1940: In Brownwood, Texas,
The Collegian, “official publication of the student association of
Daniel Baker College,” printed an unsigned article titled “Down With Demon
Rum” [right] concerning Alcoholics Anonymous. The article began:
1941: The Saturday Evening Post published Jack Alexander’s article,
“Alcoholics Anonymous: Freed Slaves of Drink, Now They Free Others” [right:
cover; below selected pages], which caused a national sensation. “Came then the deluge,” Bill W. wrote.
The Alcoholic Foundation office in New York City was overwhelmed with 6,000
frantic appeals from alcoholics and their families. Within a year,
membership skyrocketed from 2,000 to 8,000.
Bill and Ruth Hock, A.A. National
Secretary, sifted through the flood of letters, alternating between laughter
and tears. It quickly became clear that they couldn’t handle the mail alone;
form letters would not suffice. Each letter needed a thoughtful, personal
response. Having anticipated a strong response, Lois W. had already
organized typists into teams and scheduled those who could not type to
answer phones.
Despite their preparations, the response
far exceeded expectations. Meeting attendance doubled within days, and
newcomers began going on 12th Step calls to assist other alcoholics just
weeks later. Ruth Hock, Margaret “Bobbie” B., Lois, and the volunteers
worked tirelessly 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 to prompt editors nationwide to recognize the story
as newsworthy, but the story went beyond mere reporting; it endorsed A.A.’s
effectiveness. It is difficult for us today to grasp the imimmense
excitement this article generated among A.A. members.
The backstory: Jim B.
[right]
had just moved to Philadelphia and was trying to convince a local bookstore
to carry the Big Book. The bookstore manager was uninterested, but a woman
named Helen Hammer overheard their conversation. She spoke up, sharing that
she had sent the book to her alcoholic nephew in Los Angeles, who had
sobered up immediately and remained sober for three months. Still, the
store manager was unimpressed. When Mrs. Hammer learned of Jim’s
efforts to start a group in Philadelphia, she introduced him to her husband,
Dr. A. Weise Hammer
[left]
(who would play a significant role in Philadelphia A.A. history).
Dr. Hammer was a friend of Judge Curtis
Bok* [right, 1933], who had influence at The Saturday Evening Post. He persuaded Bok to have
the magazine feature A.A. Bok then urged the editors to assign Jack
Alexander, an experienced and cynical reporter, to write the story.
Alexander was chosen for his hard-nosed reputation; he had recently
completed a major exposé on New Jersey rackets and took pride in his
skepticism.
If you've been troubled with pink elephants in the dormitories or your fraternity house, fret no more, gentle readers. Demon Rum is about to be catapulted from whence he came.
Here in New York a group of sixty brave souls who once gazed with affection on the wine when it was red, have at long last come to know the villain for what he is. What is more, they have organized a club called Alcoholics Anonymous; and the other evening, they were dined, but not wined, by John D. Rockefeller, himself.
1941: The Saturday Evening Post published Jack Alexander’s article,
“Alcoholics Anonymous: Freed Slaves of Drink, Now They Free Others” [right:
cover; below selected pages], which caused a national sensation. “Came then the deluge,” Bill W. wrote.
The Alcoholic Foundation office in New York City was overwhelmed with 6,000
frantic appeals from alcoholics and their families. Within a year,
membership skyrocketed from 2,000 to 8,000.
Bill and Ruth Hock, A.A. National
Secretary, sifted through the flood of letters, alternating between laughter
and tears. It quickly became clear that they couldn’t handle the mail alone;
form letters would not suffice. Each letter needed a thoughtful, personal
response. Having anticipated a strong response, Lois W. had already
organized typists into teams and scheduled those who could not type to
answer phones.
Despite their preparations, the response
far exceeded expectations. Meeting attendance doubled within days, and
newcomers began going on 12th Step calls to assist other alcoholics just
weeks later. Ruth Hock, Margaret “Bobbie” B., Lois, and the volunteers
worked tirelessly 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 to prompt editors nationwide to recognize the story
as newsworthy, but the story went beyond mere reporting; it endorsed A.A.’s
effectiveness. It is difficult for us today to grasp the imimmense
excitement this article generated among A.A. members.
The backstory: Jim B.
[right]
had just moved to Philadelphia and was trying to convince a local bookstore
to carry the Big Book. The bookstore manager was uninterested, but a woman
named Helen Hammer overheard their conversation. She spoke up, sharing that
she had sent the book to her alcoholic nephew in Los Angeles, who had
sobered up immediately and remained sober for three months. Still, the
store manager was unimpressed. When Mrs. Hammer learned of Jim’s
efforts to start a group in Philadelphia, she introduced him to her husband,
Dr. A. Weise Hammer
[left]
(who would play a significant role in Philadelphia A.A. history).
Dr. Hammer was a friend of Judge Curtis
Bok* [right, 1933], who had influence at The Saturday Evening Post. He persuaded Bok to have
the magazine feature A.A. Bok then urged the editors to assign Jack
Alexander, an experienced and cynical reporter, to write the story.
Alexander was chosen for his hard-nosed reputation; he had recently
completed a major exposé on New Jersey rackets and took pride in his
skepticism.
*President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Curtis Bok has
often been mistakenly described as the owner or editor of The Saturday
Evening Post. In fact, the magazine was owned by Cyrus Curtis, who had
purchased it in 1897 and founded the Curtis Publishing Company, serving as
president from 1891 to 1922. The confusion likely stems from Bok’s
relationships within the Curtis family. Curtis Bok was the son of Edward
Bok—a former editor of The Saturday Evening Post—and Mary Louise
Curtis—Cyrus Curtis’s daughter. Thus, Bok was the nephew of the owner,
shared his given name with the owner, and his surname with the former
editor’s.
