> newsletter in 1952. Did this fellowship pre-date
> founded a short time ago.
> Laurie A.
From: Arthur S . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/9/2009 8:44:00 AM
around.
AA history literature is fairly specific that Bill W's brother-in-law Dr
Rockefeller's philanthropies). The connection between Bill W and Rockefeller
was primarily through Richardson. From the writings of Bill W (and other AA
Rockefeller. Bill's connection seemed to always be through intermediaries
for his ailing father).
to AA. The first was his April 1939 review of the Big Book (contained in
autobiography). The second major item of help was a talk he gave at the
February 1940 Rockefeller dinner. Publicity from the dinner reputedly helped
AA membership to double during 1940. Rockefeller and several dinner guests
contributions.
In 1944 Fosdick also served on the National Committee for Education on
1944 Grapevine). The September 1945 Grapevine issue (in a column titled "The
Fosdick. The April 1946 Grapevine issue recommended the book "Great Time To
Be Alive" by Fosdick. The July 1948 Grapevine again recommend "On Being a
Steps." The article was republished again in the November 1975.
Cheers
outbreak of WW I.
fellowship. Fosdick seems to me to be very much spiritually in synch with 12
step approach.
From: Tom Hickcox . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/8/2009 4:22:00 PM
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The first meeting of Addicts Anonymous was held on February 16, 1947
at the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital at Lexington.(I'm 99% sure
purpose of introducing an AA group into this institution. It was out
of this beginning that the charter group of Addicts Anonymous was formed.
be in an environment where they are readily available.
alcoholics. We believe that by so doing, we may regain and maintain
NY, in the mid 1950s with members: Tom P., his son Tom P. Jr., a
members. This group was originally called the "Nut Club". In the 60s
Anonymous.
wrote:
>
> Intrigued to read of an Addicts Anonymous
> newsletter in 1952. Did this fellowship pre-date
> NA etc?
>
> I have recently been in email correspondence
> with All Addicts Anonymous, which was only
> founded a short time ago.
>
> Did the 1950s Addicts Anonymous group have
> links with Alcoholics Anonymous? How widespread
> was its membership? What happened to it?
>
> Laurie A.
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++++Message 6011. . . . . . . . . . . . RE: Addicts Anonymous
From: Chris Budnick . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/8/2009 5:13:00 AM
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In 1944, Houston Sewell of Montgomery, AL got sober in Alcoholics Anonymous.
Houston knew a man in Alcoholics Anonymous named Harry who drank but also
used other drugs. Though Harry stopped drinking, he continued to use other
drugs and eventually was arrested and sent to the United States Public
Health Services Hospital (USPHSH) in Lexington, KY.1
Lexington, KY
In 1929, Congress authorized two Federal hospitals to treat drug addiction,
one in Lexington, KY and the other in Fort Worth, Texas. Both facilities
were established for people addicted to drugs that were convicted of
offences against the Federal government. The hospitals served as both a
prison and a treatment facility. What was interesting about the Lexington
hospital is that a person could go there as a prisoner, probationer or a
volunteer. The Lexington facility opened on May 25, 1935 and was known as
Narco or the Narcotics Farm.2
Addicts Anonymous
In 1947 Houston was transferred by his company to Frankfort, KY, roughly 25
miles from Lexington. Houston kept thinking about Harry. Convinced that
"the twelve Suggested Steps would work as well for drugs as for alcohol if
conscientiously applied," Houston approached the Medical Officer at Narco,
Dr. Victor Vogel with the idea of starting a group for addicts. On February
16, 1947 the first group was held at Narco. This group was named Addicts
Anonymous and continued to meet until 1966. Central to the success of
Addicts Anonymous was the on-going support of members of Alcoholics
Anonymous from Frankfort. Houston continued to support the meetings, which
at its height boasted two meetings a week of the Men's Group, two meetings a
week of the Women's Group and one combined group, until 1963. Other members
of Alcoholics Anonymous who supported these meetings included Jim Music and
Sterling S.
Narcotics Anonymous and other Groups
Many members of Addicts Anonymous joined Alcoholics Anonymous upon leaving
Narco, however there was frequent discussion within both Addicts Anonymous
and Alcoholics Anonymous about membership for the narcotic addict in
Alcoholics Anonymous.3,4,5 One solution to this was the establishment of
meetings outside of Lexington by former patients/inmates. The effort that
gained the most attention was Narcotics Anonymous in New York City, which
was established by Danny Carlsen after his seventh trip to Lexington. This
Narcotics Anonymous died out by the early 1960's. Reasons for this included
not following the Twelve Traditions, existing for purposes other that just
recovery (i.e. serving as a social service agency), affiliation with other
organizations (YMCA) and not having the organizational structure to sustain
existence after the death of its founding member.
Another effort made by a former patient/inmate to start groups for addicts
outside of the hospital was Habit Forming Drugs Group in California. This
group was started by Betty Thom who left Lexington in 1950. Although not
fully understood, Betty probably served as a link between Addicts Anonymous
and the Narcotics Anonymous that exists today, which began in California in
1953. In the by-laws established August 17, 1953 by some members of
Alcoholics Anonymous who also had a narcotic addiction and were seeking to
start open meetings for addicts included the following purpose statement
which originated in Addicts Anonymous and was reproduced in their newsletter
The Key.
Our Purpose:
This is an informal group of addicts banded together to help one another
renew our strength in remaining free of drug and alcohol addiction.
Our precepts are patterned after those of Alcoholics Anonymous, to which all
credit is given and precedence acknowledged. We claim no originality, but
since we believe that the causes of alcoholism and addiction are basically
the same, we wish to apply to our lives the truths and principles which have
benefited so many otherwise helpless individuals. We believe that by doing
so we may regain our health and sanity.
It shall be the purpose of this group to foster means of rehabilitation for
the addict, and to carry a message of hope for the future for those who have
become enslaved by the use of habit-forming drugs.
Conclusion
Houston S. saw someone who had a problem in addition to alcoholism and when
he found himself in Frankfort, KY decided to apply what he knew worked in
Alcoholics Anonymous to addicts. It would have been easy for him to
continue his recovery within Alcoholics Anonymous; however he decided to
carry the message one step further. And as a result of his dedicated
service work, he helped addicts begin to see that recovery was possible
through the 12-steps and through fellowship. This is really the untold and
overlooked legacy of the USPHSH in Lexington. Much research into Narco has
focused upon the clinical and experimental research that occurred there.
However, in listening to the talk of a former patient of Narco, his saving
grace came when he rejected the treatment that was being offered to him
(intensive psychotherapy) and was told, "if you're not going to accept our
treatment then the next best thing you can do is join AA."6 This is what
this person did and he went on, like many others, to continue his recovery
outside of Narco in the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous and similar
fellowships.
Chris B.
Raleigh, NC
____________________________________
1. Ellison, J. (August 7, 1954). These Drug Addicts Cure One Another.
Saturday Evening Post, p. 22.
2. Kentucky Historical Society. Historical note
contained in the Inventory of the Lexington Narcotics Farm
Collection, 1930s-1970s. (Retrieved from
http://205.204.134.47:2005/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/Aid&CISOPTR=1201&REC=
15
September 8, 2009.)
3. The Key (October 14, 1951 Vol. IV, No. 48)
4. The Key (May 17, 1953 Vol. VI, No. 20)
5. The Night Cap (February 1953 Vol. 3, No. 5). Narcotics and
Goofballs.
6. Dr. John M. (1965). Talk given in Lake Worth, FL.
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++++Message 6012. . . . . . . . . . . . Alaska - First AA Groups
From: Serene Rutter . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/16/2009 9:53:00 PM
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Feb 1947 - Anchorage - Sourdough Group - 8 members
Aug 1947 - Juneau - Totem Club - 5 members
.
(NOTE: The following notice was in the Anchorage Times, September 23, 1947:
"PERSONALS WISH to contact members of Alcoholics Anonmous. Write Box 551,
Anchorage.")
.
1949 - Fairbanks - Arctic Group
1949 - Ketchikan - Tongas Group
1950 - Petersburg - Loner
1951 - Adak - Too Far West Group - 12 members
1951 - Haines - 3 members
1951 - Petersburg - 3 members (See 1950)
1952 - Whittier - Loner
1953 - Spenard - 7 members and a Loner (Spenard is now part of Anchorage.)
1953 - Valdez - Loner
1954 - Kodiak - Alano Club
1954 - Seward - 8 members
1955 - Eilson AFB (20 miles south of Fairbanks) - 7 members
1955 - Skagway - 12 members
1956 - Middleton Island - Loner
.
Serene Irene, Alaska
serene613@yahoo.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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++++Message 6013. . . . . . . . . . . . Triangle and Circle
From: Ernest Kurtz . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/16/2009 11:55:00 AM
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Passing on a question asked of me: "I heard that AA had previously
had copyright for the triangle-in-the-circle symbol but gave it up as
others began to use it to avoid conflict/legal affairs/money issues...
is that right?"
I am not sure whether or not all the money/copyright/etc. issues made
it to the General Service Conference: might anyone have a complete
set of those reports (preferably digitized)?
Somewhat relatedly, might anyone have copies of records of all legal
actions taken in the AA name?
Thanks,
ernie kurtz
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++++Message 6014. . . . . . . . . . . . Photo of Wynn Laws
From: Lee Carroll, CPA . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/13/2009 6:35:00 PM
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Has anyone access or a link to a photo (or
photos) of Wynn Laws?
Thanks.
Lee Carroll, CPA
(805) 938-1981
- - - -
From the moderator: I assume that you are
referring to Wynn Corum Laws?
See photo of Wynn Corum in
http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-otherwomen.html
For more about her, see
http://westbalto.a-1associates.com/HISTORY_PAGE/Authors.htm
Wynn Corum Laws, Big Book story "Freedom From Bondage"
"Sometime after 1955 when her story appeared
in the Big Book, she married her fifth husband,
George Laws."
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++++Message 6015. . . . . . . . . . . . William James, online text of
Varieties of Religious Experiences
From: allan_gengler . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/11/2009 11:55:00 AM
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This may have been shared, but I couldn't find
it in a previous post with a search.
If you're interested in reading William James'
"The Varieties of Religious Experience" you can
find the complete text online at:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_James_The_Varieties_of_Religi
ous_\
Experience.pdf [21]
- - - -
From the moderator:
And there are also a number of other places where
one can find the full text online, some with type
which is easier to read than others.
http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/JamVari.html
http://www.human-nature.com/reason/james/contents.html
http://csp.org/experience/james-varieties/james-varieties.html
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++++Message 6016. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Some Notes on the AA Original
Manuscript Up for Auction
From: jax760 . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/16/2009 11:04:00 PM
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Doug B.
You are correct!
More to follow
John B
- - - -
The orginal message #4377 from Bill Schaberg
(schaberg at aol.com) said:
> > Once again, I noticed that the name of Doctor Howard was just about
> > everywhere in the manuscript. He sure had a LOT to say about edits
> > to our book. In addition, two other doctors I have never before
> > heard referenced as contributors of Big Book suggestions list (Dr.
> > Witherspoon & Dr. Bevoise [sp?]) are also found here.
- - - -
--- In AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com, "Doug B."
wrote in response:
>
> Bill,
>
> Thanks for your observations...my spine was tingling!
>
> I found the following Dr's that might fit your question:
>
> Dr James Wainwright Howard from Montclair, NJ graduated P&S in 1919
> Dr Charles Russell Witherspoon from Rochester, NY graduated Uof P in
> 1898
> No mention of a Dr. Bevoise [any spelling]) in NY, NJ or CT in 1936
>
> Doug B.
- - - -
The full text of Bill Schaberg's message no. 4377:
> > I went down to Sotheby's today to take a long look at the Original
> > Manuscript copy that they will be auctioning off on Thursday, June
> > 21st. This is the OM copy where Hank, Ruth, Bill, and others
> > recorded ALL of the suggestions that they received for edits before
> > actually printing the first edition of the Big Book. It is an
> > important historical document on many levels, but most importantly,
> > I think, because it shows who made some of the suggestions and also
> > allows you to see the suggestions that our founders did NOT take
> > when editing the Big Book.
> >
> > NOTE: I was privileged with a private viewing of this copy of the
> > Original Manuscript because I had assisted the cataloger in his
> > write up of the history of the Original Manuscript printings –
> > which, with the 13 photos, takes up 11½ pages of the catalog. While
> > I had only 20 minutes to look at this piece when it was first
> > auctioned off in June of 2004, this time Sotheby's allowed me over
> > two hours to examine this important copy and it was a truly amazing
> > two hours! What a piece of AA history!
> >
> > Just a couple of highlights.
> >
> > The original front cover of this copy is stamped in black
> > ink: "LOANED COPY" – something I have heard about but never seen
> > before. {Note: this copy is missing the original back cover along
> > with the two pages of "Index" usually found in these copies.)
> >
> > The reverse side (verso) of the title page has a long handwritten
> > note on it (see photo in lower left on page 224 of the Sotheby's
> > catalog). This note continues onto the verso of another loose piece
> > of paper that is also included here (but not pictured in the
> > catalog).
> >
> > This is the manuscript copy of four paragraphs that were inserted
> > into "Bill's Story." The paragraphs in question are the first four
> > complete paragraphs found on page 12 of our basic text – starting
> > with "Despite…" and ending with "…would!" These additions –
> > certainly the largest edit to the Big Book immediately before it was
> > published – include some extremely important AA precepts, not least
> > of which is the italicized quote: "Why don't you choose your own
> > conception of God?"
> >
> > This manuscript section is not in Bill's hand. I suspect (especially
> > given the free use of abbreviations) that it was written there by
> > Ruth Hock – either transcribed from Bill's notes or taken down from
> > dictation.
> >
> > Once again, I noticed that the name of Doctor Howard was just about
> > everywhere in the manuscript. He sure had a LOT to say about edits
> > to our book. In addition, two other doctors I have never before
> > heard referenced as contributors of Big Book suggestions list (Dr.
> > Witherspoon & Dr. Bevoise [sp?]) are also found here.
> >
> > The Manuscript is littered with several comments that seem to be
> > rather off-handed. One noted that something was "too groupy," i.e.
> > Oxford Groupy. But, my favorite was opposite the first three
> > paragraphs currently found on page 80 of the Big Book about making
> > amends: "Dangerous for the NUTS – some could go higher than a kite."
> >
> > And there is some real history here. On the pages containing the
> > dropped story "Ace Full – Seven – Eleven," Bill has written the
> > author's name (something which has not been, to my knowledge, so far
> > discovered) and includes a short comment on why the story has been
> > dropped. (I will refrain from sharing that information here since it
> > rightly belongs to the owner of this copy of the Original
> > Manuscript.)
> >
> > Finally, it is interesting to note that none of the suggested
> > changes to Dr. Bob's story were taken. Someone – in an effort to cut
> > the text – had advised deleting three paragraphs and Dr. Howard
> > wanted the last line of his story to read: "Your FAITH will never
> > let you down!" Bob, obviously, thought the story should remain `as
> > is.'
> >
> > If you are anywhere within driving distance of New York City, I
> > would advise you to make a trip there this coming Friday, June 15th
> > through Wednesday, June 20th to see this remarkable piece of our
> > history and to "put your hands on the Book." It was a very moving
> > experience for both me and my sponsor who joined me for this trip!
> >
> > Old Bill
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++++Message 6017. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Triangle and Circle
From: Baileygc23@aol.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/16/2009 7:02:00 PM
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The Truth of what happened to
The Triangle In The Circle
From Rick T., Area 20 Archivist, Illinois
Metaphysics and copyrights aside, anyone can still use the circle and
triangle logo! It's just not the "official" trade mark for Alcoholics
Anonymous
anymore...Since 1993, lawyers advised the General Service Board that the
copyright on the logo was unenforceable.
I remember the reports generating out of the Board and an Ad Hoc Committee
meeting in January 1993 (two months before the General Service Conference).
The Ad Hoc committee of Delegates and Trustees (chosen from a
cross-section of AA Regions) came to the conclusion that recommended a
simple
phrase
replacing it in all the AAWS printing and publications from the Conference
forward "This is A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature."
The Conference also agreed with this idea, and by the beginning of May 1993
a notice was sent out by the General Service Board that AAWS, Inc. would
discontinue the use of the Circle and Triangle logo in its then-existing
formats (1) blank, 2) with "AA" in the center of the triangle, 3) with "AA"
and General Service Conference on the outside of the triangle, and 4) "AA"
and Recovery, Unity, Service outside the triangle - those were accepted uses
by AA through that 1993 announcement).
The logo had been used officially from 1957 to 1993, and that's thirty-six
years of uncontested usage - until the General Service Board thought to ask
the medallion and coin makers to "cease and desist" using it. For a time
in 1991-92 the coin manufacturers complied (to this member, with unsightly
results...), but somewhere in 1992 decided to re-negotiate and contest the
Board's position. Not that the case ever went to trial as a violation of
copyright law; advice to the Board was that the copyright was either not
renewed (in 1976, the Big Book copyright was unfortunately not renewed by an
oversight error of omission in legal advice to the GSB, too!) or completely
unenforceable, perhaps due to the compliance of the coin makers not using it
(some who claimed or threatened to claim their own copyright in the coin
formats, etc.).
To remedy a pretty bad legal situation, the Conference heard the
recommendation of simply using the 'conference-approved' phrase on
literature.
Where
much discussion for a few years centered on AA going into the business of
minting its own coins (definitely an outside issue), and suing the coin
makers (against the 'spirit and letter' of the 12 Concepts for World
Service--avoiding lawsuits whenever possible), the "catch-22" choices were
evident,
and the Conference recommendation was a workable solution.
I have a friend and past Delegate who is also a lawyer, and he shared with
me, that if anyone can put together a terrible process of lawsuits, it's
us...no wonder we are advised against litigation, especially on outside
issues. Did you know that upside down, the blank logo is the symbol for an
air
raid shelter? We had even found the same circle and triangle on manhole
covers in Illinois (old ones from the Elgin City Water Dept.). You can
imagine
the view that any copyright court might take on this if we had followed
through with long litigation - it would almost be the question asked "are
you
joking?"
Today we can have a bit of fun discussing our use and its current
"unofficial" status. The official logo was a beautiful part of our past,
when
the
1993 Conference also allowed that many AAs, AA events, etc. would still be
using our circle and triangle logo, and there would be no interference in
that. Of course, now we don't "own" the logo, but as far as I know, no one
does... Perhaps you'll use it in the same spirit used in our past years, but
don't worry about infringing on another's copyright. Use your own judgment,
seek an informal consensus, but lightly take the above ideas into
consideration. The circle and triangle is not "banned by A.A.," just
discontinued
since 1993 as a trademark.
Love and Peace, Barefoot
_Index of AA History Pages on Barefoot's Domain_
(http://www.barefootsworld.net/aahistory.html)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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++++Message 6018. . . . . . . . . . . . History of the AA International
Conventions
From: Mae H. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/7/2009 6:14:00 PM
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Hi. My name is Mae, an alcoholic, and I'm a new
member. Could someone tell me what the previous
locations of the International Conventions were?
Thanks!
Mae
- - - -
From the moderator:
An account of each of the previous AA International
Conventions is given at
http://www.a-1associates.com/aa/internationalconvention.htm
Those are very good accounts, and they make
very interesting reading.
The list of sites is as follows:
1950 Cleveland
1955 St. Louis
1960 Long Beach
1965 Toronto
1970 Miami
1975 Denver
1980 New Orleans
1985 Montreal
1990 Seattle
1995 San Diego
2000 Minneapolis
2005 Toronto
2010 San Antonio
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++++Message 6019. . . . . . . . . . . . Towns Hospital Closing Date
From: Billlwhite@AOL.COM . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/18/2009 11:59:00 AM
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Has anyone run across any document verifying
the closing date of the Charles B. Towns
Hospital for the Treatment of Drug and Alcoholic
Addictions?
Bill White
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++++Message 6020. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: History of the AA International
Conventions
From: Jay G. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/18/2009 5:11:00 AM
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And it has already been announced...
2015 Atlanta
2020 Detroit
- - - -
>
> The list of sites is as follows:
>
> 1950 Cleveland
> 1955 St. Louis
> 1960 Long Beach
> 1965 Toronto
> 1970 Miami
> 1975 Denver
> 1980 New Orleans
> 1985 Montreal
> 1990 Seattle
> 1995 San Diego
> 2000 Minneapolis
> 2005 Toronto
> 2010 San Antonio
>
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++++Message 6021. . . . . . . . . . . . Cleveland History
From: Bob McK. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/18/2009 3:21:00 PM
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I am the recently-appointed archivist for the Cleveland District Office
a.k.a. Cleveland Central Office. Archives have never had a very high
priority at that office until recently. So over the years attrition of what
few archival items and records were stored has withered our collection to
just a very few boxes.
If any of you have items or records (pertinent to Cleveland AA) that you are
willing to part with or copy and to send to us, we will take due care that
they will be safeguarded and available to researchers in the decades to
come. I will be at the National AA Archives workshop in California at the
end of this month, or they can be sent to us at:
Cleveland District Office
Reserve Square - Lower Level
1701 E 12th St
Cleveland, OH 44114
The archives community was very helpful to me a dozen years ago when I was
seeking missing issues of the Cleveland Central Bulletin as part of a
project to scan these and get them onto a searchable CD. I am hoping that
they can again help me in this new endeavor.
Bob McK.
E-MAIL ADDRESS:
(bobnotgod2 at att.net)
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++++Message 6022. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: William James, online text of
Varieties of Religious Experiences
From: aadavidi . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/17/2009 10:14:00 PM
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The following link
http://aastuff.com/
also has some of the Oxford Group books that
are in the public domain.
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++++Message 6023. . . . . . . . . . . . First AA in North Carolina, 1939
From: mrpetesplace . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/19/2009 1:05:00 AM
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Alcoholics Anonymous In North Carolina
Sept. 20, 2009, Shelby will be commemorating 70 years of Alcoholics
Anonymous in
North Carolina.
For more information on this event, go to http://wpintergroup.org.
Additional information follows:
AA first started to form in Shelby, North Carolina in the fall of 1939.
Early correspondence can be found at
http://aastuff.com/district13workshop.htm
Bill W. talks about his visit in a Lecture in 1944 at
http://aastuff.com/lecture29.htm
Scroll down a little more than half of page to the paragraph that starts
with:
"I would like to tell, in conclusion..."
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++++Message 6024. . . . . . . . . . . . A photo of Bill W., Hank P., and
Ruth Hock together
From: erb2b . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/18/2009 5:23:00 PM
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Greetings!! Some of us on a new commmittee I
am involved with are doing a picture project
for a club.
Does anyone have a picture of Bill W., Hank P.,
and Ruth Hock, the three of them together,
they can email to us?
We need that to complete the project. It's for
the newcomers there as part of the learning
process.
If you have a copy of such a photo, please email
one to me at:
(erb2b at yahoo.com)
THX! Corey F.
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++++Message 6025. . . . . . . . . . . . Defects vs shortcomings
From: Lee Carroll . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/18/2009 8:00:00 PM
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I thought I had seen, years ago, somewhere in
print, an alleged comment by Bill W. that when
asked what was the difference between character
defects and shortcomings between step 6 and 7,
that he replied "I didn't mean any difference,
I just didn't want to repeat myself using the
same word twice, I didn't think that was good
writing," or something to that effect.
I could have sworn I read it somewhere, but
now I can't find it in "As Bill Sees It" or
"AA Comes of Age" or "Pass It On."
Can anybody give me any documentation for
that statement that Bill W. is supposed to
have made? A book and a page number?
Lee Carroll, CPA
(805) 938-1981
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++++Message 6026. . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Howard has been found! James
Wainwright Howard
From: Glenn Chesnut . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/19/2009 5:00:00 PM
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John Barton has discovered information
indicating that Dr James Wainwright Howard
from Montclair, New Jersey was probably the
"Dr. Howard" who made such useful comments
on the multilith draft of the Big Book.
Following up on Message 6016 which was sent
by John Barton
(jax760 at yahoo.com) three days ago:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AAHistoryLovers/message/6016
John Barton sent this corroborative information
on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 11:18 PM to
"Glenn Chesnut"
(glennccc at sbcglobal.net)
"Ernest Kurtz"
(kurtzern at umich.edu)
"Arthur Sheehan"
(artsheehan at msn.com)
"J. Lobdell"
(jlobdell54 at hotmail.com)
"BBSGSONJ"
(BBSGSONJ at aol.com)
Today I read about a Dr. C. E. Howard in Bill
White's "Slaying the Dragon," and wondered if
this might be the mysterious "Dr. Howard" who
made such useful comments on the multilith draft
of the Big Book.
As I pursued that lead to a 1940 article on
alcoholic psychoses I was at first sure I had
in fact found "The Dr. Howard," but then I
stumbled on a short biography of James
Wainwright Howard, which is definitely our
elusive Dr. Howard as he is all over Essex
County New Jersey and Montclair.
This short account of his life is given in
the "Biographical Directory Of Fellows and
Members of the American Psychiatric Association."
A copy of it may be seen at:
http://hindsfoot.org/docu1.html
As I am nearby I may go and check the records
at Mountainside Hospital.
Doug B. originally posted the name of Dr James
Wainwright Howard from Montclair, New Jersey
as a suggestion several years back, but it seems
his lead went unpursued. I think we should
nevertheless give Doug B. the credit for the
find! The rest of us were at fault for not
following up on his suggestion.
God Bless
John Barton
- - - -
From: "Arthur S"
RE: Dr. Howard has been found!
Thursday, September 17, 2009 11:53 AM
Any chance to just send an inquiry to GSO
Archives to see if they can confirm?
I believe Merton was originally of the viewpoint
that "Dr Howard" was an alias.
Cheers
Arthur
- - - -
From: "John Barton"
RE: Dr. Howard has been found!
Thursday, September 17, 2009 12:33 PM
I did copy Michelle Mirza last night and will
advise all of you of her response. I wouldn't
be surprised if they had no more information
on the good doctor than we had, or Merton
would have found it.
Hope more will be revealed!
John
- - - -
From: Mirza, Michelle
To:
Sent: Fri, Sep 18, 2009 11:57 am
Subject: RE: Dr. Howard has been found!
John -
Hello and warm greetings from GSO Archives!
Thank you for thoughtfully passing along
this information to us! At times we are asked
to identify particular places, people or events
described in our literature and particularly
by Bill. This information is certainly useful.
Always grateful for your service to A.A.!
Michelle
- - - -
From: "J. Lobdell"
RE: Dr. Howard has been found!
Friday, September 18, 2009 10:24 AM
I did some research on James Wainwright Howard
a while back but was put off by his 1930 Census
listing as a physician in general practice.
I can tell you he was born in April 1891, in
Pittsburgh, graduated from Yale in 1914 (which
the bio Jack Barton sent in told us), got his
M.D. in NYC in 1919 (ditto).
His father Abner Updegraff Howard (a Yale
graduate) was an executive with Pittsburgh
Glass, but JW was left an orphan early on,
living first with his Aunt Mary and Uncle
Frank Hunter in Norristown, Pennsylvania
in 1900 and then with his older brother Morton
(Yale 1905) in Yonkers in 1910.
What I have been particularly looking for is
any connection with Bill Wilson before 1939:
here's what I've found. First, no connection
through his college roommates, Gerry [Gerard
or Gerald] Jackson or Ralph and George Semler;
second, JW's sister Esther married Edward
Anthony, later (1942-52) publisher of the
Woman's Home Companion, and before that at
least from 1933 to 1942 with Crowell, the
publishers of the WHC.
I believe Ed Anthony (like Bill W b. 1895
d. 1971, I think) was at least an occasional
habitue of Stewart's Cafeteria. Moreover, he
had worked in his younger days on the same
paper on which worked Joseph Hooker W (who
is supposed to have said "Not Anonymous
Alcoholics -- Alcoholics Anonymous!").
So there is a possible connection there.
It's true JW was an Adlerian (studied under
Adler in 1929) so there might have been a
connection through Emily Stro[e]bel, Bill's
mother, but I have found no evidence on that.
And I have found no evidence on JW's career
after 1944, tho' I have written the Yale Alumni
Archives to see what they have.
-- Jared
- - - -
From: "BBSGSONJ@aol.com"
Re: Dr. Howard has been found!
Friday, September 18, 2009 10:56 AM
Hi Everyone,
The source for the Bio I posted on Dr. Howard
was from The Biographical Directory Of Fellows
and Members of the American Psychiatric
Association. The full PDF of this document
was 96 MB.
The document was found at
http://www.archive.org/details/biographicaldire007514mbp
There is no doubt in my mind that this is our
man. The Bio has him as Ch. (Chief) of several
teams or committees, the N.P. I believe stands
for Neurology, Psychiatry or Neuro-psychiatry.
God Bless,
PS
- - - -
From: "BBSGSONJ@aol.com"
Re: Dr. Howard has been found!
Friday, September 18, 2009 11:05 AM
The "connection" rather than through Bill would
more likely have been through one of two
Montclair Residents; Hank Parkhurst or Harry
Brick both sober at the time the manuscript
was complete in December of 1938. My money
would go on Hank. Having been treated so many
times himself for his illness, and being a
resident within Mountainside Hospital's
immediate vicinity it is very possible that
the good doctor may have treated Hank profes-
sionally as an attending N.P at Mountainside
34-41.
God Bless
- - - -
From: "BBSGSONJ@aol.com"
Re: Dr. Howard has been found!
Friday, September 18, 2009 11:13 AM
And there is of course Harry Brick's hospitali-
zation in 1938; i.e. the story of "Fred" in
the big book. This could have brought the boys
in contact with the good doctor.
God Bless
John Barton
- - - -
From: "J. Lobdell"
RE: Dr. Howard has been found!
Friday, September 18, 2009 12:36 PM
It very well could be exactly as you say, but
I would hazard a guess that Dr. Howard was
consulted for editing as much as for
psychiatric knowledge, and given Bill's
general predilection for consulting people
he picked rather than those picked by others
(and what was his feeling for Hank and his
friends ca Jan 1939?), and his liking for
the magazine literati (so to speak), I'd
still be inclined to say Dr. Howard was Bill's
idea rather than Hank's, and might well have
been suggested by his brother-in-law. But
you may find an indication that Hank was indeed
treated by Dr. Howard, which would be important.
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++++Message 6027. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Who suffered from grave
emotional and mental disorders?
From: glennccc . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/20/2009 1:06:00 PM
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From: James Williams
(jamesewilliams at suddenlink.net)
Just look at Bill Wilson and the problems he had.
- - - -
From: Glenn Chesnut
(glennccc at sbcglobal.net)
Can you give us any sources from the 1938 to
1939 period indicating that Bill Wilson was
regarded by the other AA people as someone
who had psychological problems so severe that
it put him in a special category with just a
few other early AA people?
That there was much more wrong with him, in
other words, than just being an alcoholic?
Some kind of psychiatric problem which competent
psychiatrists had put a name on, where he had
been officially diagnosed as being schizophrenic,
manic depressive, a psychopath, or something
else of that sort?
- - - -
From: James Williams
(jamesewilliams at suddenlink.net)
I was referring to the 10 yr depression that Bill
himself refers to. This is referred to not only
by Bill but also in other AA references.
I was not referring to the other things that
Bill got into (the LSD, etc.) although those
are also well known and cited often.
My point when I replied was that even Bill had
problems in this area, as most of us have.
- - - -
Original message from
"katiebartlett79" asked:
>
> Hi,
>
> Katie from Barking Big Book study, The Way Out.
>
> Chapter 5, How It Works, first paragraph:
> "There are those, too, who suffer from grave
> emotional and mental disorders, but many of
> them do recover if they have the capacity to
> be honest."
>
> In the period before the Big Book was written,
> do we know the names of any specific people
> who got sober in AA in spite of the fact that
> they suffered from "grave emotional and mental
> disorders"?
>
> On what specific experience(s) were they
> basing this statement?
>
> Thanks
>
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++++Message 6028. . . . . . . . . . . . Background: Dr. Howard question
(Part 1 of 3)
From: Glenn Chesnut . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/20/2009 2:21:00 PM
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This is a collection of previous AAHistoryLovers
messages which will help in providing some of
the background to the work that has been done
on trying to identify Dr. Howard. To summarize
the basic issues and possibilities discussed:
(1) Doug B. (in 2007) originally suggested
that this might be Dr James Wainwright Howard
from Montclair, New Jersey. John Barton has
now uncovered additional evidence supporting
this.
(2) Merton M. in 2006 said that "my review of
the Montclair City Directory from 1937-1940
revealed no Dr. Howard," which made him
believe that "its quite likely that [the name
Dr. Howard] was a pseudonym."
(3) Jared Lobdell in 2006 responded to Merton
by suggesting that "Dr. Howard" might then
actually have been Marcus A. Curry, Chief at
the NJ State Asylum for the Insane at Greystone
Park during the years 1936-40 (from the
Greystone Park Annual Reports 1936-40 in
the NJ State Archives).
(4) And Jared Lobdell more recently (in Message
5834) suggested that there's the possibility
(given the "Dr. Howard") that it might be
Dr. Howard W. S. Potter (1892-1984), of New York
(Letchworth Village), a native-born Jerseyan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE STANDARD IDENTIFICATION GIVEN in lists which
identify the people mentioned in the Big Book say
that the "prominent psychiatrist" referred to
on page 163 of the Big Book was Dr. Howard of
Montclair, the Chief Psychiatrist for the State
of New Jersey.
BIG BOOK page 163:
"We know of an A.A. member who was living in a
large community. He had lived there but a few weeks
when he found that the place probably contained
more alcoholics per square mile than any city in the
country. This was only a few days ago at this writing.
(1939) The authorities were much concerned. He got
in touch with a prominent psychiatrist who had under-
taken certain responsibilities for the mental health of
the community. The doctor proved to be able and
exceedingly anxious to adopt any workable method
of handling the situation. So he inquired, what did
our friend have on the ball?"
"Our friend proceeded to tell him. And with such
good effect that the doctor agreed to a test among his
patients and certain other alcoholics from a clinic
which he attends. Arrangements were also made with
the chief psychiatrist of a large public hospital to
select still others from the stream of misery which
flows through that institution."
The standard lists of people mentioned in the
Big Book say:
(Big Book p. 163) "an A.A. member who was
living in a large community" referred to Hank
Parkhurst in Montclair, New Jersey. "A
prominent psychiatrist" there was Dr. Howard
of Montclair, who was the Chief Psychiatrist
for the State of New Jersey.
(Big Book p. 163) "Arrangements were also made
with the chief psychiatrist of a large public
hospital" referred to Dr. Russell E. Blaisdell
and the Rockland State Hospital near Orangeburg,
New York.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THERE WAS ALSO A "DR. HOWARD" who wrote a
critique of the early draft of the Big Book
which was circulated in multilith form.
Same man? Or a different person?
Message 1045 from "Pittman, Bill"
May 28, 2003
Any information on Dr Howard, a well-known
psychiatrist from Montclair, New Jersey,
who helped with the multilith?
Any way to find phonebook for 1938 in Montclair?
Bill Pittman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Message 1705 from NMOlson@aol.com
Mar 13, 2004
MEMOIRS OF JIMMY:
THE EVOLUTION OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
By Jim Burwell
Hank and Bill finally decided on the name "Alcoholics Anonymous" in the
latter
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