September 13 in A.A. History

1937: [March 1937? March 1938?] Florence R. of Westfield, New Jersey, became the first woman to get sober in the New York City group of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) and the second woman to do so anywhere. She was the ex‑wife of a man Bill W. knew from Wall Street; she had divorced him, thinking this would eliminate the cause of her drinking.

She ended up in Bellevue Hospital [right, c. late 1930s], where her ex‑husband took Bill’s wife Lois to see her. Bill and Lois got her out of Belle­vue, and she stayed with them for a while before moving in with other A.A. members and Ruth Hock. She began attending meetings in March 1937 but struggled with maintaining her sobriety. Because of her, the name “One Hundred Men” would be discarded for the Big Book and the publishing company of the same name.

After she got sober, her story, “A Feminine Victory,” was included in the first edition of Alcoholics Anonymous. In writing it, she prayed for inspiration to tell her story in a way that would encourage other women to seek the help she had received.

1939: According to index cards of members maintained by the Central Office in Chicago, Illinois, Sylvia K. [left] had sobered up on this date. Her doctor, Seth Brown of Evanston, Illinois, had somehow learned about the new book, Alcoholics Anonymous, despite the lack of publicity at that time. He read it and called Sylvia, who would later say, “That call marked the turning point in my life.”

She is widely regarded as the first woman to achieve permanent sobriety and would play a crucial role in founding Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) in Chicago. Her story, “Keys to the Kingdom,” appeared in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions of Alcoholics Anonymous.

1941: WHJP in Jacksonville, Florida, aired “Spotlight on A.A.,” the first ever radio series about Alcoholics Anonymous.

1946: Bob H., Mr. P., and Bill W., all members of the Richmond (Virginia) Group of Alcoholics Anonymous, presented a program about the Fellowship at the Rotary Club.

According to a September 19 article titled “Alcoholics Anonymous Put On Rotary Program” [right] published by the Rappahannock Record of Kilmarnock, Virginia, Bob “told about the organization and the work it is doing across the country,” while Mr. Philips and Bill…

gave personal experiences of their lives as alcoholics, telling how they had lost their business, friends and everything they had as drunks in the gutter before starting life anew as members of Alcoholics Anonymous.… Alcoholics Anonymous is composed of alcoholics who have voluntarily joined the organization and have overcome the curse of drink. The speakers said that about 75% those who join stay with the organization and never take another drink thus becoming useful citizens of society again.

1952: Hector G. was admitted to a clinic in Buenos Aires [left: location of Buenos Aires in Argentina], for serious alcoholism. There, he was treated by Dr. Roberto Pochat, an Argentine physician who had recently returned from the United States, where he completed a course on alcoholism at Yale University. Additionally, Dr. Pochat had been in contact with many members of Alcoholics Anonymous in the U.S., who had explained A.A. methods to him in great detail and facilitated his attendance at numerous meetings.

During Hector’s hospitalization, Dr. Pochat had him read A.A. pamphlets and the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous (in English), and suggested that he seek help from the Alcoholic Foundation in New York City after his discharge.

1969: Leonard V. Harrison [right], 77, Chairman of the Alcoholic Foundation Board of Trustees from March 1942 to October 1950 and from April 1956 to April 1961, died at his home. He also served as Commissioner of Welfare for New York City and was a director of the Community Service Society of New York [City].