August 21 in A.A. History

1988: During the 1st Canadian National A.A. Convention at the Halifax Metro Centre [left, 2006]—renamed Scotiabank Centre in 2014—in Halifax, Nova Scotia, a group of LGBTQ members met at the Sheraton Hotel. In 2011, Mike A., who attended the event, recounted the details of that meeting:

In August, 1988 we had the first Canadian National AA Roundup [sic] which had nearly 5,000 people at one time in the Metro Center. People from all over the US and Canada (and perhaps other continents, not sure) came to this gathering. Eyebrows were raised, eyes rolled when 3 people who got up to read Steps, Traditions, etc. said “Hello, my name is _____ and I am a GAY alcoholic.” The G Word caused a slight flap. One member, JJL―― [right], met a number of friends of Bill W. and ‘Dorothy.’ He was tall and carrying a shoulder-bag, they couldn’t miss him. Someone said, “There are an awful lot of ‘us’ here, perhaps we should have our own meeting!” A Flyer [sic] was typed up and put on notice boards and a member from Vancouver said we could have a meeting in his Suite (at the Sheraton, now the Marriott) which had a large meeting room.

Twenty-seven people came to our meeting on Sunday afternoon. Surprise! We’re everywhere! It was a most uplifting meeting, we were all impressed that so many nice people came on short notice. Several people said, “Hey! We could have our own Roundup!”

Georgina C―― and Leonard, Mike A.’s partner, were surprised that they were nominated—right out of the blue—to be our first Co-Chairs. They accepted (relent­ed?) and a date was set for October to have a meeting to discuss the possibilities.

The result would be the Courage Roundup [left: logo], “an annual gathering of LGBT alcoholics and those affected by the alcoholism of others, that is, an LGBT Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon.”

A.A. History—month & day unknown

1959: [Late] The General Service Office (GSO) and A.A. Grapevine staff, having moved to 141 E. 44th St. [right, c. 1940] a few years earlier, were now experiencing a “hopelessly cramped” environment there. A small group that included Bill W., Nell Wing, and Edward “Ed” Bierstadt, a writer and editor assisting Bill with various writing projects, worked separately elsewhere. To address the overcrowding, Alcoholics Anon­ymous. rented the entire 18th floor at 305 E. 45th St. [left, in background, c. 1940], consolidating both groups in a building that had once housed GSO’s shipping department on the 12th floor. Since the new location was a loft, the space required the construction of offices, restrooms, and work areas, a process that took about a year. Nell, who shared a large office with Bill, was “tickled” to be reunited with the rest of the GSO team.

For Dennis Manders [right, 1967], GSO’s longtime non-alcoholic controller responsible for overseeing the ½ mile [~800 m] move, the experience was a nightmare, particularly because the 44th Street building was partially residential. Building managers prohibited the furniture from exiting through the lobby, so every desk, chair, and file cabinet had to be carried to the basement and maneuvered up a narrow staircase to the sidewalk and into the moving truck. The entire move was completed overnight, after the office closed.

There was no extra space at the new location. Shortly after the move, GSO began knocking down walls to expand, and additional space was acquired on another floor for meeting rooms. Nevertheless, the annual rent decreased from about $6.50 [~$75 in 2026] to $3.25 [~$37 in 2026] per square foot.

A.A. History—year, month & day unknown

1950s: [Late] Alcoholics in Argentina began organizing La Oficina de Servicios Generales (OSG) de Alcohólicos Anónimos en Argentina (The General Service Office (GSO) of Alcoholics Anonymous in Argentina).