Aa history Lovers 2006 moderators Nancy Olson and Glenn F. Chesnut page
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hi history lovers,
a victim of crooked thinking, directly caused by the action of alcohol on his brain?"
information in the chapter to employers,instead of perhaps one of the chapters at the beginning of the book.
The Barking Big Book Study Group England IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3259. . . . . . . . . . . . RE: "Stump the Archivist" From: t . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/17/2006 12:53:00 AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII > JANUARY 2006 STUMP THE ARCHIVIST > > Did Bill Wilson have a mistress who lived in Miami? seems like somewhere I've read something like "Usually, however, other people
are involved. Therefore, we are not to be the hasty and foolish martyr who would needlessly sacrifice others ..." So I'll let those who might choose to take Bill's inventory also consider making his
amends. [isn't it odd how often we run across those willing to take someone else's
inventory, but how seldom those same folks volunteer to do the amends steps?]
> When and where did the poker chip tradition start for the groups? Sister Ignatia was reportedly in the habit of giving out Sacred Heart tokens to those
who 'graduated treatment' at St Thomas Hospital in Akron. As early as Jan 1947, in the Grapevine's "AA Country Wide News Circuit" column, it is
noted that the Elmira, N. Y. Group used white-red-and-blue poker chips to note
lengths of continuous sobriety. In May 1947, that same column mentions Tacoma Wash using white-yellow-red-and-blue chips.
In Aug 1947, that column again mentions the use of a blue chip by the North Hollywood, Cal group. A later, 1955, article "In the Chips" noted the practice in Charlotte, NC with white-red-amber-green-and-blue chips.
> Where did AA come to use the circle and triangle? "Where" is on most all AAWS literature published, "when" would be from the 50's till 1993.
> When was the grapevine first published? In its present form? The first [oversized] issue is dated June 1944, then it was 'downsized' to it's present dimensions in Sept 1948.
> I would apppreciate any direction you might suggest,. . . or even > some answers!
From: James Blair . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/16/2006 8:01:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII JANUARY 2006 STUMP THE ARCHIVIST Did Bill Wilson have a mistress who lived in Miami? Who he bonked or didn't bonk has nothing to do with AA history. When and where did the poker chip tradition start for the groups? Chips, Medallions and Birthdays The traditions of chips, medallions and birthdays vary in different parts of the country and I thought it would be interesting to look up some of the history on them.
started
Alcoholics
dry out a Sacred Heart Medallion and instructed them that the acceptance of the medallion signified a commitment to God, to A.A. and to recovery and that if they were going to drink, they had a responsibility to return the medallion to her before drinking.
Temperance Movement of the 1840s and the Pioneers an Irish Temperance Movement of the 1890s.
in 1947 and has grown from there. The celebration of birthdays came from the Oxford Group where they celebrated the anniversary of their spiritual rebirth. As we have a problem with honesty, A.A. chose the anniversary of the date of our last drink.
Harry Tiebout was asked to look at the problem and he commented on this phenomenon in an articled titled "When the Big "I" Becomes Nobody", (AAGV, Sept. 65)
local group. The practice of celebrating a year's sobriety with a birthday cake had resulted in a certain number of the members getting drunk within a short period after the celebration. It seemed apparent that some could not stand prosperity. I was asked to settle between birthday cakes or no birthday cakes. Characteristically, I begged off, not from shyness but from ignorance. Some three or four years later, A.A. furnished me the answer. The group no longer had such a problem because, as one member said, "We celebrate still, but a year's sobriety is now a dime a dozen. No one gets much of a kick out of that anymore." The AAGV carried many articles on chips and cakes and the following is a brief summary of some. Feb. 1948, Why All the Congratulations? "When we start taking bows (even on
anniversaries) we bow ourselves right into the cuspidor." July, 1948. Group To Give Oscar for Anniversaries. The Larchmont Group of Larchmont, N.Y. gives a cast bronze camel mounted on a mahogany base to celebrate 1st., 5th and 10th anniversaries. "The camel is wholly emblematic of the purposes of most sincere A.A.s, i.e.,
to live for 24 hours without a drink." August 1948. The Artesta, N.Mex. Group awards marbles to all members. If you are caught without your marbles, you are fined 25 cents. This money goes into the Foundation Fund.
have poker chips of nine colors of which the white represents the probation period of one month. If he keeps his white chip for one month he is presented with a red chip for one month's sobriety. The chips continue with blue for two months, black for three, green for four, transparent blue for five, amber for six, transparent purple for nine months and a transparent clear chip for one year. We have our chips stamped with gold A.A. letters. Also at the end of the year and each year thereafter, we present them with a group birthday card signed by all members present at the meeting. January 1955, Charlotte, N.C. "When a man takes "The Long Walk" at the end of a meeting, to pick up a white chip, he is admitting to his fellow men that he has finally accepted the precepts of A.A. and is beginning his sobriety. At the end of three months he exchanges his white chip for a red one. Later, a handsome, translucent chip of amber indicates that this new member has enjoyed six months of a new way of life. The nine month chip is a clear seagreen and a blue chip is given for the first year of sobriety. In some groups a sponsor will present his friend with an engraved silver chip, at the end of five years clear thinking and clean living. March 1956, The One Ton Poker Chip. Alton, Illinois. Author gave friend a chip on his first day eight years ago (1948) and told him to accept it in the spirit of group membership and that if he wanted to drink to throw the chip away before starting drinking. October 1956, Bangor Washington. Article about a woman who sits in a bar to drink the bartender sees her white chips and asks what it is. She tells him. He throws her out as he does not want an alcoholic in his bar. She calls friend.
anniversaries. Person celebrating leads meeting. Person is presented with a set of wooden carved plaques with the slogans. July 1957, New Brunswick, Canada. Birthday Board. Member contributes one dollar for each year of sobriety July 1957, Oregon. Person is asked to speak and is introduced by his or her sponsor. The wife, mother, sister or other relative brings up a cake. The Group sings Happy Birthday. The wife gives a two or thee minute talk.
talks."
Where did AA come to use the circle and triangle? It was introduced at the 20th Anniversary convention in St. Louis and registered as a trade mark in 1955. Bill had seen it during a visit to Norway and brought the idea back to the U.S. We have the symbols on the floor of one of the subway stations in Montreal.
was 11X17 and 8 pages. It grew to 16 pages. In Spetember 1948 it was reduced to the present size. I would apppreciate any direction you might suggest,. . . or even some answers! IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3261. . . . . . . . . . . . RE: "Stump the Archivist" From: ArtSheehan . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/17/2006 12:18:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII From: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of J. Carey Thomas Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 4:43 PM To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] "Stump the Archivist"
four questions below have come from attendees at our Area business weekends.
mastered its capabilities. Probably the answers to these *questions* are there, but I could use some help...!
From Area 65 Did Bill Wilson have a mistress who lived in Miami? Bill W's mistress, Helen W, lived in New York at the time of their 15 year affair. Helen supposedly bought a home in Pleasantville, NY. She also became a Grapevine editor. Bill changed his will and royalty agreement with AA to make Helen the beneficiary of 10% of his royalties after he passed away. The most detailed information on her can be found in the book "Bill W' by Francis Hartigan. When and where did the poker chip tradition start for the groups? Don't know. There would likely be too many locations claiming primacy on the matter to factually determine the matter conclusively. Sister Ignatia should be credited with starting the practice of giving alcoholics a sobriety token. She handed out Sacred Heart Badges to alcoholic patients leaving St Thomas Hospital in Akron, OH on the condition that they would return the badge to her prior to taking a first drink. See the book Sister Ignatia by Mary C Darrah.
Convention, and 10th Anniversary, in Kiel Auditorium, St Louis, MO, July 1-3, 1955. See "AA Comes of Age" pgs 49 and 139.
format would be 5 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches and it would contain 32 pages. The change was based on a vote of subscribers. Early covers were kept simple, usually consisting of a grapevine sprig and a color background.
Arthur
even some answers! _\|/_
(o o) -----------o00-(_)-00o-----------carey---------- Carey Thomas Archivist, Area 15 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3262. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Crooked thinking From: Jim Lynch . . . . . . . . . . . . 3/17/2006 9:34:00 AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII The authors of our basic text make it clear earlier in the paragraph on page 140
that they have described fully the nature of the illness in chapters two and three, and suggest that the employer look there "If this presents difficulty,". The series of questions, of which the "crooked thinking" one is the final question, begins with the phrase, "If you concede that your employee is ill".
the
information from chapter 2 and 3 in different language. The chapter is written
to help the employer see that "you may be suffering from an illness that only a spiritual experience will conquer."
an ex-problem drinker in Pittsburgh ----- Original Message ---- From: Charlene C. To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 1:57:04 PM Subject: Re: [AAHistoryLovers] Crooked thinking
intellectual terms than medical or spiritual. especially in that time, when alcoholism was
considered more of a moral dilema than a spiritual mallody or terminal illness.
C. Cook
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