July 14 in A.A. History

1949: In a letter to Rev. Sam Shoemaker [far left], Bill W. wrote, “So far as I am concerned, and Dr S―― too, the Oxford Group seeded AA. It was our spiritual wellspring at the beginning.” Bill later expressed regret for not having also written to Frank Buchman [near left]. In Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, Bill wrote: 

Early A.A. got its ideas of self-examination, acknowledgment of character defects, restitution for harm done, and working with others straight from the Oxford Groups [sic] and directly from Sam Shoemaker, their former leader in America, and from nowhere else.

1950: The front page of The San Quentin News—a unique, non-profit, monthly newspaper written and edited by incarcerated individuals at San Quentin State Prison in California—was overprinted in red with “Greetings [to the] First International Conference [of] Alcoholics Anonymous” [right].

1955: A presentation copy of the first edition, fifth printing of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, was given to Henry “Hank” G. It contained over 400 dated signatures from participants, spanning 1945 to 1952. The front endpaper included additional signatures, such as those of Bill W., Dr. Bob S. and Hank himself.

The two founders’ inscriptions read:

For Hank. In truest affection and gratitude for all that has happened to him - and so to many - since he first saw the book. Evermore, Bill. NY, 7/14/55 [left]

With best wishes for continued success in A.A. [Dr. Bob S. (obviously, 1950 or earlier)]

Hank G. became the second general manager of the General Services Office of Alcoholics Anonymous in New York in 1953, succeeding Bob H. At that time, it was still a volunteer, part-time position. Presentation copies were typically prepared for trustees, board members, and general managers upon their retirement.

2023: The Star Tribune of Minneapolis, Minnesota, published an editorial by Steven Kind [right], Minnesota outreach coordinator for SMART Recovery. Titled “Counterpoint: AA helps many. For others, alternatives exist,” the editorial’s subtitle was “Not every recovery program puts God at the center.” The first three paragraphs read:

A July 10 commentary asked, “Could AA help more people if it were not Christian-centric?” Well, maybe, but there are better options out there for people who want a secular alternative to Alcoholics Anonymous.

While Alcoholics Anonymous has undeniably helped countless people, it is not for everyone. Just removing references to God from AA’s 12 steps does not address important underlying issues.

AA’s 12 steps call on members to admit they are powerless over alcohol and must rely on something outside of themselves to recover. The AA program treats addiction as a moral issue—or, as Step 2 suggests, a form of insanity.

A.A. History—month & day unknown

1937: [Late spring?] The nameless group of drunks that would eventually become the New York City Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) group separated from the Oxford Group (OG).

Before this separation, the group had been meeting at Bill and Lois W.’s home at 182 Clinton St. in Brooklyn. They were also attending Oxford Group (OG) meetings associated with Calvary Episcopal Church [left, 1925]. The rector of Calvary, Rev. Dr. Samuel Shoemaker [right], was also the leader of the Oxford Group in the U.S.

Calvary Episcopal Church hosted two sets of OG meetings: one in the Parish Hall, also known as Calvary House [below left, behind a wing of the church, 1925], adjacent to the church, and another a few blocks away at the Calvary Rescue Mission [below right], a shelter for the homeless owned and operated by Calvary Episcopal. Members of the nameless group attended both locations; the Parish Hall fostered their spirituality, while the Rescue Mission served primarily as a recruiting ground for new members. However, tensions between the New York City nameless group and the Oxford Group began to escalate.

Some non-alcoholic OG members, particularly leaders at the Rescue Mission, disapproved of the alcoholics’ exclusive focus on helping other alcoholics. This disapproval also extended to the other nameless group of alcoholics under Dr. Bob S.’s leadership in Akron, Ohio. Taking advantage of one of Shoemaker’s absences, leaders at the Mission prohibited alcoholic residents from attending the meetings at Bill and Lois’s home. The couple were accused of not being “maximum,” meaning they were not fully embracing OG principles, and consequently they stopped attending OG meetings.

In 1938, a quote from Frank Buchman, founder and world-wide leader of the Oxford Group, taken out of context, surfaced (via an interview published under the headline “Fascist World Ruled by God, Buchman Idea” [right] by the New York World-Telegram:

I thank heaven for a man like Adolph Hitler, who built a front-line of defense against the anti-Christ of Communism.

This statement further tarnished the OG’s reputation, and added to nameless groups’ desires to distance themselves from the OG.