Aa history Lovers 2004 moderators Nancy Olson and Glenn F. Chesnut page

To:

Sent: Saturday, October 16, 2004 1:36 PM

Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] Dr. Bob's Nightmare Punctuation

>

>

> I recieved the digest of conference advisory actions in the

> recommended the punctuation in Dr. Bobs Nightmare be restored in the

> 4th Edition of the Big Book as it appeared in previous editions.

> I compared 4th and 3rd edition and did not recognize the difference.

> Anyone know what punctuation change this action refers to?

>

> Roger W.

>

>

>

>

> Yahoo! Groups Links

>

>

>

>

>

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++++Message 2049. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Frank Buchman Keswick church...?

From: corafinch . . . . . . . . . . . . 10/18/2004 11:58:00 AM

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--- In AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com, "John G" wrote:

> Does anyone know the name of the Keswick church (in England's Lake

District)

> where Oxford Group founder Frank Buchman had his spiritual experience in

> 1908? I have a chance upcoming to visit the area, and would like to stop

> by.

>

> John G.

Mark

of

course.

Cora

++++Message 2050. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Frank Buchman Keswick church...?

From: Mel Barger . . . . . . . . . . . . 10/18/2004 8:13:00 AM

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Hi John,

I can't find a name but it is described as a "little stone-built chapel" in

Garth Lean's "On the Tail of a Comet." You might look around Keswick for

such a building that was standing in 1908. The woman whom Buchman credited

for turning him around was an evangelical preacher named Jessie Penn-Lewis.

Mel Barger, Toledo

~~~~~~~~

Mel Barger

melb@accesstoledo.com

----- Original Message -----

From: John G

To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Sunday, October 17, 2004 9:58 PM

Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] Frank Buchman Keswick church...?

Does anyone know the name of the Keswick church (in England's Lake

District) where Oxford Group founder Frank Buchman had his spiritual

experience in 1908? I have a chance upcoming to visit the area, and would

like to stop by.

John G.

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From: ny-aa@att.net . . . . . . . . . . . . 10/18/2004 8:55:00 PM

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In 1906, Rev Frank N. D. Buchman started a settlement home for boys in

Philadelphia. He wanted it to be as much of a true home as possible and

he succeeded. When the Board of Directors wanted to cut expenses, he

threatened to resign if they went through with it. They accepted his

resignation. That was not what he had in mind. So, in 1907, he took his

resentments on a tour of Europe. After quite some time, a visit to a

chapel in Keswick, England, changed his life. In response to a sermon,

he realized the burden his resentment was causing him. He wrote a letter

of apology to each Board member confessing his own ill-will. The release

this gave him was so great that he passed it on to others. This eventually

led to creation of the Oxford Groups. Indirectly through Bill W and Dr Bob,

that same message came to Alcoholics Anonymous.

Here is some information about that event and the chapel as it appears

in a 534+ page biography of Buchman. It seems the Keswick Tithebarn Rd.

chapel was in use until 2003. I have some pictures which I can send on

request.

----------------------------

ON THE TAIL OF A COMET - THE LIFE OF FRANK BUCHMEN

(c) Copyright 1988 by Helmers & Howard, Publishers, Inc.,

P. O. Box 7407, Colorado Springs, CO 80933 USA

Originally published in Great Britain by

Constable and Co. Ltd

under the title FRANK BUCHMAN: A LIFE

(c) copyright 1985 Garth Lean

Between Pages 116-117:

Photo 5. right 'A little stone-built chapel in Keswick.

Photo 6, below 'Thirty years later, Buchman recalls

his experience in the chapel in 1908.

Page 30:

went to see von Bodelschwingh again. By July he was in Britain and

decided to attend the Keswick Convention, an annual gathering of

evangelical Christians. His hope was to see the reputed Congregational

minister, F. B. Mayer, whom he had met at Northfield and who he

believed might be able to help him. Meyer, however, was not there, and

Buchman kept himself busy attending meetings and walking the Lakeland

countryside.

Then, one Sunday, on a whim, he dropped in on a service in a little

stone-built chapel. It was sparsely attended - a congregation of only

seventeen - and a woman was leading the service. She was the evangelist

Jessie Penn-Lewis, whose husband was a descendant of the fmily of

William Penn. She spoke about the Cross of Christ. It was hardly a new

subject to Buchman. He had heard the doctrine of the Atonement

exponded on a score of occasions at Mount Airy, taken notes on it,

answered examination questions on it, preached about it. This woman,

however, spoke so movingly about the Cross that, for the first time, it

became a living and life-giving experience for him. 'She pictured the

dying Christ as I had never seen him pictured before,' he recalled later.

'I saw the nails in the palms of His hands, I saw the bigger nail which held

His feet. I saw the spear thrust in His side, and I saw the look of sorrow

and infinite suffering in His face. I knew that I had wounded Him, that

there was a great distance between myself and Him, and I knew that it was

my sin of nursing ill-will.

'I thought of those six men back in Philadelphia who I felt had wronged

me. They probably had, but I'd got so mixed upin the wrong that I was the

seventh wrong man. Right in my conviction, I was wrong in harboring

ill-will. I wanted my own way and my feelings were hurt.

'I began to see myself as God saw me, which was a very different picture

than the one I had of myself. I don't know how you explain it, I can only

tell

you I sat there and realised how my sin, my pride, my selfishness and my

given my life to those poor boys and many people might have said' how

wonderful', but I did nto have victory because I was not in touch with God.

My work had become my idol.'

Pages 167-168:

Arthur Strong, a young and successful professional photographer,

spent a weekend with hm and his secretary, Michael Barrett, in the

English Lake District in the lage 1930s, partly with the aim of finding

and photographing the chapel in Keswick where Buchman had had his

decisive eperience in 1908. BUchman was now aged 60. 'Frank's gaity is

immense and he chips Mike like a schoolboy,' Strong recorded in his

diary. 'We had constant laughter... In the car going there FB sang and

whistled, he was so happy not to have any plans and engagements for two

whole days. He sang old hymns and it was then that I reliised his age. To

Keswick. . . Then the chapel. There were several possibilities... Frank

warned us it was an ordinary place with nothing particular to distinguish

it.

Found the Tithebarn Methodist (Primitive) Church; opposite it is a bus

'He sat where he had done thirty years before; then read the News

Chronicle - he'd already read six other papers that day... Back at the hotel

we changed for tennis and I played Frank. His energy was amazing; he

serves well and has a good eye. He ran too.

----------------------------

A more recent view of the Keswick chapel at Tithebarn Road can be found at:

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/kcmethodists/primitivemore.html

That article also explains the Methodist (Primitive) Church.

----------------------------

Tithebarn St, Keswick

In the 1830s a Primitive Methodist minister, Rev R Lyon, visited

Keswick and tried to start a cause there. It began with great numbers,

and by 1833 there were 40 members. However the Society was led by the

White family and when they left in 1836 the cause collapsed. By 1840

a new attempt had begun, but shortly after lapsed. Another cause, more

permanent this time, arose in the mid-1850s. They met over a stable

in Head's Lane, and by 1869 they built a church, in a visible place

in the town. In 1894 a Sunday School was attached to the church.

It is reputed that Frank Buchman, the founder of Moral Re-Armament,

was converted during the Keswick Convention at a service at Tithebarn

St in 1908.

The members reluctantly agreed to close in 2003 and Methodism now

focuses all its energies on the remaining site in Keswick at Southey Site

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++++Message 2052. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Dr. Bob''s Nightmare Punctuation

From: Buzz . . . . . . . . . . . . 10/20/2004 1:10:00 PM

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This comes from the background materials I received as Literature chair for

my District:

3rd Edition Large

Print 4th Edition

Large print

Page 172, line

7 Page

172, line 7

comma) Sunday School,

(comma added)

Page 175, line

3 Page

175, line 3

(comma) I

did my (comma removed)

Page 175, line

9 Page

175, line 9

comma) Finally,

my (comma added)

Page 175, line

29 Page

175, line 29

comma) old

habits, (comma added)

Page 176, line

23 Page

176, line 23

comma) cellar,

and (comma added)

Page 177, line

11 Page

177, line 11

comma) tight,

and (comma added)

Page 178, line

25 Page

178, line 25

comma) interested, and

(comma added)

Page 179, line

4 Page

179, line 4

(comma) afternoon

saying (comma deleted)

Page 179, line

22 Page

179, line 22

comma) dinner, and

(comma added)

Page 180,line

4 Page

180,line4

comma) write, nearly

(comma added)

Buzz

>I recieved the digest of conference advisory actions in the

>Grapevine a few months ago. One action was that the conference

>recommended the punctuation in Dr. Bobs Nightmare be restored in the

>4th Edition of the Big Book as it appeared in previous editions.

>I compared 4th and 3rd edition and did not recognize the difference.

>Anyone know what punctuation change this action refers to?

>

>Roger W.

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++++Message 2053. . . . . . . . . . . . Success Rate in Later Years

From: ny-aa@att.net . . . . . . . . . . . . 10/25/2004 9:02:00 PM

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How long have members of A.A. been sober? That is one of the

questions in the survey among randomly selected groups in the

U.S. and Canada every three years. Surveys are all done during

a one to two week period. Everyone who is at a particular

meeting of each of those groups is asked to participate.

Following the 1989 Triennial Survey of Alcoholics Anonymous,

a paper was written for A.A. providing some analysis of the

1977, 1980, 1983, 1986 and 1989 Surveys. One table showed

the percentage of surveyed members who had been sober varying

lengths of time and the average sobriety in years.

<1 ... Less than one year sober

1-5 .. One year but less than five years

>5 ... Five or more years sober

Entries with dates beginning ** here are from that paper. This

article continues that with information from later editions of

"(P-48) Alcoholics Anonymous 19xx Membership Survey"

LENGTH OF SOBRIETY IN ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

Survey

**77 ... 37.3% .. 38.0% .. 24.7% ... 4 years

**80 ... 36.4% .. 37.2% .. 26.4% ... 4 years

**83 ... 37.7% .. 36.9% .. 24.9% ... 4 years

**86 ... 32.8% .. 38.4% .. 29.0% ... 4+ years

**89 ... 34.6% .. 36.4% .. 28.9% ... 4+ years

1989 ... 34% .... 37% .... 29% ..... 4+ years

1992 ... 31% .... 34% .... 35% ..... 5+ years

1996 ... 27% .... 28% .... 45% ..... 6+ years

1998 ... 27% .... 26% .... 47% ..... 7+ years

2001 ... 30% .... 22% .... 48% ..... 7+ years

Per the 1989 Survey:

41% of those sober <1 year stay sober and active another full year.

83% of those sober 1-5 years stay sober and active another full year.

91% of those sober >5 years stay sober and active another full year.

This 40/80/90 had been reasonably consistent through previous surveys.

The average years of sobriety has increased since 1989.

For those unfamiliar with Alcoholics Anonymous, sobriety in A.A.

means continuous and complete abstinance from alcohol in any form.

This table represents only those who are sober and still attending

meetings. Someone who got sober in A.A. and who is staying sober

by some other means would not appear in the survey.

___________________

En2joy! Tom En2ger

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++++Message 2054. . . . . . . . . . . . Sad News from GSO

From: AC . . . . . . . . . . . . 10/29/2004 6:22:00 PM

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MEMORANDUM

October 28, 2004

To: Area Registrars/Secretaries

General Service Conference Members

From: Greg Muth, General Manager

General Service Office, New York

RE: Elaine Soroka

We are saddened to inform you that our dear friend and colleague, Elaine

Soroka, passed away on

Sunday, October 24, 2004.

Elaine had been working at G.S.O. since 1993. As Manager of Support

Services at G.S.O., which

also included the Records and Files departments, Elaine interacted on a

daily basis with Area

Registrars/Secretaries throughout the U.S. and Canada. Her dedication to

Alcoholics Anonymous will

always be remembered and her friendship will be missed by many.

I know you all join us here at G.S.O. in sending our condolences to

Elaine's family and friends.

Condolences may be sent to:

Family and Friends of Elaine Soroka

191 73rd Street, Apt. #264

Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201

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++++Message 2055. . . . . . . . . . . . Old black and white movie on Bill

Wilson

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I hope you will be inclined to lend some assistance.

I need to get in contact with someone who can help track down some

information about a TV movie that I saw while stationed with HHB 2/6

field Artillery 3rd Armored Division Hanau Germany 1986 - 1988.

It was a black and white film on the life and formation of Bill Wilson

and Alcoholics Anonymous.

This movie (whose title I only remember a fragment of) has eluded my

ability to locate it via the WWW.

I believe the title had something to do with a mirror, IE: The mirror

looking back or something like that.

It is definitely a black and white film.

Thanks, Tor

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++++Message 2056. . . . . . . . . . . . The Oxford Group is Not Gone

From: ny-aa@att.net . . . . . . . . . . . . 11/5/2004 1:12:00 AM

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The Oxford Group never completely disappeared as some seem to believe.

Many of its principles led to the formation of Alcoholics Anonymous.

The name changed as its primary purpose evolved. Other organizations

and fellowships have spun off of it, each with its own purposes. The

Oxford Group principles are alive today in "Initiatives of Change" and

the "WorldSmart Leadership Program" and in the spin-off fellowship of

"Alcoholics Anonymous." Other names used recently but less frequently

today are "Moral Re-Armament" or "MRA" and "Up With Poeple." Here are

some of the names by which the work of Frank Buchman has been known

and still is known.

"Buchman Clubs" (1915)

Early work with seamen by Buchman and his teams led to the formation of

several Buchman Clubs on ships and in port cities.

"A First Century Christian Fellowship" (1922)

Frank Buchman described his fellowship as "first century Christianity."

He was bothered by the sterility of many organized religions in not

turning their messages into actions. This name never amounted to much

more than the name itself. It applied to a small group who gathered

around Buchman, but most didn't use this name for their society.

NOT "Buchmanism" (1926)

Those following Buchman's methods had an enthusiasm that was naturally

attractive. There were enough of them that it appeared to others that they

were attempting to take over a conference. The name "Buchmanism" sometines

was used by critics as a term of derision. It was intended to imply that

the work came from his ego.

"Oxford Group" (1928)

An evangelical movement developed and teams traveled the world spreading

their message. It was never associated with the University at Oxford,

England, but many students there were particulary active. One group was

traveling in South Africa in 1928 when a railway porter hung a sign saying

"Oxford Group" to identify their rail car. News reports of their activities

started using this name. Without much of a deliberate decision, it became

their name by default. They eventually, ten years later, took it as the

official legal name to make it possible to receive bequests as a non-profit

organization.

NOT "Oxford Movement" (1833-1845)

The similarity of the name to "The Oxford Movement" led to some confusion.

The Oxford Movement was an attempt around 1833 through 1845 by Anglican

priests at Oxford University to restore some Roman Catholic doctrins and

rituals to the Church of England. The Oxford Group avoided attaching the

term Movement to their name.

NOT "The Oxford Pledge" (1933)

The Oxford Debating Society of the Oxford Union was known for what was

called the "Oxford Pledge" or the "Oxford Oath" in which members of that

organization vowed "not to fight for King or country." This was seen as

pacifist and possibly Communist. The Oxford Group was not related to the

Oxford Debating Society but the confusion brought undeserved criticism

and suspicion.

"Alcoholics Anonymous" (1935 or 1939)

Both A.A. co-founders Bill W and Doctor Bob were active with the Oxford

Group before they met. Early A.A. was "The Alcoholic Squad" of the OG.

In 1939 it took on the name Alcoholics Anonymous from its book. A.A.

eventually went its own way and separated from the Oxford Group. While

some in both fellowships were bothered by the split, others welcomed it.

This happened about the time that public pressures and criticism against

the Oxford Group was leading to a name change for that fellowship.

The separation proved beneficial to both organizations.

"Moral Re-Armament" (1938)

"MRA" (1938)

There were critics who objected to Buchman's work and methods. Some of it

was by misunderstanding. Some of it was that his teams tended to sweep in

and gather up the willing "sinners" from under the noses of other Christian

organizations. Others objected to the freedom with which some included

details of their faults in telling their stories of having been changed.

The mission evolved from saving sick souls to saving a sick world. Some

at Oxford University objected to the use of the Oxford Group name. Frank

Buchman made some comments about Hitler that were taken out of context and

misinterpreted in the press and he was labeled as a Nazi-lover. In 1938,

with World War II on the horizon, the Oxford Group took on the name of

"Moral Re-Armament" or simply "MRA." As the west re-armed militarily in

preparation for the impending war, the Oxford Groupers said it would be

necessarily to re-arm morally to be able to work together for that cause.

"Up With People" (1965)

"WorldSmart Leadership Program" (2002)

The "Up With People" singing groups were a side development supported by

MRA.

the negativity in the United States at that time. They carried a message of

love, tolerance, and understanding. Up With People recently evolved to

include the "WorldSmart Leadership Program" which provides international

opportunities for young people.

"Initiatives of Change" (2001)

"IofC" (2001)

In 2001, the name "Initiatives of Change" was adopted by what was left of

MRA

to reflect the further evolution of MRA's purpose and methods. They believe

_____________________

En2joy! Tom En2ger

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++++Message 2057. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Old black and white movie on

Bill Wilson

From: Joe Petrocelli . . . . . . . . . . . . 11/5/2004 9:48:00 PM

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Hope this will be of some help. Try to contact Bill Pittman at Hazelden. He

is the Director of Hazelden Historian Infomation. His email is as follows

bpittman@hazelden.org

His tel3 is 1 800 328 9000 ext 4364. that may not be the correct ext number

but the tel operator will connect you to him.

Again hope it will help--he has a wealth of historical data available.

Joe Petrocelli

14 Pine Rd

Belmont, Maine 04952

jopet34@yahoo.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you Yahoo!?

Check out the new Yahoo! Front Page. www.yahoo.com

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++++Message 2058. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Old black and white movie on

Bill Wilson

From: t . . . . . . . . . . . . 11/6/2004 4:27:00 PM

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AA movies

'Lost Weekend' 1945. Strictly fiction but many details resemble Bill's

story.

'Days of Wine and Roses'

one

their regular Saturday night open house parties at their newly-painted

clubhouse. The

showing (for members and friends only) was scheduled for July 1946.

'Problem Drinkers'. [adapted from a March of Time newsreel to a movie] 1946

[first public film record of AA work - according to Grapevine Aug 1946. may

be

same

Hal H. Wallis, motion picture producer, cancelled plans to make a

full-length

motion

'Smash-Up' -prepared with assistance from NCEA [date unknown, sometime late

40's]

'I am an Alcoholic' movie short [sometime in late 40's]

be

called

souls

hear thrilling true confessions as drunks tell all.

...

... the movie company spent vast sums and precious time to change a shallow

into an adult and honest picture [revised title not given]

[from Grapevine article, Public Relations, in Nov 1951 on things that

'almost

'Come Back, Little Sheba' 1952

'Bills Own Story'

produced by AAWS in early 1960's to preserve Bill telling his story for

archival

purposes

'Bill Discusses the 12 Traditions'

produced by AAWS about a year later. Has Bill speaking to a group of GSO

people

Both these were reportedly home-movie quality, and somewhat disapointing to

the

Conference - never received Conference-approval, though available from GSO

service

They are both restricted to use within the fellowship only.

'Mr & Miss Anonymous'

proposed name of a movie a large motion-picture producer wanted to make,

portrayed

A.A. lopsided, rewritten and changed name, A.A. thought of suing, didn't

(mentioned

in AA Comes of Age p.126) [may be same as 'Love Inside AA' mentioned above]

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++++Message 2059. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Old black and white movie on

Bill Wilson

From: Warren Kegebein . . . . . . . . . . . . 11/8/2004 5:41:00 AM

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In the 50's or early 60's Lutheran Social Services sponsored and

produced stories of a spiritual nature which were aired on Sunday

mornings. I vividly recall one in which William Shatner starred as

Bill Wilson. I believe the hotel lobby experience was actually filmed

in Akron. I saw the film one time in treatment in 1973 and have been

trying to track it down ever since I got a computer. Seeing it in

treatment triggered the memory of seeing it in my late teens or early

twenties. As I recall AA wasn't mentioned or if it was it was only at

the end.

++++Message 2060. . . . . . . . . . . . RE: Re: Old black and white movie on

Bill Wilson

From: Pittman, Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . 11/11/2004 2:00:00 PM

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Voice In The Mirror Universal Pictures 1958 Black & White

Richard Egan & Julie Andrews

-----Original Message-----

From: Warren Kegebein [mailto:MRGOTROCKS@aol.com]

Sent: Monday, November 08, 2004 4:41 AM

To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com

Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] Re: Old black and white movie on Bill Wilson

In the 50's or early 60's Lutheran Social Services sponsored and

produced stories of a spiritual nature which were aired on Sunday

mornings. I vividly recall one in which William Shatner starred as

Bill Wilson. I believe the hotel lobby experience was actually filmed

in Akron. I saw the film one time in treatment in 1973 and have been

trying to track it down ever since I got a computer. Seeing it in

treatment triggered the memory of seeing it in my late teens or early

twenties. As I recall AA wasn't mentioned or if it was it was only at

the end.

Yahoo! Groups Links

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++++Message 2061. . . . . . . . . . . . RE: Re: Old black and white movie on

Bill Wilson

From: michael oates . . . . . . . . . . . . 11/11/2004 4:30:00 PM

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How do we get a copy of this movie.

We need it in our Archives

Michael Oates

--- "Pittman, Bill" wrote:

> Voice In The Mirror Universal Pictures 1958 Black &

> White

> Richard Egan & Julie Andrews

> -----Original Message-----

> From: Warren Kegebein [mailto:MRGOTROCKS@aol.com]

> Sent: Monday, November 08, 2004 4:41 AM

> To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com

> Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] Re: Old black and white

> movie on Bill Wilson

>

>

>

>

> sponsored and

> produced stories of a spiritual nature which were

> aired on Sunday

> mornings. I vividly recall one in which William

> Shatner starred as

> Bill Wilson. I believe the hotel lobby experience

> was actually filmed

> in Akron. I saw the film one time in treatment in

> 1973 and have been

> trying to track it down ever since I got a computer.

> Seeing it in

> treatment triggered the memory of seeing it in my

> late teens or early

> twenties. As I recall AA wasn't mentioned or if it

> was it was only at

> the end.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Yahoo! Groups Links

>

>

>

>

>

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From: NORMANSOBRIETY@aol.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 11/17/2004 4:18:00 AM

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Dear history lovers,

I sent you an e-mail on the 8/11/2004. Regarding the conceptions I have not

had a reply so far.

I was at a meeting about two weeks ago and the conceptions of 1935 were read

out I have never heard of them before. Does anyone know any thing about

them?

Yours in the fellowship

Oban Sunday night

Scotland U.K.

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++++Message 2063. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: conceptions

From: GitaByte@aol.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 11/17/2004 6:18:00 AM

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Hi Norrie - I think you are actually refering to the 12 Concepts for World

Service which Bill W. delivered at the 10th General Service Conference in

1960. For historical info please try this link;

http://www.aaprimarypurpose.org/BillW12Concepts.htm

For the 12 Concepts list go here;

http://www.aaprimarypurpose.org/12concepts.htm

Hope this helps - Peace, Gita

In a message dated 11/17/2004 10:15:13 AM Eastern Standard Time,

NORMANSOBRIETY@aol.com writes:

Dear history lovers,

I sent you an e-mail on the 8/11/2004. Regarding the conceptions I have

not had a reply so far.

I was at a meeting about two weeks ago and the conceptions of 1935 were

read out I have never heard of them before. Does anyone know any thing

about them?

Yours in the fellowship

Norrie F.

Oban Sunday night

Scotland U.K.

-----------------------------------------------

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[1] .

++++Message 2064. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: conceptions

From: Charles Bishop, Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . 11/17/2004 9:48:00 AM

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Hi Norrie F.: please send copy of the "conceptions" to the AA Hist. Lovers

site. thanks, Charlie Bishop, Jr.

----- Original Message -----

From: NORMANSOBRIETY@aol.com

To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 10:18 AM

Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] conceptions

Dear history lovers,

I sent you an e-mail on the 8/11/2004. Regarding the conceptions I have

not had a reply so far.

I was at a meeting about two weeks ago and the conceptions of 1935 were

read out I have never heard of them before. Does anyone know any thing

about them?

Yours in the fellowship

Norrie F.

Oban Sunday night

Scotland U.K.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

1 of 6

MICHIGAN CITY, Glenn C. (South Bend IN)

(founded in 1944) together with the A.A. prison group at San Quentin in

California (founded in 1942) were the two best known groups for alcoholic

convicts in the United States during the early years. The one at San Quentin

(where Clinton T. Duffy was the warden) was the first, and there were

additional successful attempts to set up groups at other prisons during the

following two years, but Warden Alfred F. "Al" Dowd at the Indiana State

Prison highly publicized the enormous success of the Indiana group among the

prison wardens all over the country, and raised the Indiana program to

national prominence.

story tellers and most important spiritual teachers of early Hoosier A.A.,

who had been sent to the Indiana State Prison for a murder which he

committed in a confused alcoholic rage in a house of prostitution located in

the seamy district along South Michigan Street in South Bend where a good

many of the city's bars and places with nude dancers could be found. He had

been brought up in an orphanage and had a deformed chest from the vitamin

deficiency disease called rickets which he had developed from the inadequate

diet at the orphanage. Not long after the last of several suicide attempts,

Nick became one of the founding members of the little A.A. prison group, but

only because they got him to that first meeting by promising him a piece of

raisin pie smuggled from the prison kitchen.

Bulletin, Vol. 1 (1998) No. 2. Published by the A.A. Archives Committee for

Northern Indiana Area 22 (c/o Michiana Central Service Office, 814 E.

Jefferson Ave., South Bend, IN 46617).

A.A., see the two-volume series on Lives and Teachings of the A.A. Old

Timers put together by Glenn C. (South Bend, Indiana) for the Michiana

Conference held to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the bringing of

A.A. to northern Indiana. This work is due to come out in a second edition

at the beginning of 2005, with the two volumes entitled The Factory Owner &

the Convict and The St. Louis Gambler & the Railroad Man.
================================================
THE PRISON GROUP AT MICHIGAN CITY
Nick K.'s Lead: How the Group Was Begun in 1944
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This material is transcribed from the tape recording of a lead given by Nick

Kowalski at Ann Arbor, Michigan on February 26, 1976, contributed by Molly

S., who lived with Nick in the last years of his life. Nick was in prison

for murder at the time the A.A. group was started there, joined the new

group, and became one of their first big success stories. After his release

from prison, he not only continued to work with ex-cons for the rest of his

life, but was also for many years a major leader and spiritual guide within

the A.A. program in the South Bend/Mishawaka area.

presented with a unique challenge -- a request by Tim Costello, a convict at

the Indiana State Prison at Michigan City, to bring the A.A. program to him

there at the penitentiary. As far as the people in South Bend knew, there

were no other such programs, and this was a journey onto completely

uncharted ground.

definitely slanted at that time towards the upper social groups. Bill W. had

been a wealthy Wall Street stockbroker before the Great Depression, and Dr.

Bob was a skilled surgeon. Of the two founders in South Bend, Ken Merrill

was a well-to-do factory owner and a widely published author, and Soo Cates

was an engineer who served as a sales representative for a major firm. Could

a program tailored to people like these make sense at all in the totally

different context of hardened convicts incarcerated in a state penitentiary?

another early member of the South Bend group, Harry Stevens, both began

visiting Warden Dowd until they wore him down, and got him to let them set

up an A.A. group at the penitentiary.

earned his release and eventually became one of the legendary figures in

A.A. in South Bend and the St. Joseph river valley. Since few people could

tell a tale better than Nick, perhaps it is best to let him relate the story

of the beginnings of the A.A. prison group in his own words:
"In 1944, a guy named Tim Costello, long dead, tore a fascinating,

wonderful, God-gifted trail through the prison's A.A. program . . . . And I

got to talk to you a little about Tim, because he showed me what God gives

everyone:

much in the world, because they're always busy around here, washing the

dishes and cleaning up, and putting things together. And you get mad at 'em,

a lot of the time, 'cause they've got pretty strict ideas about how the

program works, and they'll argue, and talk to you about the things you

should do, and the things you shouldn't do. And you raise hell with 'em, and

say 'Lousy no good so-and-so's,' and this and that. But they're always here.
"About two weeks after they're dead, you realized they saved your life maybe

fifty times. Hadn't have been for their sternness with themselves, and with

you and me, their candid honesty that we need from time to time -- if you're

like me, clear up to tonight, including tonight -- I'd have often gone off

the deep end.
"We need 'em and we love 'em. And those of them that are here would know

that nothing you say to 'em can pay them back, because God pays them for

doing that. They don't need things from us, they need [only] the spirit of

God. In the sobriety they obtain, and their companionship, and even telling

you the candid truth, they gain a kind of grandeur that God gives few people

on the face of the earth.

them thanks, because if it wasn't for them, we might wouldn't be here

tonight.
"And Tim was one of these people. And God provides them, you know that. He's

got one for you and one for me, and here's a consummate value."

over America, with Jack Alexander's story as its lead article: "Alcoholics

Anonymous: Freed Slaves of Drink, Now they Free Others." The article gave

the New York A.A. address to which people could write for more information.

Now, three years later, Tim Costello, a convict in the Indiana State Prison

at Michigan City, read that article in an old copy of the magazine that was

lying around, and realized that this was the only thing that could save his

life.
"Tim went to the warden and asked if he could write a letter to A.A., and

the warden said, 'What's that?' He said, 'Well, it tells you here, read the

article.' And the warden said, 'I ain't reading no article about alcoholics,

I got a whole damn prison full of 'em!' [Laughter] Well Tim says, 'Can I

write a letter?' 'Hell no, they're not related to you. This is a maximum

security prison. The only people you can write to are relatives.'
"So Tim went back to his cell, and wrote a kite -- some of you know what a

kite is, it goes under the wall. It went out -- in this case, the priest is

dead too -- it went out through a Catholic priest, then to New York. And

then they got it in New York, and they sent it to South Bend, where there

were four men sober -- I could name 'em for you, God love 'em, here right

now.
"One was named Harry Stevens. God provides that second guy, that guy for

assistance -- the little, mild-mannered man, who like the fish in the dam,

keeps butting against the wall. Couldn't turn his head. Harry Stevens just

died a few years ago, had a stack of cards this high. If he ever got a call

from you -- ever -- he wrote your name, address, and phone number down. Once

a month, he sat down and wrote you a postcard. Said, 'I was just setting

down here tonight thinking about you, wondering how you are. If you ever

feel like it, give me a call, I'd like to see you again.' Didn't make any

difference, [if] some of them guys [wouldn't respond at first]. He wrote

them cards for years. Lots of guys, four or five years later, when they got

ready to come, they knew who to call. He'd be there, he'd come, he'd go. He

didn't worry about himself, he put together a pretty good life.
"He come up to the prison, said that 'I'd like to talk to an inmate named

Tim Costello.' The warden said, 'How do you know him?' He said, 'I got a

letter from him.' [Laughter] The warden said, 'No, you can't get a letter

from him.' He says, 'I can't? I got it right here.' So the warden went in,