebby” T. [near right] returned to Towns Hospital to visit Bill W. [far right], who had experienced his “white light” spiritual awakening two nights earlier. Ebby heard Bill’s confession (5th Step) and gave him a copy of William James’ Varieties of Religious Experience. Bill later said that he read it “cover to cover,” acknowledging that it was challenging but that he grasped the content. He would later incorporate some of James’ ideas into the A.A. program.

Today in A.A. History—December 16–18

In 1977, Joe McQ. [far left] and Charlie P. [near left] conducted their first public study of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, which they called “The Big Book Comes Alive.” It was held at an unknown hotel in Lawton, Oklahoma, with 35 attendees.

December 15 in A.A. History

In 1945, Dr. James Clark “Jim” S., Jr, founder of the Washington Colored Group in Washington, D.C., wrote to Bobbie Burger, National Secretary of the Alcoholic Foundation in New York City:

    I wish to state at this time that several of the White group members have visited our group meetings and have taken an active part, many times addressing the group or acting as group leaders. We have found them very inspiring and enthusiastic.

In 1949, a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, presumably from the local Poughkeepsie Group in New York, founded in 1946, spoke to members of the Dutchess County (NY) Social Planning Council during a luncheon meeting. The next day's article, titled “Social Planners Discuss Alcoholism,” [right] in the Poughkeepsie Journal (p. 3), included the following:

    Alcoholism is both a physical and spiritual disease and should be treated as a disease…
    The organization of between 80,000 and 100,000 has no opinions and no programs, dealing only with the alcoholic who signifies the desire to stop being one. The individual with whom Alcoholics Anonymous works must be willing to admit that he is an alcoholic needing help.…
    The speaker spoke of two kinds of skeptics, those who cannot understand the spiritual side of the program because of their own materialistic attitudes, and those evangelical persons who believe faith alone can produce a cure.
    The speaker does not consider an alcoholic ever cured, he is arrested. Judges, he continued, can be of great help in explaining Alcoholics Anonymous, as can policemen. The latter are impressed, he said, when habitual drunks abandon their former habits and voluntarily stay sober. There are five types of drinkers, he said, the occasional social drinker, the heavy social drinker, the habitual drinker, the compulsive drinker who drinks to deaden the pain, or because he wishes to forget, and the alcoholic.
    There is an open meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous at Christ Church every Friday night at 8:30 o’clock.

In 2006, this was the final date on which Delegate Area (DelArea) 3½" floppy disks containing Alcoholics Anonymous group information were accepted at the General Service Office in New York City.

December 14 in A.A. History

In 1934 [13th?], Edwin “Ebby” T. [near right] visited Bill W. [far right] at the Charles B. Towns Hospital, where Bill had been admitted three days earlier. Ebby once again explained the practices of the Oxford Group and may have urged Bill to surrender to the care of Jesus Christ.
    After Ebby left, Bill fell into a deep, dark depression. Eventually, he cried out, “I’ll do anything! Anything at all! If there be a God, let him show himself!” He then experienced a blinding light and felt an ecstatic sense of freedom and peace. This moment was Bill’s spiritual experience (or “hot flash” or “white light” experience, as he later referred to it).
    When Bill later recounted the event to Dr. William D. Silkworth [left], the medical director at Towns, the doctor replied, “Something has happened to you I don’t understand. But you had better hang on to it.”

December 13 in A.A. History

In 1899, Leslie (or Lester^*) Earl T. [left, as an adult] was born in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, to Estella L. Konkle and Frederick Clement T. He went by the name “Earl” and got sober in 1937, likely in July. Earl would become a founder of Alcoholics Anonymous in Chicago, Illinois, where the first meeting was held on 20 September 1939. His story in the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, is titled “He Sold Himself Short” and appears in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions.

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^*His birth records list his first name as “Lester;” all other records show it as “Leslie.”

In 1913, W. Franklin, President of the Kentucky Distillers and Distributing Co. in Kansas City, Missouri, wrote a letter [right] to the Keeley Institute in Dwight, Illinois. This commercial medical facility offered alcoholics a treatment known as the Keeley (or Gold) Cure from 1879 to 1965:

     Gentlemen: Our customers are your prospective patients. We can put on your desk a mailing list of over 50,000 individual consumers of liquor. The list is the result of thousands of dollars [$1,000 in 1913 ~$32,700 in 2025] of advertising.
    Each individual on the list is a regular user of liquor.
    The list of names is new, live and active. We furnish this list in quantities at the prices listed below. Remittances to accompany each order.

40,000 to 50,000  . . . . . . . . . .	$400 [~$13,100 in 2025]
20,000  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	$300 [~$9,800 in 2025]
10,000  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	$200 [~$6,500 in 2025]

     We will not furnish this list in lots of less than 10,000. Discontinuance of business January 1 is the occasion for selling our mailing list.

    The Anti-Saloon League responded by publishing the letter in its official journal, The American Issue, along with scathing commentary [left]:

     After poisoning the people, after robbing them of their money, these coyotes wish to sell the list of addresses to a Keeley Institute because, as they say, "OUR CUSTOMERS ARE YOUR PROSPECTIVE PATIENTS."
    Is it any wonder that Senator Borah said regard W. Franklin, president of the corporation who wrote the letter, "If he was not an idiot, he would be a criminal."
    Mr. Franklin is likely not an "idiot." The "idiot" is the voter who champions the licensing of this sort of a thing as a "temperance measure."

In 1937, Bill W. and nine other men—Dr. Silkworth of Towns Hospital; Dr. Leonard Strong, Bill’s brother-in-law; and seven other alcoholics: Dr. Bob S., Paul S., Hank P., Ned P., Bill R., Joe T., and Fitz M.—attended a 6 p.m. dinner hosted by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. [near right] in the executive dining room at 30 Rockefeller Plaza [far right]. Although Mr. Rockefeller did not attend, the Rev. Willard “Dick” Richardson was present, along with select Rockefeller associates: Albert Scott, A. LeRoy Chipman, and Frank Amos. After dinner, they adjourned to the boardroom next to John D.’s office. Bill was informed that he was sitting in the seat just vacated by Mr. Rockefeller himself. The dinner and meeting lasted five hours.
    As he was leaving, Amos approached Bill and asked him to take on an alcoholic known to both Amos and Richardson: Jack D. This must have felt like a test to Bill; nevertheless, he agreed to “start work with him, provided [Jack D.] was willing.”

In 1939 [Dec 20?, possibly Nov 29?], The Akron “alcoholic squad” distanced itself from the Oxford Group. Meetings were relocated from the residence of T. Henry and Clarace Williams to the homes of Dr. Bob S. and other members.

In 1941, the first A.A. meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, took place in Room 152 of the Henry Hotel [left]. It had been arranged by two non-alcoholics, Tim O’Leary and attorney David Janavitz, both of whom had alcoholic employees. Attendees included Si H., Howell J., Jake H., Arch K., and Jim K. In early 1941, the group would relocate to the downtown YMCA on Wood St. However, they would soon have to vacate the “Y” as space was needed for servicemen preparing for war. Over the next few years, the group would move half a dozen more times.

In 1949, in a letter to Jack Alexander, Bill W. outlined major turning points in A.A.’s development, including the decision to leave the Oxford Group, Rockefeller's insistence that they did not need money, formation of the Alcoholic Foundation, and the writing of the first two chapters of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.

December 12 in A.A. History

In 1865, Ella A. Brock and Gardner F. Griffith [left] were married in Dorset, Vermont, by Rev. W. W. Whitney [right: marriage record]. They would have three children: Clarence H. (1867), Emily E. (1870), and Amelia B. (1876). In 1895, Emily would give birth to Bill W.

In 1890, William “Bill” D. [left] was born in Bardwell, Kentucky. He would sober up in June 1935 at Akron Ohio’s City Hospital with the help of Bill W., Dr. Bob S., and possibly Edgar R. His story, “Alcoholic Anonymous Number Three” appears in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th editions of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.

In 1937, Bill W. held a “setup meeting” the night before a group of alcoholics—chosen by Bill—was to attend a Monday dinner hosted by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. [right, c. 1937]. The attendees were Lois W.^*, Dr. Bob S., Paul S., Hank & Kathleen^* P., Ned^† P., Bill R., Joe T.^‡, and Fitz M. There is no known record of what transpired.

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^*Nonalcoholic

^†Ned had recently joined the New York Group. Hank had given him a job at Honor Dealers, but he wouldn't remain sober for long and would eventually prove to be a con man, relieving the Parkhursts of “a car, a new suit, and some of Hank’s papers” within a couple of months.

^‡Joe had been associated with the New York Group since 1936 but had fluctuated between drinking and sobriety. He was apparently deemed sober enough at this time to be invited to the dinner.

In 1940, an A.A. meeting was held in St. Louis, Missouri, marking the first such gathering in the city and in the state. 
    After returning from his meeting with Bill W. at the 24th St. Clubhouse in New York City, Father Ed Dowling [left] was contacted by F., who claimed that his son-in-law had a drinking problem. However, it was actually F. himself who had the problem and needed help. With Father Ed’s support and encouragement, F. gathered four other prospective members and organized the first A.A. meeting in St. Louis—and in the state of Missouri—at the Gibson Hotel [right], 5883 Enright Ave.

December 11 in A.A. History

In 1934, it was a typical winter day in New York City, with temperatures around 20℉ [-6.7℃], accompanied by wind and clouds. Following an angry argument with his wife, Lois [near right], the day before, Bill W. [far right] spent a disastrous night on the subway begging for money to buy booze, then drinking himself into oblivion. Bill returned home to 182 Clinton St., Brooklyn, in the morning. Lois was at work.
    Upon seeing the damage he had inflicted by throwing Lois’ sewing machine against the wall during their fight, Bill felt a deep sense of remorse. Remembering Ebby T.’s success with the Oxford Group, he wrote a note for Lois explaining that he was heading to Charles B. Towns Hospital [left, c. 1940] for his fourth round of treatment for alcoholism there. With only 6¢ in his pocket and the subway fare costing a nickel, he stopped at a grocery store where he still had credit and bought four bottles of beer. He arrived at Towns Hospital with a beer in one hand and two philosophy books in the other, announcing to Dr. Silkworth [right] that he had found the answer. Those beers would be Bill’s last, as he was admitted for the final time to undergo the Towns-Lambert treatment.^*
    For the rest of his life, Bill would give this date as the day of his last drink.

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*The treatment in brief: Every hour, day and night, for two days, administer a mixture of three herbal extracts: Belladonna (deadly nightshade, 7.4 ml) [top right], Hyoscyamus (prickly ash, a trace?) [middle right], and Xanthoxylum (henbane, 3.7 ml) [bottom right] (note that omitting any of these ingredients interferes with the “cessation of desire” effect, i.e., stopping cravings). The dosage depends on the body's reaction to belladonna. If the face flushes, the throat dries, and the pupils dilate, stop or reduce the dosage until these symptoms subside. However, the treatment must continue until these signs appear, or the cravings will not disappear completely. Additionally, every twelve hours, administer a strong laxative of C.C. (Compound Cathartic) pills (80 gr. extracti colocynthidis compositi, 60 gr. hydrargyri chloridi mitis, 16 gr. cambogiae and 20 gr. resinae jalapae) and blue mass (typically 34% rose honey, 33% mercury, 25% althea (or hollyhock or marshmallow), 5% licorice and 3% glycerin). Once a significant number of green stools appear, give castor oil to completely cleanse the gut.

In 1937 , Dr. Bob S. [far left] and Paul S. [near left] drove from Akron to Brooklyn, arriving late in the day. They would be among the alcoholics attending a dinner given by associates of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. the following Monday, two days later.

In 1941, in Texas, The Dallas Morning News reported, “Alcoholics Anonymous Chapter Formed Here to Aid Victims” [right].

December 10 in A.A. History

In 1934, having gone to Calvary Church Rescue Mission just three days earlier with Ebby T. while drunk, and then spending two days at home detoxing, Bill W. returned home roaring drunk. This provoked an argument with his wife, Lois, who angrily shouted, “You don’t even have the decency to die! You’re crazy! You’re! Crazy!” In a fit of rage, Bill picked up her sewing machine [right: a 1934 model] and threw it against the wall, terrifying Lois. He then left and rode the subways all night, panhandling for money to buy booze. For a long time, Lois was plagued by deep regret for her outburst.

In 1975, the first Birds of a Feather (BOAF) Nest (i.e., group) was formed in Seattle, Washington. From their website:

    Birds of a Feather International [left: logo] is a worldwide network of meetings based on the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. It was established for pilots and cockpit crew members active or inactive in private, commercial or military aviation. BOAF provides AA meetings worldwide (including ZOOM [Oops! Not all these are what you might think!] meetings), a yearly convention, a newsletter and a website for pilots and cockpit crew members in recovery.

December 9 in A.A. History

In 1985, David “Dave” B. [right], 76, died with 40 years of sobriety. In April 1944, he founded the Montreal Group, the first A.A. group in Quebec, and served as a Class B (alcoholic) General Service Board Trustee from 1962 to 1964. His story, “Gratitude In Action,” appeared in the fourth edition of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.
    In 1959, Quebec had established its own literature committee—Les Editions Francaises A.A.—where Dave had played a significant role in translating the Big Book and other A.A. materials into French, advising the General Service Office on the challenges encountered. One outcome was a French version of the Big Book, le Gros Livre, Les Alcooliques anonymes, which became the foundational text for all French-speaking groups worldwide.

December 8 in A.A. History

In 1903, test pilot Charles Manly made a second attempt at manned flight in Professor Langley’s heavier-than-air craft. His first attempt in October had ended in a crash into the Potomac River after a wing apparently clipped the launcher. The plane was still catapulted, still lacked landing gear, still had controls only for pitch and yaw, and still had none for roll [see diagram at left]. During this second attempt, the plane broke apart as it was launched toward the Potomac. Miraculously, Manly survived once again.
    Newspapers took great delight in reporting the failures [right: The New York Times, 10 Dec 1903, page 8], and some Congressmen harshly criticized the project.
    The Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, refers to these events in the chapter “We Agnostics” on page 51.

December 7 in A.A. History

In 1934, Ebby T. took a drunken Bill W. to the Oxford Group meeting at Calvary Church Rescue Mission [right] after Bill had expressed interest the day before. At the meeting, Bill ended up “testifying” from the podium, and perhaps even accepting Jesus Christ as his Savior. Amazingly, on the way home, Bill lost all desire to drink and spent the next two days in his bedroom tapering off alcohol.

In 1949, Sister Ignatia accepted the College of Steubenville’s 1st annual Poverello Medal of St. Francis of Assisi [far left: The New York Times announcement, 3 Dec 1949, p. 14, the medal itself, and the certificate that came with it] on behalf of “the entire fellowship” of Alcoholics Anonymous, in recognition of its “tremendous contribution… to Humanity.”

In 2022, the United Kingdom’s BBC Two premiered the documentary I’m An Alcoholic: Inside Recovery, which for the first time allowed cameras into Alcoholics Anonymous (UK) meetings while protecting members’ anonymity through the use of deep-fake imagery. This potentially troubling visual manipulation technique demonstrated a positive application in this context, as it altered members’ faces to make them unrecognizable to close friends [right: altered faces, as seen in the film]. The one-off documentary also explored the organization’s roots in the pre-World War II United States and discussed its role in modern society, commemorating A.A.’s 75th anniversary in the UK. London England’s The Guardian described it as “a sensitive and impeccably balanced documentary.”