Aa history Lovers 2006 moderators Nancy Olson and Glenn F. Chesnut page
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> deeply we of AA realize this at Christmastime. Together, we count and > ponder our blessings of life, of service, of love. > > In these distraught times, we have been enabled to find an > always-increasing measure of peace within ourselves. Together with all > here at AA's General Service Offices, Lois joins me in warmest > greetings to each and all of you, and me share our confident faith > that the year to come will be counted among the best that our > Fellowship has ever known. > > Bill W. > > Copyright (c) The AA Grapevine, Inc. (December 1970). Reprinted with > permission. > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > > --- In AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com, "mertonmm3" > wrote:
> > > If you look closely at his life you'll see that Bill formally divorced AA in 1955. HE SPENT THE REST OF HIS LIFE TRYING TO HELP THE ALCOHOLIC FOR WHOM AA DID NOT WORK. Thats really what the sub-secret LSD papers at Stepping Stones reveal. Its also what the enormous work he did on nicotinic acid aka niacin aka vitamin B-3 and its effect on Alcoholism. >
++++Message 3076. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: An AA apology? From: Jim Blair . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/21/2006 3:43:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] An AA apology? A few years ago, a group called IWS published the Big Book in paperback for sale in the U.S. and Canada and elsewhere,
did not expire in Canada. Jim
From: Robert Stonebraker . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/18/2006 8:21:00 AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I have always pronounced Reverend Sam Shoemakers name as "Shoe - maker" just as it is spelled. However, Clarence Snyder pronounces it as "Shoe - mocker." I would like to know the correct articulation. Any help would be appreciated. Bob S., from Indiana [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3078. . . . . . . . . . . . Inscription on Dr. Bob''s Desk? From: Karen . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/17/2006 10:25:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Someone sent me an email saying that he heard in Missouri that there was an inscription on a desk plaque of Dr. Bob that says: "The task ahead of us is never greater than the POWER behind us." I have been unable to find anything that confirms this. I did find several websites that quote what is on the plaque and it does not include the quote from above. I also found a website of quotations (http://www.gratefulness.org/mb/quotes.cfm) that credits Alcoholics Anonymous with the following:
the task that is ahead of us." Does anyone have any information about the source of these quotations? Thanks, Karen
++++Message 3079. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: An AA apology? From: wilfried antheunis . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/21/2006 4:44:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII From THE FORTY - FIFTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE GENERAL SERVICE CONFERENCE OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS 1995 FINAL REPORT page (27) 28 A.A. WORLD SERVICES, INC. "copyright were brought up under new business. It was felt the literature of Alcoholics Anonymous belongs to A.A. as a whole and A.A.W.S. (US/Canada) holds
these copyrights in trust for all of us The committee recommended that A.A.W.S.
Inc should continue to grant exclusive licenses to one service structure per country It was suggested that future W..M.s be kept aware of problems regarding copyrights In A.A." >>snip<< Other Board Action >>snip<< Ann Warner, Gary Glynn and George Dorsey met with three representatives of Intergroup World Services, Inc (IWS) in January 1995. It was a cordial meeting, and although we did not always see eye to eye, there was an understanding on some important issues After further communications following the meeting, an understanding was reached and reported to delegates, alternate delegates. intergrourp/central offices. overseas GSOs and World Service Meeting delegates GSO/Staff Operations: The Financial Reports are >>snip<< page 42 Reports from the A.A. Grapevine Other Board Business: . Technological Challenges- >>snip<< . lWS-As a result of the meeting withIntergroup World Services (IWS) in January,
considerable progress has been made on an understanding and we are very optimistic about the final outcome >>snip<< ----- Original Message ----- From: Charlie Bishop Jr. To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 5:36 PM Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] An AA apology?
at comcast.net) A few years ago, a group called IWS published the Big Book in paperback for sale in the U.S. and Canada and elsewhere, so that for a while there were two different editions of the Big Book available in print in English, one published by IWS and the other published by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. AAWS objected and in a settlement between AAWS and IWS, AAWS agreed to apologize to every AA group in the world for its harassment of IWS, Inc. That AAWS apology was published in Box 4-5-9 and in the 1995 Final Report of the General Service Conference. Could someone email me a copy of either the Box 4-5-9 or 1995 GSC Final Report apologies or both? Thanks. My email address is Also, is anyone aware of a Regional Forum that discussed "lawsuits" in A.A.?//
McCaleb Burwell From: Shakey1aa@aol.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/18/2006 11:09:00 AM
topic was discovering more about Fitz Mayo.The following are some of the things I discovered when researching this topic. Jimmy Burwell's sister was Marjorie and her husband was Churchill M.(not Mayo) Churchill did not drink. His best friend was Fitz Mayo.Fitz, Jimmy and Churchill all went to an Episcopal high school in Virginia .Jimmy and Churchill both served overseas in WWI.Fitz did not serve (see his story"Our Southern friend") because the war was over when he enlisted and he was sent
home.When Fitz was down on his luck(drunk) Churchill gave him land in Cumberland Md where Fitz built a house.Fitz had two wives. The first was Elizabeth who became ill and was attended to by Lois Wilson. After she died, he married Arabella.Fitz and both of his wives were visited several times by Bill and Lois
Wilson. Fitz did get into the service in WWII, until he got ill. He was operated
on by Dr. Bob. He had a cancer and died 10/4/1943. While Fitz was sober in NY he obviously heard about Jimmy's "problem". Jimmy was staying at his mothers house and she was hiding his clothes so he couldn't go out and get drunk.He had another AA member Jackie carry the message
to Jimmy. Jackie never had permanent sobriety and died of alcoholism. Fitz was AA number 3 in New York and Jimmy was AA number 5 in New York. Both got sober with the help of Bill W. Fitz believed in God ( his father was
an Episcopal minister) and Jimmy did not. ( see his story "The Vicious Cycle") Jimmy coined the expression "God As We Understand Him", and started AA in Philadelphia(Feb 28,1940), Wilmington,De, Harrisburg, Pa. and helped in Baltimore, Md. Jimmy insisted along with Hank P for "Higher Powered" and a "Power greater than ourselves" to be used. He was the salesman" Ed" described in the Third Tradition. It is thought that Bill took some liberties with his story to make a point. At the first open meeting of AA in Philadelphia, Fitz as well as several other New York members(including Mr. and Mrs Bill Wilson) made the trip. The date was March 6, 1940 .Jimmy returned the favor by going to Washington D.C. and helping Fitz get AA started there. Jimmy died Sept 8, 1974 and both He and Fitz are buried just feet apart in the Christ Episcopal Church in Owensville, Md.It is the same church that Fitz's father was a minister. As an observation; They were so opposite and so alike. Both had the tremendous drive and energy that was so characteristic of early members to stay sober and to "pass it on" to others. Some of what I discussed is common knowledge to history buff's,but since AAHl has members new to AA history I have included it. I apologize for the repetition. Yours in Service, Shakey Mike G. p.s. Jimmy was known as "Jimmy of Philadelphia" and wrote a can opener
"Memoirs of Jimmy" [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3081. . . . . . . . . . . . RE: James Houck and Bill at Maryland OG House Parties From: Bill Lash . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/22/2006 7:28:00 AM
"speculating" James Houck and the things he has said and been a part of. It's almost as if he
were one of the first one hundred in AA (who are no longer alive) so we are ONLY
left with being able to study what they wrote and what they said on recordings, or perhaps even what they said to others. But since James is still alive, wouldn't
it be better to simply contact him and ask questions of whatever is needed to be
clarified instead of reading into what he has said and making judgments of scattered and incomplete information? So much criticism and accusation when a mere phone call with a few questions to a wonderful man might just set the record straight.
From: mertonmm3 . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/22/2006 1:26:00 AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII bout a month ago Chuck P. (no known relationship to Hank P. at this time) made available to me the 4 pages from the Sotheby's catelog where the heavily annotated manuscript that was sold for well over $1Million appeared. Having personally owned numerous handwritten documents that were given to me by Hank's living relatives and viewed numerous other of Hank's original documents at GSO, Stepping Stones and Clarence's letters from Hank now housed at Brown University, I've concluded (to my own satisfaction anyway) that except for the much later dated page signed by Bill the vast majority of the commentary was pened by Hank P. Hank had 3 different styles of handwriting, one being block letters (which I call H1) the second being a very neatly written style (which I call H2 and somewhat rare) and third a rapid scribble (which I call H3 and the most typical. On the bottom of several of the pages the initials HGP appears (Hank's initials the G. standing for Giffen).
times and it seems very likely that this is the manuscript lent to Dr. Howard for review. Dr. Howard was the individual who told them that the book was all wrong and they must remove the "You musts" from the book and replace it with more suggestive language. Note that my review of the Montclair City Directory from 1937-1940 revealed no Dr. Howard and its quite likely that this was a pseudonym. (also his first name is unknown and he seems to have vanished from all historical accounts of the era after the review). Jim Burwell says in his history something to the effect that he was the head psychiatrist of New Jersey, though I could not find such a position to have existed then. Any doctor at the time of the writing of the book (other than Dr. Silkworth) would be reluctant to attaching his name to this idea or book. There are references to some of the material being "too groupy" and to
the Oxford Group explicitly demonstrating that there was a perception that the book should avoid such appearence.(at least by Hank). I,m not a handwriting expert but absent a great forgery I'm quite sure of my analysis of the majority of the handwriting being that of Hank. I've also only seen evidence regarding these 4 pages so it goes without saying that I have no knowlege of what appears on any of the other pages.
having viewed the document or fascimiles in the above-referenced auction catelog).
demonstrates that their is still original material out there that hasn't been noted by anyone.
-merton
++++Message 3083. . . . . . . . . . . . God-shaped hole From: Glenn Chesnut . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/22/2006 5:04:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Messages 952, 954, 956, and 962 asked about the origins of the idea of "the
God-shaped hole in the human soul." I have written a piece about this which is
too long to post in the AAHistoryLovers, so I have posted it online elsewhere, and will simply give a link to it here for those who might be interested.
painful
void is developing God-consciousness, the sense of God's presence, which Bill W.
talked about in the opening pages of the Big Book (see pages 1, 10 and 12-13).
He had experienced it as a young military officer while visiting Winchester Cathedral, but had failed to realize its importance, and had turned away from it.
evangelical theology of the early twentieth century. The meditative practice of the Oxford Group's morning Quiet Time was designed in part to help us develop this awareness of the constant presence of God's power and grace and love. This kind of meditation was further developed in Richmond Walker's Twenty Four
Hours a Day, where Rich (the second most published early AA author) spoke of entering the Divine Silence and the Eternal Now, where we learned to simply be still and delight in the awareness of God's peace, and let it flow in and fill our souls. Emmet Fox, whose book Sermon on the Mount was a standard piece of recommended reading among early AA people, showed us how we could use our awareness of God's
presence and power as a way to heal our souls and our lives when we found ourselves embroiled in troubles of any kind, either in our external lives or within our souls.**
contained in idea that human beings are creatures who must have God in their lives in order to realize their full human potential: http://hindsfoot.org/godsha.html Glenn C. (South Bend, Indiana) ______________________________ As we see for example in a famous passage from Emmet Fox which is quoted in some
versions (like the Detroit version) of the set of four early AA beginners lessons called the Table Mate or Table Leaders Guide: **Emmet Fox, Staying on the Beam "Today most commercial flying is done on a radio beam. A directional beam is
produced to guide the pilot to his destination, and as long as he keeps on this
beam he knows that he is safe, even if he cannot see around him for fog, or get
his bearings in any other way. As soon as he gets off the beam in any direction he is in danger, and he immediately tries to get back on to the beam once more. Those who believe in the All-ness of God, have a spiritual beam upon which to navigate on the voyage of life. As long as you have peace of mind and some sense of the Presence of God you are on the beam, and you are safe, even if outer things seem to be confused or even very dark; but as soon as you get off the beam you are in danger. You are off the beam the moment you are angry or resentful or jealous or frightened or depressed; and when such a condition arises you should immediately get back on the beam by turning quietly to God in thought, claiming His Presence, claiming that His Love and Intelligence are with you, and that the promises in the Bible are true today. If you do this you are back on the beam, even if outer conditions and your own
feelings do not change immediately. You are back on the beam and you will reach
port in safety. Keep on the beam and nothing shall by any means hurt you." [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3084. . . . . . . . . . . . Update about Fitz M.wives From: Shakey1aa@aol.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/21/2006 12:48:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I received the following from Jared L. "Hi! Shakey -- Thank you. A possible correction. Fitz and Libby were divorced in 1936-37, according to their son. Libby died, I believe, in 1984. Fitz married
Arabella in 1943, when he already knew he was dying of cancer. She died in Westchester County NY in early 1972 (I think) at the age of 93 -- she was twenty years older than Fitz or Libby, and I believe she rented rooms in DC (to Fitz among others) when her husband was trying to recover. I have seen her name as Arabella or as Ruth J. -- J" Thanks, Jared for the update,Sorry for any misinformation. My information was a
copy of an interview with a relative of Jimmy B. What is known is that Fitz had
2 wives .Can anyone else add to what is known about Fitz M? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3085. . . . . . . . . . . . Sam Shoemaker From: jlobdell54 . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/21/2006 6:19:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII When I met him, I was introduced to him as Sam Shoemaker (not Shoe- macher). That was not long before he died. Moreover, in conversations with Episcopal clergy I have always heard him referred to as Sam Shoemaker (not -macher). -- Jared Lobdell IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3086. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: 100 Hundred Men and Women? From: Arkie Koehl . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/21/2006 4:57:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Message 3073 from James Flynn yahoo.com) said: "I would like to know why the preface to the first edition to the BB makes a
statement about 100 men and women, when there are only approximately 40 stories
in the BB and by some accounts that I have read a maximum of 70 members in AA at
the time the book was published." ______________________________ From: Arkie Koehl In my business, advertising, this is known as "acceptable puffery" and is
allowed by the Federal Trade Commission :-) Arkie Koehl ______________________________ From: "Mitchell K." (mitchell_k_archivist at yahoo.com)
the
AA members and their spouses attended gatherings together there were at least
100 people involved. Another story I was told by Ruth Hock was that Bill always
liked to make the story sound better than it was. It sounded much better to round it off from 40-70 members to 100 members. I would think that there might be more stories which will surface. ______________________________ From: "mertonmm3" yahoo.com) Women in the plural because, I believe in the NY/NJ/CT area (which functioned as one during most of the time) they began with one woman (Florence R. of Westfield N.J.), and around the time of the release of the book Marty M., then a patient
of Blythewood Sanitarium, became number 2. The reason for the inflationary numbers is twofold. 1) they included the wives,
and 2) they were lying. They were trying to sell the idea of 1) a book that hadn't been written, 2) about a cure to a disease that no one thought of as a disease, 3) for which there was no known solution since the dawn of time
(contra - Jerry McAuley's Water Street Mission) to an audience which included
the richest oil trust's philanthropic people in the world (the Rockefeller Foundation) and even more difficult, the members themselves and, 4) to sell stock subscriptions in a company that had not yet been formed, for the incredibly high price of $25 a share (with inflation I'm guessing today's = $400 - $ 500/sh.) This was called "puffing" or "salesmanship"!!! All the best, -merton ______________________________ From: Tom Hickcox I believe it is pretty generally accepted that he was exaggerating on purpose.
between him and a good story. He was promoting A.A. and the Big Book. Tommy H in Baton Rouge ______________________________ From: Jim Blair It is a nice round number. Jim ______________________________ From: Gotogo2002L@aol.com (Gotogo2002L at aol.com) Hi all Were they not referring to the first 100 drunks from the Oxford Group era? Those drunks roaming around aimlessly until the title of the BB came to life?
From: robin_foote . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/21/2006 9:40:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Cuba and AA Take First Step By Mike Fuller Havana, Jan 21 (Prensa Latina) After 13 years of spreading sobriety in Cuba, Alcoholics Anonymous can now count on more support from State sectors to save lives of people suffering from this incurable, progressive and lethal disease.
National Convention in Cuba, Guillermo Barrientos of the Cuban Ministry of Public Health said the door is open for cooperation between the State and AA.
experienced prodigious growth on this island, and health authorities here are ready to extend a hand in the fight against alcoholism.
said to Prensa Latina "Alcoholism transcends the level of health, and must enter other sectors like the Federation of Cuban Women, Committees for Defense of the Revolution, Federation of Universities and NGO’s like Alcoholics Anonymous." "We started backwards," he explains, "with a public declaration, but now we must define our relationship," and cited a pending meeting with the Ministry
of Justice to elaborate legal aspects. "We have to work on issues like technology, training and community integration," he said. The hundreds of alcoholics here in recovery with AA’s 12 Step program are
grateful their experience, hope and strength is being recognized. Andy X, manager of the AA General Services Office said "It’s like a dream
come true." But as the banner said at the event, the fight against alcoholism is most important for those to come. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3088. . . . . . . . . . . . Announcing outside events during AA meetings
From: Gotogo2002L@aol.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/21/2006 5:54:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Hi All Can alcoholics announce there will be a sober dance following the AA meeting, when we want to have a dance in the same hall? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3089. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: An AA apology? From: Jim Blair . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/21/2006 9:51:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII From: Jim Blair Charlie Bishop wrote: "Also, is anyone aware of a Regional Forum that discussed "lawsuits" in A.A.?" I was at the Regional Forum in Burlington, VT. in '95 and "lawsuits" were discussed at length.
______________________________ From: Gotogo2002L@aol.com (Gotogo2002L at aol.com) Hi There. Please let me know if you get the info...........what was the final result of the paper back edition? Can we in the US have it also? ______________________________ Message 3071 from "Charlie Bishop Jr." comcast.net) //A few years ago, a group called IWS published the Big Book in paperback for
sale in the U.S. and Canada and elsewhere, so that for a while there were two
different editions of the Big Book available in print in English, one published by IWS and the other published by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. AAWS objected and in a settlement between AAWS and IWS, AAWS agreed to apologize to every AA group in the world for its harassment of IWS, Inc. That AAWS apology was published in Box 4-5-9 and in the 1995 Final Report of the General Service Conference. Could someone email me a copy of either the Box 4-5-9 or 1995 GSC Final Report apologies or both? Thanks. My email address is ...
//Also, is anyone aware of a Regional Forum that discussed "lawsuits" in A.A.?// IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3090. . . . . . . . . . . . Smitty and Smithy From: Tom Hickcox . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/21/2006 9:25:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Didn't Bill call Dr. Bob "Smithy" and the son's nickname was "Smitty"? Smitty/Smithy/Tommy in Baton Rouge [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3091. . . . . . . . . . . . Circle and Triangle From: J. Carey Thomas . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/22/2006 6:55:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Folks, At an Aero show in Lantana, Florida, I observed a reconstruction of a Civil Air Patrol (CAP on the fuselage) airplane used to spot submarines off the Florida coast in the early 1940's. This plane had a circle surrounding a (solid) triangle as the logo for this operation. My informant wasn't sure of the exact dates these planes were used, but agreed that it was early in the second world war. In love of service, _\|/_ (o o)
-----------o00-(_)-00o-----------carey---------- [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3092. . . . . . . . . . . . 4 or 6 years sober on page 192 in 1st printing? From: Robert Stonebraker . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/22/2006 12:13:00 PM
"That
was June 10, 1935, and that was my last drink. As I write nearly six years have passed." Of course, the Big Book was written in 1938 and 39, so only "nearly four
years" would have passed when Dr. Bob wrote this article. My second edition also states six years (p. 180), but my third and fourth editions state four years (p. 180). I thought that probably this mistake had been corrected when the third edition was published in 1976, but my first edition, first printing, replica from Anonymous Press states four years! So my question is this: Did the original first printing of the first edition use the number four or six on page 192?
The first edition says 6 years The second edition says 6 years! The third edition says 4 years The fourth edition says 4 years
From: Mel Barger . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/23/2006 2:20:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Hi Bob, I have an original copy of the First Edition. It says, "As I write, nearly
four years have passed." It's obvious that somewhere along the line, when six
years had passed, somebody took the liberty of changing it. However, they went
back to four years in the 3rd and 4th editions. Mel Barger IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3094. . . . . . . . . . . . Steering Committees at the Group level
From: Mike Breedlove . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/23/2006 7:09:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Greetings fellow AA History Lovers: Could you please help me understand the origins of steering committees at the group level? I checked the AAHistoryLovers archive of messages and got several "hits" for steering committee, but the references are actually to Intergroup or District Level Steering Committees, not to group steering committees. Of course I could easily have missed something. Does anyone have an idea of when the first group level steering committee might have started, in which section of the country, and why? If anyone knows anything about the history of how a steering committee started in their town or city I would be interested in hearing about it, and would be willing to compile that information for the list.
documentation you might possess, to my email address, mikeb415@knology.net (mikeb415 at knology.net), not to the list as a whole. This next question is a very broad one, and perhaps to some extent unanswerable. Does anyone know if there is a steering committee being formed very early and then changing its modus operandi when the traditons appeared. Again, reply to me at my email address, mikeb415@knology.net (mikeb415 at knology.net), not to the list.
manuscript From: ricktompkins . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/24/2006 9:30:00 PM
2004 for 1.56 million dollars, through a telephone bid from California to the auction site in NYC. Bill P. of Hazelden Press verified its authenticity at the time, after his report of viewing the entire manuscript on what we know as our 'first 164 pages.' From what I have learned, this one manuscript was brought to Cornwall
Press in the Nyack, New York area of the Hudson River valley in February 1939---the linotype operators made the galleys of Alcoholics Anonymous from this draft.
$1.56 million is a great deal of private money, but I wonder if the artifact will ever be shown to the general AA public. Such a shame! even the AA Archives at GSO stayed away from the auction fracas, with AAWS having no opinion on this outside issue: the fiscal speculation of AA archival items. The manuscript was the property of Barry L., confidant of Lois and the writer of AAWS' Living Sober in 1973. Lois gave it to him the mid-1970s and Barry's grand-nephew put it up on the auction block last year Honestly, I was saddened that the nephew never considered contributing it to the
AA Archives at GSO, even with its potential tax write-off. In serenity, Rick, Illinois
From: ArtSheehan . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/25/2006 1:46:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Hi Charlie Your assertion about AA's corporate entities that "In effect, they are temporary, albeit long-lived, committees which could all be thrown away and Alcoholics Anonymous would still exist" seems a bit cavalier. What I read in AA history and literature indicates very much the contrary.
these
corporations (GSB, AAWS, GV) in AA's Traditions and Concepts, it would require approval of 75% of all known AA groups worldwide (in writing) to alter the Traditions and Concepts to allow them to be "thrown away"
(see the last item in this posting). The practice of forming an incorporated (or equivalent) General Service Board, General Service Office, and corporate publishing entities with a corresponding General Service Conference oversight, has extended well beyond that of the US/Canada to numerous countries overseas (I believe there are more than 50). If these were all "thrown away" I doubt AA, as we know it, would long survive and would likely dissolve into a number of factions. There are so many members with intense, and intransigent, convictions on what AA "ought to be." Plus the general nature of the prevailing public rhetoric these days is so critically harsh and vitriolic toward opposing viewpoints, I really couldn't imagine what "would still exist" that would be labeled "Alcoholics Anonymous."
site) contains history and explanations of how the various AA corporations came to be and how they function. There is also a concise explanation in the pamphlet "The AA Group"(which can be downloaded from aa.org web site as well).
"corporation" is neither a bad word or a pejorative. Corporations are the primary means for "separating the material from the spiritual." Incorporation has been an integral part of AA since 1938 to establish legal (i.e. lawful or official) entities that hold in trust all of AA's assets in behalf of the entire Fellowship. Those assets include literature inventories and copyrights, trademarks and logos and funds from donations and literature sales.
"Alcoholics Anonymous" "The Big Book" "Box 4-5-9" "The Grapevine" "GV" "Box 1980" and "La Vina" (you were seeking info on this in a different posting - re the Service Manual, Chapter 10).
"Our AA General Service Center - The Alcoholic Foundation of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow." It outlined a history of the Foundation and recommended implementation of a General Service Conference. Bill W wrote
early AA's and their non-alcoholic friends banded together in 1938 to spread the AA message as best they could; how this group formed The Alcoholic Foundation, and how some of them became its first Trustees. We saw how the Foundation helped Dr Bob and me through difficult years; how the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" and the AA Office came into being and how, later, the Foundation acquired ownership of the AA book. We observed that the Foundation was chosen by the Groups in 1941, as custodian of their voluntary contributions for the support of the AA General Service Office at New York. We also have learned that, more recently, the Foundation assumed a responsibility for effectiveness and integrity of THE AA GRAPEVINE and that some time ago the AA Groups designated the Foundation Trustees as the overseers of our general public relations. Then early last year, on publication of "The Alcoholics Anonymous Tradition - Twelve Points to Assure Our Future," the Trustees of The Alcoholic Foundation were named the Custodians of these traditions as well. Such has been the gradual process of evolution and common consent by which the Foundation Trustees have come to be regarded, first nationally, and now internationally, as THE GENERAL SERVICE BOARD OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS - Custodians of AA Tradition, General Policy and Headquarters Funds."
"Twelve Suggested Points for AA Tradition" (which later became the long form of the Traditions) Bill acknowledged the importance of the corporate entities of the Alcoholic Foundation and Grapevine and what was then called "AA General Headquarters and today called "GSO" [I've truncated the wording for emphasis]:
action that might greatly affect AA as a whole without conferring with the Trustees of The Alcoholic Foundation. On such issues our common welfare is paramount. 6 Problems of money, property and authority may easily divert us from our primary spiritual aim. We think, therefore, that any considerable property of genuine use to AA should be separately incorporated and managed, thus dividing the material from the spiritual ... 9 ... The trustees of The Alcoholic Foundation are, in effect, our General Service Committee. They are the custodians of our AA tradition and the receivers of voluntary AA contributions by which they maintain AA General Headquarters and our General Secretary at New York. They are authorized by the groups to handle our overall public relations and they guarantee the integrity of our principal publication, The AA Grapevine ...
Service." Bill further acknowledges the importance of the corporate entities in several of the long form Concepts:
defined working relation between the groups, the Conference, the AA General Service Board and its several service corporations, staffs, committees and executives, and of thus insuring their effective leadership, it is here suggested that we endow each of these elements of world service with a traditional "Right of Decision." VI. On behalf of AA as a whole, our General Service Conference has the principal responsibility for the maintenance of our world services, and it traditionally has the final decision respecting large matters of general policy and finance. But the Conference also recognizes that the chief initiative and the active responsibility in most of these matters should be exercised primarily by the Trustee members of the Conference when they act among themselves as the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous. VII. The Conference recognizes that the Charter and the Bylaws of the General Service Board are legal instruments: that the Trustees are thereby fully empowered to manage and conduct all of the world service affairs of Alcoholics Anonymous. It is further understood that the Conference Charter itself is not a legal document: that it relies instead upon the force of tradition and the power of the AA purse for its final effectiveness.
capacities: (a) With respect to the larger matters of over-all policy and finance, they are the principal planners and administrators. They and their primary committees directly manage these affairs. (b) But with respect to our separately incorporated and constantly active services, the relation of the Trustees is mainly that of full stock ownership and of custodial oversight which they exercise through their ability to elect all directors of these entities. IX. Good service leaders, together with sound and appropriate methods of choosing them, are at all levels indispensable for our future functioning and safety. The primary world service leadership once exercised by the founders of AA must necessarily be assumed by the Trustees of the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous.
authority -- the scope of such authority to be always well defined whether by tradition, by resolution, by specific job description or by appropriate charters and bylaws. XI. While the Trustees hold final responsibility for AA's world service administration, they should always have the assistance of the best possible standing committees, corporate service directors, executives, staffs, and consultants. Therefore the composition of these underlying committees and service boards, the personal qualifications of their members, the manner of their induction into service, the systems of their rotation, the way in which they are related to each other, the special rights and duties of our executives, staffs, and consultants, together with a proper basis for the financial compensation of these special workers, will always be matters for serious care and concern.
chosen general manager of GSO summarized AA's service structure and the relationship of its parts "To sum up: the Board formulates policy; the Conference approves policy; and GSO implements policy." The 1976 Conference (and prior Conferences) expanded a 1955 provision of the Conference Charter to specify that any change to the Steps, Traditions or Concepts and 6 Warranties of Article 12 of the General Service Conference Charter, would require written approval of 75% of the AA Groups worldwide. The Conference Advisory Action makes any change whatsoever to the Steps, Traditions, Concepts and Warranties a virtual impossibility (even so much as adding or removing a comma).
which
we are supposed to pass on - not "throw away." Cheers Arthur
From: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Charlie Bishop Jr. Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 4:30 PM To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] AA Corporations? Hi all: help needed on below: //The following are all CORPORATIONS: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.; the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, Inc.; and the Alcoholics Anonymous Grapevine, Inc. They are service organizations and corporations whose purpose and existence is to serve the Fellowship. In effect, they are temporary, albeit long-lived, committees which could all be thrown away and Alcoholics Anonymous would still exist. Historically speaking, what group or body of AA members had the authority to form these three corporations? How would they have to be called together if they ever wished to vote on dismantling or discarding these corporations? Is provision made for dismantling and discarding any of these corporations in the Twelve Concepts, and who is given the power to take this action in the Twelve Concepts?/
comcast.net) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3097. . . . . . . . . . . . RE: Announcing outside events during AA meetings From: Joe Nugent . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/26/2006 8:38:00 AM
If the dance is being put on by AA not a problem. Joe
[mailto:AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Gotogo2002L@aol.com Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2006 10:54 PM To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] Announcing outside events during AA meetings
meeting, when we want to have a dance in the same hall? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] _____ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS * Visit your group "AAHistoryLovers Download 13.83 Mb. Share with your friends:
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