1938:
At Bill W.’s request, Dr. William D. Silkworth
[left]
wrote a letter of recommendation titled “To Whom It May Concern”
[right]
to assist in fundraising for the book that would become
Alcoholics Anonymous. This letter, with some modifications, became
the first part of Silkworth’s contribution to the chapter known as “The
Doctor’s Opinion.” The second part of his contribution was probably
submitted shortly before the Multilith printing in February 1939.
1941: Dale A. [left]
began hosting Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) meetings in his home, located
across the street from the North City Tavern* [right, 1928]
in Shoreline, Washington. In March, Dale had reached out to the Alcoholic
Foundation after reading Jack Alexander’s article about A.A. in the March
1941 issue of The Saturday Evening Post, and then attended his first
A.A. meeting. Over time, many people came to recognize Dale as founding
father of Seattle A.A.
*The tavern, located at 17554 15th Ave NE, is 10.6 mi [17.06 km] north of
Seattle. Originally a grocery store, it has been known as the North City
Lounge since 1990.
A.A. History—month & day unknown
1946: American publicist Herbert “Herb” D., an Alcoholics Anonymous
(A.A.) member from Chicago, Illinois, traveled to Rio de Janeiro
[right, 1945], then the capital of Brazil. Before his trip, Herb, who had sobered up
in 1943, visited the Alcoholic Foundation in New York City to identify
A.A. members he could connect with in Brazil. There, he learned about Lynn
G., who got sober in after Bob V., a friend of Bill W.’s, approached him
(or her) during a visit to Rio in 1945. Unfortunately, when Herb
arrived, he was unable to locate Lynn. He then contacted the Alcoholic
Foundation for more contacts and offered to become an A.A. liaison in
Brazil.
A.A. History—year, month & day unknown
≥1946: Solomon M., a Black translator at the Johannesburg Law Courts
[left], resided in Alexandra Township
[right]
on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa. After a recent binge left
him and his family struggling for food, he stumbled upon a discarded
Reader’s Digest while wandering the streets, hungover. Leafing through it,
he discovered an article about Alcoholics Anonymous, which sparked a
glimmer of hope within him. Hastening back to his small one-room
dwelling, he promptly wrote to the address provided in the article. Soon,
he received a pamphlet called “AA” containing excerpts from the Big Book
of Alcoholics Anonymous. These materials aided him in achieving and
sustaining sobriety. Though Solomon was the first A.A. member in South
Africa, he chose not to start a group, choosing to remain a solitary
participant. Nonetheless, he stayed sober for numerous years, earning him
the title of the earliest “Loner” there.1946–47: The Washington, D.C. Colored Group of Alcoholics Anonymous started with 15 members at different stages of sobriety and grew to nearly 30 members in its second year. During this period, the group changed its name to the Cosmopolitan Group, to welcome all alcoholics, irrespective of race. Dr. James “Jim” S. Jr., the founder, began searching for a meeting space. Despite receiving praise from several ministers, he couldn’t secure a venue. Eventually, the Anthony Bowen YMCA
[left, before 1982]
at 1616 12th St. NW offered them a room for $2.00
[~$30 in 2026]
per night. Charlie G., Bill A., and Chase H. from D.C.’s pioneering
Alcoholics Anonymous group, the Old Central Group, provided
assistance.
In Jim’s story in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions of the Big Book,
Alcoholics Anonymous, “Jim’s Story”, he pointed out,
They [white A.A. groups] came, many of them and stuck by us and told us how to hold meetings. They taught us a great deal about Twelfth Step work too. Indeed, without their aid we couldn’t possibly have gone on. They saved us endless time and lost motion. And, not only that, but they gave us financial help. Even when we were paying that two dollars a night, they often paid it for us because our collection was so small.
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