1938: Jeremiah D. Maguire [left, 1935], President of the Federation Bank and Trust Company, received a copy of
Hank P.’s “neatly gotten up brochure” from Bill W.. The brochure included
the latest versions of “There Is A Solution” and “Bill’s Story.” In his
reply to Bill, Maguire expressed his approval:I have not read [it] intently, but such extracts as I have had opportunity to read prove the document a very interesting one and I shall take the opportunity to read it more at more length.… On my return from the Bankers Convention,… I will try to work out an appointment with you.1944: The first issue—Vol. I, No. 1—of the A.A. Grapevine was published in an edition of 1,200 copies.
It was launched by six volunteers, to whom Bill W. referred as “six ink-stained wretches,” and was intended for members in the New York City area and GIs overseas. A one-year subscription cost $1.50 [~$28.38 in 2026], and 165 subscriptions were sold.
An article in that first issue identified the six volunteers as “a cashier; a radio script writer [sic]; an author; a bookseller; an art director; a wife and mother of two.” Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age later named them as “Marty [M.], Priscilla [P.], Lois K., Abbott [‘Bud’ T.], Maeve [S.], and Kay.” Bill W. also acknowledged Grace O. and her husband Fulton as “moving spirits.” However, the July/August/September 2007 issue of Culture, Alcohol & Society Quarterly identified the group as
“Abbot [sic] (Bud) T.; Lois K., Priscilla P., Chase H., Marty M., and
Felicia G.”
Priscilla P.—Marty’s partner and an artist who later became an
art director for prestigious magazines in both the U.S. and Europe—designed
the masthead
[right].June in A.A. History—day unknown
1947:
The A.A. Grapevine reported the establishment of a new “first” A.A.
group in Anchorage, Alaska
[left, 1945], led by Herman C. This group continues to meet today.A year earlier, Jay B. and Shielan R. founded what was originally considered the first group in Anchorage: the Sourdough Group. It grew to six members, but most were transient, including Shielan, who eventually returned to the lower 48. As a result, the group disbanded.
1948: The Davenport Group, with its three members, became the first A.A. group in New Zealand to register with the Alcoholic Foundation in New York City [near right: looking across Waitemata Harbour from Auckland (foreground) to Davenport (upper left background), 1948; far right: looking from Davenport to Auckland, 2007].
1948: The A.A. Grapevine published a short piece titled “Calling All Hams” [below left: directional beam antenna mounted on a ham tower antenna]. It read:
A letter in last August’s Grapevine, describing the writer as an “AA Ham” and giving his government call letter [sic], brought amateur radio operator “Lew” in Seaford, Delaware many new AA friends who enjoy the same hobby. The letter, which gave his address—Box 312, Seaford, Del.—has resulted in a mountain of correspondence, too. “I sure have gotten a kick,” writes Lew, “out of the letters I have received from all over the country and Canada. The Grapevine sure gets around. I am doing some long distance Twelfth Step work.”
Following up Lew’s nice experience, we're glad to publish another “AA Ham’s” signal and address: Operator “Frank,” Amateur Radio W8QJR,* Sigs 594, McComb, Ohio. His address: Box 557, Findlay, Ohio. (Not being “hams” ourselves, we've probably garbled this, but no doubt the “amateur experts” can untangle it.)
*In the A.A. Grapevine’s digital archive, this article has one character in Frank’s call
letters is incorrect (but corrected here), which would have made him
unreachable by amateur radio.
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