1926: [Date uncertain*] Bill and Lois W. [right: on the
Harley, 1925]
were involved in a serious motorcycle accident while traveling through the
eastern U.S. on their Harley-Davidson, conducting research on publicly
traded companies. The day before, in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, they had
decided to head straight home to arrive in time for her sister Kitty’s
wedding on June 17. In 1973, Lois wrote,Just outside of Dayton, Tennessee, I was driving on a sandy road, which apparently ran straight ahead, when suddenly, hidden by a large barn, it made a sharp angled turn to the right. I tried to force the wheels, but the sand was too deep and over we went. Bill, in the sidecar, was thrown over my head, breaking his collarbone as he landed; I twisted my leg, causing water on the knee; the equipment flew in every direction; and the trunk burst open.
Luckily a man in a car soon came along and drove us, dazed and badly scratched, to a doctor in town who set Bill’s shoulder, bandaged my knee, and there being no hospital, settled us in a hotel room over his office.
During our week’s stay there, Bill and I tried to picture what the town had been like the year before during the Scopes Evolution trial. We imagined William Jennings Bryan as he paced back and forth on one of the hotel’s five fancy grill-railed balconies rehearsing his speech, and Clarence Darrow with his chair tilted back against the wall and his feet on the rail, haranguing a coterie of youths; while the streets were crowded with visitors come to hear the great orator and see the show.
It wasn’t too long before we were able to return to the fateful corner. The man who had picked us up had collected all our duffle and put it and the motorcycle into the barn, as he said he would. Although the door was left open, and more than a week had passed, not a single article was missing; even such attractive and easily packed items as the traveling clock, compass and radio were all there.
We made arrangements to have the motorcycle and most of the gear shipped to Brooklyn. Then in a few days, when the doctor said we could travel, we took the train for home.
*Lois and Bill had arrived in Muscle Shoals on the evening of the 16th, just
before dark. On the 17th, Lois wrote her final diary entry, noting: “There
are great plans for the development of the whole area around Muscle Shoals…”
The date of their departure for home, given here as the 18th, assumes they
spent the 17th exploring Muscle Shoals. The distance to Dayton, Tennessee,
is only about 210 miles [~340 km].
1950: Upon learning that A.A. members in Akron, Ohio, were hoping to erect a
large monument to him, Dr. Bob S. told Bill W., “I reckon we ought to
be buried like other folks”
[left: Dr. Bob and Anne’s grave]. Bill recounted this in his “Dr. Bob” tribute in the January 1951 A.A.
Grapevine:A year ago, when Anne passed away, the thought of an imposing shaft came uppermost in the minds of many. People were insistent that something be done. Hearing rumors of this, Dr. Bob promptly declared against AAs erecting for Anne and himself any tangible memorials or monument. These usual symbols of personal distinction he brushed aside in a single devastating sentence. Said he, “Annie and I plan to be buried just like other folks.”
1978: At 1:10 a.m., an explosive device, believed to be dynamite, detonated
at the front door of what the FBI identified as “the Alcoholics Anonymous
Faith Club”
[right]
at 2814* Clovis Road in Lubbock, Texas. While there were A.A.
meetings there, the Faith Group & Club—its proper name—was also a bingo
parlor and a drug and alcohol treatment/recovery center. Fortunately, no
injuries were reported; however, property damage was estimated at
$2,500
[~$12,700 in 2026].
Lubbock police and the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to the scene. The FBI, Secret
Service, and an Assistant U.S. District Attorney for the Northern District
of Texas were also notified. The ATF agreed that the “FBI would assume
jurisdiction… due to possible terrorist involvement.” The FBI attempted to
determine whether any “known militant Mexican-American organizations
operating in the Lubbock area, or any incidents which would create a climate
for militant activity,” However, no suspects were ever identified, and no
charges were filed
[left: first non-cover page, redacted, of 37-page FOIA response regarding this
incident].
*Now 2819 Clovis Road.
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