1939: Ruth Hock [left]
informed Edward Blackwell, president of Cornwall Publishing, where to send
the first copies of Alcoholics Anonymous upon completion of printing. In her
letter, she requested that 6 copies be sent to Frank Amos
[right]
and 12 to Willard Richardson
[left], both non-alcoholic trustees of the Alcoholic Foundation. Hock added, “It
is Mr. [Hank] P――’s understanding that these will be delivered on Monday,
April 10th, without fail.” Amos intended to take all 6 copies to Ohio the
following day, while Richardson requested 2 copies for himself and the
remaining 10 for the
Alcoholic Foundation.
That same day, Hank wrote to both men,
telling them that they should expect the book on Monday and requesting
prompt payment. Knowing that Richardson was ill, Amos contacted A. LeRoy
Chipman
[right],
another non-alcoholic trustee, and asked him to accept the delivery on
behalf of the Alcoholic Foundation.
1941: Following the March 1 publication of Jack Alexander’s article, “Alcoholics Anonymous: Freed Slaves of Drink, Now They Free Others” in The Saturday Evening Post
[left: cover], the Alcoholic Foundation received 1,500 letters requesting assistance,
according to Ruth Hock. Ruth, Bill W., and Margaret “Bobbie” B.
[right]
quickly realized they couldn’t manage the correspondence alone. Form
letters were inadequate; each required a personalized, thoughtful response.
Anticipating this surge, Lois W. had already organized typing teams and
scheduled non-typists to answer phones. Despite these preparations, the
volume of requests overwhelmed them, eventually reaching 8,000 letters and
taking five to six weeks to answer.
1944: David “Dave” B. [left]
got sober in Alcoholics Anonymous. He became a founder of A.A. in the
province of Quebec and served as a Class B (alcoholic) Trustee from 1962–64.
His story, “Gratitude In Action,” appeared in the 4th edition of the Big
Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.
[right]
and 12 to Willard Richardson
[left], both non-alcoholic trustees of the Alcoholic Foundation. Hock added, “It
is Mr. [Hank] P――’s understanding that these will be delivered on Monday,
April 10th, without fail.” Amos intended to take all 6 copies to Ohio the
following day, while Richardson requested 2 copies for himself and the
remaining 10 for the
Alcoholic Foundation.
That same day, Hank wrote to both men,
telling them that they should expect the book on Monday and requesting
prompt payment. Knowing that Richardson was ill, Amos contacted A. LeRoy
Chipman
[right],
another non-alcoholic trustee, and asked him to accept the delivery on
behalf of the Alcoholic Foundation.1941: Following the March 1 publication of Jack Alexander’s article, “Alcoholics Anonymous: Freed Slaves of Drink, Now They Free Others” in The Saturday Evening Post
[left: cover], the Alcoholic Foundation received 1,500 letters requesting assistance,
according to Ruth Hock. Ruth, Bill W., and Margaret “Bobbie” B.
[right]
quickly realized they couldn’t manage the correspondence alone. Form
letters were inadequate; each required a personalized, thoughtful response.
Anticipating this surge, Lois W. had already organized typing teams and
scheduled non-typists to answer phones. Despite these preparations, the
volume of requests overwhelmed them, eventually reaching 8,000 letters and
taking five to six weeks to answer.
1944: David “Dave” B. [left]
got sober in Alcoholics Anonymous. He became a founder of A.A. in the
province of Quebec and served as a Class B (alcoholic) Trustee from 1962–64.
His story, “Gratitude In Action,” appeared in the 4th edition of the Big
Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.
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