April 29 in A.A. History

1998: [April 30?] Sybil C. [right] died in Los Angeles, California, just 21 days before her 90th birthday. A woman of many past lives, she had been a bootlegger and a dance-hall girl. She was also a foundational figure in Alcoholics Anonymous, notably serving as the first executive secretary for California A.A. and archivist for the Long Beach (California) Central Office (now Harbor Area CO). Sybil held the distinction of being the first woman to join A.A. west of the Mississippi River, maintaining her sobriety since 23 March 1941. In later talks, she famously introduced herself with the memorable line, “My name is Sybil Doris Adams Stratton Hart Maxwell Willis C., and I’m an alcoholic.”

Today in A.A. History—April 29–30

1950: The Third Annual Regional Alcoholics Anonymous Conference held a two-day event at the Onondaga Hotel [left, 1910], located at the corner of S. Warren and E. Jefferson Streets in Syracuse, New York. Session topics included [right: pp. 2-3, 4 of program]

• A.A. Life or Death Matter	• A.A. Information Not Reformation
• A.A. Meetings as an Opportunity for Growth and Service	• John Barleycorn—Friend or Foe?	• A.A. Traditions
• A.A. Group Life and Conscience	• Our Debt of Gratitude to Non-Alcoholic	• A.A. Women Only
• Our A.A. Prayer	• Area Harmony	• Working with Others

April in A.A. History—day unknown

1961: In his A.A. Grapevine [left: cover] article, “The Dilemma of No Faith,” Bill W. argued that “God As We Understand Him” is Alcoholics Anonymous’s most important phrase. He explained that this phrase ensures the program’s spiritual inclusivity, welcoming members without requiring adherence to any particular faith or theology. Wilson worried that misunderstanding this principle keeps desperate alcoholics away, and then, with a striking confession, turned the lens on himself:

In AA’s first years I all but ruined the whole undertaking with this sort of unconscious arrogance. God as I understood Him had to be for everybody.

    Bill then recounted what he called “purely a social evening” with “an M.D. and a fine one” and his wife. During the evening, Bill monopolized the conversation, focusing solely on A.A. The couple “seemed truly interested,” and the doctor “asked many questions.” One question led Bill to suspect the doctor might be an atheist or, at least, an agnostic. Triggered by this realization, Bill “set out to convert him, then and there,” admitting he “actually bragged about my spectacular spiritual experience.” The doctor, mildly, wondered aloud if that experience might be interpreted differently than Bill believed. In response, Bill became “downright rude.” Despite Bill’s behavior, the doctor remained “uniformly courteous, good humored [sic] and even respectful” throughout the conversation.
    Three years later, Bill encountered the doctor’s wife again and learned he had died the previous week. Deeply affected, she spoke of her husband’s profound contributions to those around him, made despite suffering that only became known after his death. Bill then said,

    This was the story of a man of great spiritual worth. The hallmarks were plain to be seen: humor and patience, gentleness and courage, humility and dedication, unselfishness and love—a demonstration I might never come near to making myself. This was the man I had chided and patronized. This was the "unbeliever" I had presumed to instruct!
    … for the first time, it burst in upon me how very dead faith can be—when minus responsibility. The doctor had an unwavering belief in his ideals. But he also practiced humility, wisdom and responsibility. Hence his superb demonstration.

    His message was a call for humility and genuine tolerance, to be fostered both within the fellowship and in his own heart.