February 28 in A.A. History

In 1937, ^*Dick S. [below, near right] regained consciousness in Akron City Hospital after a binge. He later learned that his younger brother Paul [below, middle right], who had been sober for nearly eight months, had given him 5½ ounces of paraldehyde—more than twice the dosage recommended by Dr. Bob [below, far right]. Dick would remain sober for the rest of his life.
    His story, “The Car Smasher,” appeared in the first edition of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, and outlined the four-step program he recommended:

First: Have a real desire to quit.
Second: Admit you can’t. (This is the hardest.)
Third: Ask for His ever-present help.
Fourth: Accept and acknowledge this help.

He later rewrote his story, which was retitled “He Had To Be Shown,” for the second and third editions of the Big Book.

---

^* “The Car Smasher” begins with, “During the first week of March 1937,… I ended 20 years of a life made practically useless [by drinking].” In contrast, the second-to-last paragraph of “He Had To Be Shown” states, “On Sunday when I came to, it was a bad, wet, snowy day in February 1937…”. Weather records for Akron in February 1937 indicate that temperature ranges were likely too high and precipitation too low for any Sunday to be described as “a bad, wet, snowy day,” except for the 28th. Therefore, I conclude that the Sunday Paul referred to in “He Had To Be Shown” must have been the 28th.

In 1942, the Columbus (Ohio) Group split into two groups. Fourteen members left to establish the Central Group at the Odd Fellows Temple, located at 24 W. Goodale St. This new group decided to install a phone and set up an office at the temple for Twelfth Step calls. Additionally, the Central Group was responsible for printing one of the earliest A.A. newsletters.

In 1942, Ruth Hock [far left] left the New York City Alcoholic Foundation office to marry Phil Crocelius; Margaret “Bobbie” B. [near left] took her place as National Secretary, A.A.’s second and last. Bobbie had been a professional dancer in the U.S. and Europe during the 1920s and, as Ruth noted, in the fashion of the 1940s, wore “tiny little hats and went tripping along in her high heels, but was a fantastic communicator.”

In 1947, the Naugatuck (Connecticut) Daily News reported that Edward McDermott, the executive director of Easy Acres in Newtown, a state sanitarium for neurotics, spoke at a meeting of the Waterbury Junior Club on the topic of “Alcoholism and Alcoholics Anonymous.”

February 27 in A.A. History

In 1903, Paul H. [left, in 1920] was born in Butte, Montana, to Mary Furlong and Daniel J. H., the founder of a department store bearing the family name in Butte. In 1940, Paul would get sober in Alcoholics Anonymous in Washington, DC.

 In 1939, six weeks after leaving the hospital in Los Angeles, California, where which he had gone to detoxify, Pat C. wrote to the Alcoholic Foundation, stating that he had recovered from his alcoholism. Bill W., Hank P., and Ruth Hock had been sending copies of the multilith manuscript all over the U.S. A copy came into Pat’s mother’s possession, and he read it cover to cover. He thanked them for it and shared his story—how he started drinking in 1917, his World War I service, how his drinking continued in France, and how it persisted after he returned home from the war. He described the following 15 years as “one drunk after another.”
    He enlisted in the Marine Corps. Initially, he drank very little and was promoted to Gunnery Sergeant. However, he soon began drinking heavily again, was demoted in rank, and sent to China, which did not help his drinking problem. He did not reenlist.
    After returning home, his wife left him due to his drinking, and he struggled to hold a job. He remarried, but his new wife and mother were concerned about his drinking. Then, his mother read about A.A. in an article published by a doctor and wrote to him. The doctor forwarded her letter to A.A., who responded immediately.
    n his letter, Pat mentioned that he was already reaching out to help other alcoholics. Ruth Hock wired him, asking for permission to use his letter anonymously. He replied the next day, “Permission granted with pleasure. Lots of luck.” They included his story, “Lone Endeavor,” ghostwritten by Ruth based on their correspondence, in the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.
    This was the first time anyone had heard of someone getting sober simply by reading the book, so a collection was taken up to buy him a bus ticket to New York City. When the bus arrived, the welcoming party found Pat sleeping off a drunk under the back seat. His story was removed from the Big Book before the second printing.

In 1961, Bill W. wrote to Nell Wing from Cambridge Beach, Bermuda [right: the note]: 

Bermuda Feb. 27 1961
Monday

Nell Dear
    We are having a great time – probably the best vacation we ever had. We look & feel so well you wouldn’t know us The weather has been perfect and Cambridge Beach is a superb spot – really the best possible.
    Pls <indecipherable> Bert Gardner for us –
Much love
           Bill

February 26 in A.A. History

In 1940, Bill W. replied [left] to John D. Rockefeller’s letter dated February 23, in which Rockefeller expressed his regret for being unable to attend the large dinner he had planned to host for A.A. (his son, Nelson, hosted in his stead).

Dear Mr. Rockefeller:
    On an occasion such as this one can seldom write as deeply as he feels.
    You and your friends have offered us the finest thing you could ever give—your confidence. To merit this trust, to meet the responsibilities, to fulfill the purposes implicit in that evening at the Union Club is our great desire. In no other way shall we ever be able to thank you.
    I hope you may always depend upon us for a good measure of discretion, true humility and simple faith in The Great Physician who has already brought us so far.
                                    Sincerely yours,
                                    <signed William G. Wilson>
                                        Wm. G. Wilson
                                             for
                                    Alcoholics Anonymous

In 1962, Warren C. of Canton, Ohio, a merchandising manager for Superior Dairy Co., shared his A.A. story at the Dover (Ohio) Kiwanis Club. The following day, his speech—attributed to him by full name—appeared at the bottom of page 1 in Dover’s newspaper, The Daily Reporter, under the title “Don’t Fluff Off The Alcoholic!”

In 1999, Felicia G. [right]—author of “Stars Don’t Fall” in the 2nd and 3rd editions of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous—died at age 93. She was born in 1905 in Blansko, in what is now the Czech Republic, to the fortune-hunting Polish Count Józef G. and Chicago-born newspaper heiress Eleanor Medill Patterson, granddaughter of Joseph Medill, the founder of The Chicago Tribune.
    In 1908, her mother took her away after a violent fight with her father, who later kidnapped his daughter from London and placed her in a Russian convent. Her return required intervention from President-elect William Howard Taft with Czar Nicholas II.
    The “little Countess,” as the newspapers called her, married (1) Andrew Pearson—renowned as Drew Pearson, one of the best-known American columnists of his day, noted for his syndicated newspaper column “Washington Merry-Go-Round” and his NBC Radio program Drew Pearson Comments—in 1925, but divorced him three years later; (2) Dudley de Lavigne, an impoverished insurance broker, in 1934, a marriage that lasted less than a year; and (3) John Magruder, a landscape architect, in 1958, whom she divorced in 1964.
    For most of her professional career, she went by her maiden name. In her later years, she wrote for American magazines and newspapers, lived in New York and elsewhere, and authored novels and short stories. In her 1939 novel Flower of Smoke, the Austrian-American heroine famously declares, “Make your own peace, no matter what.”

February 25 in A.A. History

In 1951, a Regional Conference took place in Jacksonville, Florida, beginning at 2:30 PM in the assembly room of the Mayflower Hotel. Representatives from all groups in North Florida were invited to elect an Area Delegate for the newly established Area 15, Northern Florida. The chosen delegate would represent the area at the first annual General Service Conference in New York City.
    The invitation [right] stated that this Conference…

    will act as a “guinea pig” for ob­servers from the Southeastern region, so that they may return to their respective districts with an excel­lent knowledge of the correct procedure in the formation of their group districts.

    Among those in attendance was Bill W, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.

In 1951, President Richard M. Nixon replied to a letter from Thomas P. “Tom” P. that suggested that Nixon apply the 12 Steps to the Watergate situation by substituting the word “Watergate” for “alcohol” in the 1st Step and then “conscientiously apply the rest of the 12 Steps” to his own situation.

THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
February 25, 1974

Dear Tom:

    Before another day passes, I wanted you to know that I received your very thoughtful let­ter of February 1. Many times in the past I have had occasion to thank you, but I must say once again how much it means to know I have been able to count on the loyalty and under­standing of so many long-time friends.

    I deeply appreciate your suggestions and the genuine spirit of concern and goodwill in which they were made. As you know, in several televised press conferences I accepted responsi­bility along the lines you discussed. Further, on a number of occasions I have pledged my full cooperation to the Special Prosecutor and to the Judiciary Committee so that the in­vestigations can be concluded, the guilty parties brought to justice, and those innocent of any wrongdoing may be cleared and, hopefully, have their good names and reputations re­stored. However, I have also stated that I will follow the precedent set by every other United States President of never doing anything that weakens the Office of the President or impairs the ability of future Presidents to make the great decisions that are so essen­tial to this Nation and to the world. This has been a difficult period not only for me but for all Americans, and when this and related matters are brought to a full and just reso­lution, I am confident the majority of the American people will come to understand that the trust they placed in me has not been violated.

    In the meanwhile, it is a source of constant reassurance to me to have the support of friends like Katherine [Tom’s wife] and you and to be included in your prayers. Pat joins me in sending you both our warmest personal regards.

        Sincerely,
                   <initialed “RN”>

February 24 in A.A. History

In 1941, the March 1 issue of The Saturday Evening Post [right: cover], with Jack Alexander’s article, “Alcoholics Anonymous: Freed Slaves of Drink, Now They Free Others,” appeared on newsstands.
    In Toledo, Ohio, newcomer Garth M. was handed 40 nickels and sent on a mission to visit magazine outlets, purchasing a total of 40 copies.

In 1996, [some sources say 1995] the Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous (OIAA) began operations.

In 2002, Hal M., 86, died of renal failure at Cherrydale Rehabilitation Center in Arlington, Virginia, with 37 years of sobriety. He was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.
    A former Air Force lieutenant colonel, alcohol and drug abuse counselor, and State Department employee assistance chief, Hal played a pivotal role in establishing drug and alcohol awareness programs at U.S. embassies worldwide. On 3 December 1970, he testified anonymously before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.
    Hal also designed special “attitude of gratitude” pins, which he wore on his lapel and distributed by the thousands. He always carried extras to share with other alcoholics, encouraging them to embrace gratitude for their sobriety. Over time, he became affectionately known as “Dr. Attitude of Gratitude.”

February 23 in A.A. History

In 1940, John D. Rockefeller Jr. wrote a letter to Bill W., expressing his regret for being too ill to attend the recent dinner for A.A. “the other night [Feb 8],” where his son Nelson had stepped in as host.

In 1948, The Deseret News of Salt Lake City, Utah, published a nearly full-page article titled “Photographic Series Depicts Work of Alcoholics Anonymous.” The piece featured photographs and text showcasing the efforts and impact of Alcoholics Anonymous.

In 1959, Alcoholics Anonymous received “Recording for the Blind” permission^* to create an audio recording of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, through the Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D), now known as Learning Ally.

---

^* Since A.A. has always had the right to produce audio versions of its own literature, it is unclear why this permission was obtained.

In 1978, H. Alfred “Al” S. [left], 74, died in West Palm Beach, Florida. He had served A.A. as Director of the New York Intergroup Association, Class B (alcoholic) Trustee (January 1958–April 1961), director of A.A. Publishing Inc., director of A.A. Grapevine, Inc., and editor of the A.A. Grapevine (1948–1952). He was also the author of the Responsibility Declaration and the Declaration of Unity.

    His mother, Ella Marks Wenrick, had been the secretary to Emmet Fox. As a result, Bill W., Ebby T., Al, and others regularly attended Fox’s talks in New York City, often securing mezzanine seats.

In 2021, Pastor John Baker, co-founder of the Christ-centered (and non-A.A.) program Celebrate Recovery,  died. 

February in A.A. History (day unknown)

In 1968, the first openly gay Alcoholics Anonymous group, the Friday Night Fell Street Group in San Francisco, California [right: meeting location of the group, 261 Fell Street, 2007], was founded by gay alcoholics for gay alcoholics. It was held in a public venue and openly publicized as a gay meeting both within and outside of A.A. In 1975, the Fell Group became one of the first gay groups to be listed in the A.A. World Directory and was eventually included in San Francisco’s local directory as a gay meeting.

February 21–23 in A.A. History

In 2014, the Sedona Mago Center for Well-Being and Retreat [left] in Sedona, Arizona, hosted the Sedona Mago AA History Symposium, organized by A.A. historians Jay S. and Bill S.

 

February 22 in A.A. History

In 1842, on the 110th anniversary of George Washington’s birth, Abraham Lincoln addressed the Springfield, Illinois, Washingtonian Society. At 33 years old, he endorsed “kind, unassuming persuasion” over earlier, heavy-handed temperance efforts, saying,

    When [we] all… first opened our eyes upon the stage of existence, we found intoxicating liquor, recognized by every­body, used by every body, and repudiated by nobody.
    If we take habitual drunkards as a class, their heads and their hearts will bear an advantageous comparison with those of any other class. There seems ever to have been proneness in the brilliant and warm-blooded to fall into this vice. The demon of intemperance ever seems to have delighted in sucking the blood of genius and of generosity.… He ever seems to have gone forth, like the Egyptian angel of death, commissioned to slay if not the first, the fairest born of every fam­ily.…
    Happy day, when, all appetites controlled, all poisons subdued, all matter subjected, mind, all conquering mind, shall live and move the monarch of the world. Glorious consummation! Hail fall of Fury! Reign of Reason, all hail!

In 1884, William “Willie” Seabrook [near right, 1931] was born. His memoir, Asylum: An Alcoholic Takes the Cure [far right], would later be referenced by Marty M. in her story, “Women Suffer Too,” included in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.

In 1949, The Anniston (Alabama) Star covered the Anniston Group’s 3-year anniversary celebration, held that evening in its downtown clubhouse [no address given]. The event was open to all.

February 21 in A.A. History

In 1939, an unknown number of copies—roughly 400—of the Big Book multilith (or photolith) manuscript [left: pp. 24–43] were distributed to doctors, judges, psychiatrists, A.A. members, and others for feedback.
    At this stage, the pre-publication manuscript was 164 pages long, including “The Doctor’s Opinion” and 20 of 29 planned personal stories. Bill W. had titled the manuscript Alcoholic’s [sic] Anonymous, and some early printings had “Loan Copy” stamped on the cover in an attempt to secure copyright protection. Since not all copies were so marked, any copyright claim was effectively voided.
    Editor Tom Uzzell had significantly reduced the manuscript’s length, reportedly by trimming the personal stories. Estimates varied on how many pages were cut. According to Bill, Uzzell had

    … sharpened up the English but didn’t change much of anything excepting to take my story out of the story section where it had been the number one story and insisted on using it to open the book… What is now Chapter 2; I had intended to be Chapter 1.

    This is significant because it shows that in the original manuscript, “Bill’s Story” appeared in the “Personal Stories” section, and it was Uzzell who moved it to the front of the book, not Bill.
    Later that same day, Alcoholic Foundation Trustee Frank Amos wrote to fellow Trustee Willard Richardson, noting that

    ... the photolith copies of the book are now completed and I am sending one copy with this.… They are quite legible but of course but are put up in cheap form and cannot be compared in attractiveness and readability to the final printed volumes.… The main part of the book has been carefully edited, but the individual stories, occupying the last half of the book, still must undergo considerable editing. Also, there are a number of stories to be added, most of them, I believe from Akron.… [I]f you will let me or Bill know how many of these photolith copies you would like to have, he will see that you get them at once.

Also in 1939, Clarence S. [right] wrote a letter to the editor of the Cleveland Press describing Alcoholics Anonymous. In the letter, he provided the address of the Alcoholic Foundation in New York City as well as his own in Cleveland, Ohio, suggesting that no local central committee was yet in operation.
    Clarence further explained that members achieved sobriety by following a specific pattern, stating that a member must:

Have a sincere desire to quit drinking forever. Recognize the allergy and compulsion for lifetime. Recognize his ailment as a disease. Accept God and live by four simple principles: honesty, unselfishness, purity and love.

    He also encouraged readers to consult Alcoholics Anonymous, referring to it as “a book written by alcoholics, for alcoholics, at the Cleveland Public Library.”
    Clarence emphasized the impact of A.A. by noting that:

The several thousand people, (over 700 in Cleveland alone) who have thus far found life and hope through this means, is ample testimony that the day of miracles has not passed.

February 20 in A.A. History

In 1939, the pre-publication multilith (or photolith) copies of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, were most likely delivered to Bill Wilson and Hank Parkhurst, though it is possible they arrived the following day.

In 1941, the Toledo (Ohio) Blade published the final installment of a three-part series on A.A. by Seymour Rothman, which ran on three consecutive days [left: headlines].

In 1947, Charles B. Towns [right] passed away at home. His son, Edward, took over the operation of the Charles B. Towns Hospital and managed it until its closure in 1965. 

In 1960, Bill W. celebrated with Philadelphia A.A. members on the group's 20th anniversary. Bill signing a program [left: cover, inscription] with the message, “For Philadelphia’s 20th—Nothing but the very best! Ever Devotedly, Bill.”

In 2007, with what seemed to be a thinly veiled reference to A.A., Craig F., while hosting CBS’s The Late Late Show with Craig F—–, spoke candidly about his past struggles with alcoholism during his opening monologue.

February 19 in A.A. History

In 1917, Robert P. [right: with his wife, Betsy] was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the only child of his somewhat nomadic parents, Agnes Greenlees and Ridley Stillson P.
    He did not receive formal schooling until the third grade but quickly excelled academically, skipping grades and graduating with honors from Kansas University in 1938 with a Bachelor of Arts. While at KU, he served as editor of both the university’ s humor magazine and yearbook.
    A skilled writer, Bob became the center of a national scandal when a Scribner’s Magazine article, “Ghost Behind the Grade,” published in 1938, revealed that he had paid his way through college by ghostwriting hundreds of grade-specific papers for students across dozens of classes and seven universities. “Both the Associated Press and the United Press carried it,” Bob recalled in a 2004 interview. “It almost cost me my diploma.”
    His writing career took him to New York City, where he worked in public relations for Shell Oil Co. from 1938 to 1971. While there, he met and married Betsy Dodge.
    When World War II began, Bob enlisted as a U.S. Navy officer and served as a gunnery officer aboard a destroyer escort, participating in numerous Atlantic convoys. He also wrote speeches for a Navy admiral and two U.S. presidents—Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman. His ship played a key role in the historic capture of a German U-boat north of the Azores—just days before D-Day. This marked the first time a submarine was boarded and seized intact, preserving its hardware and Enigma radio codes, later dramatized in the film U-571. Bob was honorably discharged in 1945 with the rank of lieutenant commander.
    After the war, Bob and Betsy settled in Riverside, Connecticut. His most notable achievements at Shell Oil involved the company’s sponsorship of major sports. Working with NBC, he played a crucial role in popularizing golf by bringing the sport to live television for the first time with Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf. He was also involved in Shell’s sponsorship of Craig Breedlove’s mid-1960s pursuit of the world land speed record in a jet-propelled car at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
    However, it was Bob’s personal struggles that ultimately defined his life. He developed an addiction to alcohol during his Navy service, and two decades later, nearly died from the disease. In 1961, doctors urged him to join a fledgling Alcoholics Anonymous group in Greenwich, Connecticut. He did, found sobriety and dedicated himself to nearly 50 years of service to the organization.
    In 1980, Bob and Betsy moved to Bellevue, Idaho, eventually making it their permanent home. There, Bob continued his work with A.A. as a speaker and contributor to its national archives.

 In 1940, Time magazine published a brief item titled “Medicine: Alcoholics Anonymous,” highlighting the 60-person Rockefeller dinner meeting held earlier in the month, where A.A. members and supporters gathered.

In 1940, Newsweek magazine featured an item titled “Alcoholics Anonymous” in its Science Column. The article began:

    Medicine usually claims to cure only about 2 per cent of the cases of acute alcoholism it treats. Last week a non-medi­cal group appeared which made the unusual claim that 25 per cent of its cases were cured. Called Alcoholics Anony­mous, the group was a club composed of ex-drunkards and men trying to overcome the liquor habit who, for obvious reasons, prefer their names to remain unknown. Not particularly anxious for publicity, it nevertheless came into the limelight last Thursday evening when John D. Rockefeller Jr. gave a dinner party for educators and others interested in the club’s work. 

In 1941, Bill W. wrote to the trustees of the Alcoholic Foundation Board regarding the budget for the upcoming year. Excerpts [edited]:

    Many new groups have been formed. Our membership has tripled, now totaling about 2,000... An article is to appear on March 1 in the Saturday Evening Post... The name Alcoholics Anonymous will appear on the outside cover. Our message will be brought to the whole nation—nearly a million alcoholics will hear of us… only a very small proportion of our book sales have come directly from the groups. The general public still buys most of the books... the Alcoholic Foundation should set up a special account called ‘AA operating expenses.’ All contributions from the groups should be segregated in this fund... each group is entitled to know exactly how such money is spent... an accounting ought to be made by the Trustees every six months showing [finances]…

In 1941, The Park City Daily News of Bowling Green, Kentucky, reported on the formation of a new A.A. group in Hopkinsville.

In 1953, After reading a quip that Father Ed Dowling had written on a Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions draft—“It has a little bit of the elder statesman smell of the lamp”—Bill W. responded with humor: “We have given the manuscript a heavy dose of chlorophyll to deaden that elder statesman smell.”

In 1967, Father “John Doe” (Ralph P.) [left], believed to be the first Catholic priest in A.A., passed away. Glenn C. later recounted:

    His niece told me that a physician gave Ralph a shot for airsickness and inadvertently used a contaminated needle. Father Ralph contracted hepatitis, and all the efforts made by the doctors at Our Lady of Mercy Hospital in Owensboro could not save him.

    Father Ralph had achieved permanent sobriety in Indianapolis on 10 November 1943. He was widely known for his Golden Books series and other recovery-related writings.

In 2017, Mel B. [right], 91, sober from 15 April 1950, died of heart and lung failure at Mercy Health St. Anne Hospital in Toledo, Ohio. A retired public relations manager for Libbey-Owens-Ford Co., he was a prolific writer, contributing to The Toledo Blade and authoring many books and articles, including Pass It On and many pieces for the A.A. Grapevine.

February 18 in A.A. History

In 1942, Father Ed Dowling [right] wrote to Bill W.:

In the confusion of World War II, the AA personality is keeping an easy pace, convinced that somehow, some time, the cockeyed world will land on its feet. I am grateful to God for the AA virus in my spiritual blood stream.

In 1943, the U.S. federal government granted A.A. members the right to use cars for emergency 12th-step work, despite the nationwide gasoline rationing that began on December 1, 1942. While ordinary citizens were limited to just three gallons per week—except for factory workers and traveling salesmen, who received eight—A.A. members were given an exemption for this vital service. Notably, gas was rationed not to conserve fuel, but to preserve rubber.