Aa history Lovers 2006 moderators Nancy Olson and Glenn F. Chesnut page
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is his use of catch-phrases which were current at the time, but used (by Wilson) in a completely different way. I was reading a biography of Edwin Arlington Robinson recently and was surprised to find the expression "spiritual kindergarten" in something he wrote.
extememly pessimistic and that he seemed to see the world as a "prison-house." Robinson sent in a response that he did not see the world as a prison-house, but as "a kind of spiritual kindergarten where milllions of bewildered infants are trying to spell God with the wrong blocks." I'm sure that made everyone feel better.
his version was an original invention. Bill Wilson certainly put a nicer spin on it, though.
From: Shakey1aa@aol.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/27/2006 9:29:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII With so many new AAHL's out there, I would like to know if any have seen a multilith copy (pre-production) of the book Alcoholics Anonymous stamped "loan copy."
one.
Shakey Mike
Trustees? From: khemex@comcast.net . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/29/2006 5:33:00 PM
and I can usually find the historical data that I'm looking for through the usual channels but this time I've got to ask for help. Where can I find a list of all of the chairmen of the Board of Trustees for AA and its predecessor the Alcoholic Foundation. I've e-mailed GSO and haven't gotten any acknowledgement. Thanks for your help! In Love and Service to Others Gerry W.
++++Message 3740. . . . . . . . . . . . RE: Counting Members 1993 vs 2006 From: ArtSheehan . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/28/2006 11:03:00 AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Historic group and membership count data can be found in two primary sources of record. The first is a May 1953 Grapevine article titled "How Many AAs." It offers estimates of worldwide membership counts from 1935 thru 1953. There are many caveats in the Grapevine article explaining both the derivation of the numbers and their interpretation. Group and membership count data began to be reported in the final reports of the General Service Conferences from 1954 on. The counts apply to the prior year of the Conference report and are typically dated as of January 1 of the current year. In past years the data were dated as of April of the current year which further complicates year-by-year comparisons. The count data are also reported in the Grapevine and Box 459. These data are dependent on groups submitting new group information forms and group information change forms to their respective General Service Offices. The US/Canada GSO consolidates this information for annual reporting to the Conference and Fellowship. The data reported in the May 1953 Grapevine article and Conference reports must be interpreted very carefully, very skeptically and in proper context. Group counts include only those groups asking the GSOs to be listed (thousands do not). Groups may or may not report membership estimates or update estimates over time. Members can be counted in multiple group estimates and the composition of the numbers has changed at various points in time from "reported" to "estimated." All too often these data are interpreted as being precise and they are not - they are "best guesstimates." Between the period of 1955 to 1981, GSO included a statement in the reported counts giving an "estimated" count of membership which was typically 3 to 4 times higher than the so-called "reported" numbers. No information is provided on where these "estimates" came from. Their validity and precision appear to be dubious and I'd caution against taking them too literally. GSO abandoned the practice of offering "estimates" from 1982 on. Also from the period of 1951 to 1984 group and membership counts were reported for Hospitals. GSO stopped reporting this category of counts as of 1985.
Group should be pretty straightforward. But you'd be surprised by how much of an issue it was in the past for the Conference to come up with a definition of what is an AA Group that could be put into AA literature. What first gave rise to this was the AA Directory (it's basically a phone book that lists all the groups in a certain part of the country/world). In the 1960s complications arose over what groups and count data to list in the directory because of the emergence of groups that became involved with problems other than alcohol and conducted so-called "alcohol and pill" meetings. There were also groups that were men only, women only, physicians only, lawyers only, etc., etc. On top of that, there were groups that were essentially merging with Al-Anon and conducting so-called "Family" or "Family
After" meetings. The winnowing of the group data removed "alcohol and
pill" and "Family" meetings" among others. For a period of time AA literature (specifically "The AA Group" pamphlet) suggested subdividing AA into the categories of "groups, " "meetings" and "gatherings." If a group was in line with Tradition 3 (long form) then it got called a "group." If it went off into other areas it was labeled a "meeting" and not counted as a group. And if it was really out in left field it was called a "gathering." Needless to say, many AA members were not very enthusiastic about those types of classifications and wanted more clarity in the definition of what an AA group is. This gave rise to something called the "6-point definition of an AA group." The 6-point definition was replaced by a 1990 decision of the General Service Conference that defined an AA group with the long form of Traditions 3 and 5. Then in 1991 the Conference approved a definition that consists of the long form of Tradition 3 and "Warranty 6" of Article 12 of the Permanent Conference Charter (which is also a part of Concept 12).
revision occurred in the US/Canada GSO's counting methods and record system. The number of groups reported no longer included those described as "meetings" which chose not to be considered "groups." Such "meetings" (typically special interest) are included in prior year's data and inflate that data. The 1992-1994 revisions can erroneously be interpreted as a steep drop from 1993 to 1994 membership and groups when, in fact, it simply reflects a procedural change in counting methods. The doom and gloom crowd of AA often erroneously refer to these counts as a drop in AA membership (which might give a hint as to the inadequacy of the research methods that sustain their negativity).
Each year, the US/Canada GSO attempts to contact overseas GSOs and groups requesting to be listed in their records. From the beginning, the count numbers are at best, "fuzzy" and likely understated and do need to be interpreted prudently to avoid drawing erroneous conclusions. GSO cautions that the information they report "does not represent an actual count of those who consider themselves AA members." The autonomous and anonymous characteristics of AA groups make the derivation of accurate and complete counts a difficult matter to say the least. The data reported are not an accurate measure of a specific year's increase or decrease. However, trends over the decades are indicative (but not exact) of AA groups reaching more places and more AA members achieving recovery. The 2006 final Conference report offered an estimate of 1,068,761 members for the US, 110,449 members for Canada, 702,769 members overseas and 65,843 members in prison groups for a total of 1,947,662 worldwide. Because of the thousands of groups that do not register with GSO and/or update their membership estimates, my sense would be that the US numbers reported by GSO are likely understated rather than overstated.
2006 issue (number 16) of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) report carries an article titled "Alcohol Dependence or Abuse: 2002, 2003 and 2004." One of its major findings is that "Among persons aged 12 or older, 7.6 percent (18.2 million) met the criteria for alcohol dependence or abuse in the past year." Even though AA may have a worldwide membership "guesstimated" at almost 2 million, in the United States alone there are over 18 million persons that would benefit from hearing the message of recovery that AA carries. There appears to be much work left to do. That 18+ million number would probably be a far more useful one to cite at AA functions. Cheers Arthur
From: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of mbrandfssr Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 7:27 AM To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] Counting Members 1993 vs 2006
1993."
last month where a guy made slight reference to this and claimed our membership is probably more like 600,000-700,000 in the US Yahoo! Groups Links IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3741. . . . . . . . . . . . RE: Texas prayer From: ArtSheehan . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/28/2006 12:41:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Hi Cheryl I've been doing research for about 2 years to assemble material to write a history of how AA started in Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas (I live in this locale).
series of 6 articles about AA. They were written anonymously by Larry J. Larry had never attended an AA meeting and had set out from Cleveland, OH by train to live and work in Houston. While reading the Big Book on the train he experienced a spiritual awakening. Larry had been rescued (quite literally) by his sponsor Clarence S, founder of Cleveland AA. Shortly after the articles were published, Larry was joined by Roy Y. They started AA in Texas with nothing to guide them other than the Big Book and corresponding with the NY office.
pamphlet. Larry did write a prayer but I have found nothing beyond anecdotal assertions of it being called "The Texas Prayer" or it being
used by other groups. Likewise, I doubt that Larry is the author of the so-called "Texas Preamble." Larry's story has a sad ending. He was at odds with the early Houston members because they formed a steering committee to replace him as a bit of a heavy-handed founding leader of the Houston group. Larry was resentful over the matter and never quite fully reconciled with the members after that. He returned to drinking and IV drug use. Fort Worth was the second group founded in Texas, followed by Dallas. The earliest verifiable usage I have found of what is called "The Texas Preamble" comes from the archives of Group #1 in Fort Worth (today the Harbor Group). It's in a May 1946 document titled "ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS, INC. GROUP ONE REGULAR PREFACE TO MEETINGS." The so-called "Texas Preamble" seems to be far more a product of myth
than fact in terms of who authored it and where it actually originated. It has been attributed to a variety of sources including early Dallas members (among them Esther E, Olin L and Searcy W) and also to Larry J but that is only anecdotally sustained and I don't consider it to be factual.
orphan" and I think this applies to the myth that surrounds "The Texas Preamble." There are variants of this "preamble" or "preface" all over the US. From the bits and pieces of info I've been finding, I'd attribute the substance of the preamble to the pioneering mid-West groups (Akron and Cleveland). A section of the preamble is taken verbatim from the Akron Manual.
Arthur
From: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Cheryl F Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 4:18 AM To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] texas prayer
used to open AA meetings in Texas. He is also said to have written the 'Texas Preamble.'"
I can find a copy? Grateful so I serve, Cheryl F [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3742. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Multilith copies marked Loan Copy
From: tuswecaoyate . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/29/2006 11:44:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII --- In AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com, Shakey1aa@... wrote: > > With so many new AAHL's out there, I would like to know > if any have seen a multilith copy (pre-production) of > the book Alcoholics Anonymous stamped "loan copy." > > I have heard that they may exist but I have never seen > one. > > YIS, > Shakey Mike > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > I have a copy reproduced from Clarence Snyder's copy, of which there were quite a few made, and there are no stamps on any of the pages. Most references I have seen about the "loan copy" story, including Susan Window's affidavit, dismiss it as a fabrication. Later, Mike
From: ny-aa@att.net . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/30/2006 10:43:00 AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Art's very thorough reply in item 3740 gave reasons why groups might be undercounted. This included changes in how various types of groups, meetings, and gatherrings were and were not counted at various times. A significant cause of undercounting was that not all groups chose to be registered with GSO.
I add intergroups. In some cities, most AA services are provided by an intergroup or central office. Groups make sure they are known to the intergroup because that's what it takes to be on the local meeting list. Many members and groups are not aware that there is NO connection between registering with an intergroup and being known to GSO.
may be unknown in some places. Or some groups stay out of what they call the "politics" of districts and areas. If they don't have a GSR then they don't have a voice in the overall policies of Alcoholics Anonymous and that's just fine with them.
are counted more than once. The old group records systems at GSO only allowed one meeting place for a group. If one real home group met in a church on Monday and a firehouse on Wednesday and a school on Friday and a different church on Saturday, they had to have four different Group Serial Numbers for all of those to be listed. Sometimes they added a suffix to their group name and sometimes they just gave up fighting the records-keepers and used a totally different name for each location. So one home group and, perhaps, its members would be counted more than once. The new "Delegate Area Application" is a "relational database" and has provision for one group to list multiple meeting places. Transition started in 2003. However, that provision is not widely used. Groups already listed under multiple names are unlikely to change. Using that feature is inconvenient and is not even understood by some area registrars. The New Group Registration Form still does not provide for a group to register with more than one meeting location.
Trustees? From: ArtSheehan . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/30/2006 1:26:00 PM
Foundation Board were "President" and "Vice President." In 1955, the General Service Board adopted the practice of using the titles "Chairman" and "Vice Chairman" instead of "President" and "Vice President." So if any members out there ever dreamed of being "the president of AA" the opportunity existed for 20 years and you missed it (rule #62).
resign. (1) 04/39 to 12/39 - Harry B. Also returned to drinking and had to resign. (2)
02/40 to 09/41 - Robert Shaw (deceased 9/41). First non-alcoholic chair.
03/42 to 10/50 - Leonard V Harrison. 01/51 to 04/56 - Bernard B Smith. 04/56 to 04/61 - Leonard V Harrison (again). 04/61 to 04/78 - John Norris ("Dr Jack"). 04/78 to 04/82 - Milton Maxwell. 04/82 to 04/88 - Gordon M Patrick. First Canadian to be chair. 04/88 to 04/93 - Michael Alexander. 04/93 to 04/97 - W "Jim" Estelle. 04/97 to 04/01 - Gary A Glynn. 04/01 to 04/05 - Elaine McDowell (nee Johnson). First woman chair. 04/05 to date - Leonard M Blumenthal.
(2) Big Book story is "A Different Slant." Misc: (not board chairs but milestones for trustees) 11/41 to 05/44 - Margaret Farrand. First non-alcoholic woman trustee. 04/62 to 01/66 - Mary B. First alcoholic woman trustee. Cheers Arthur
-----Original Message----- From: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of khemex@comcast.net Sent: Friday, September 29, 2006 4:33 PM To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] List of Chairmen of the Board of Trustees?
and I can usually find the historical data that I'm looking for through the usual channels but this time I've got to ask for help. Where can I find a list of all of the chairmen of the Board of Trustees for AA and its predecessor the Alcoholic Foundation. I've e-mailed GSO and haven't gotten any acknowledgement. Thanks for your help! In Love and Service to Others Gerry W.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3745. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Richmond Walker From: Mel Barger . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/29/2006 11:46:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Hi Tom, I think Hazelden must have wanted to honor Rich Walker for his work in writing Twenty-Four Hours a Day. I understand that Rich had sold 75 thousand copies on his own and wanted the book to go on after his death. He reportedly offered it to AA World Services but was turned down, so Hazelden took it on around 1954 and then really entered the publishing business in a big way. They have even named a building for Rich. I met Rich's son some years ago. He and the family are very proud of Rich and I think they appreciate the recognition he is getting. I feel it's nice that we can acknowledge what he did for us by producing a meditation book that has helped so many. His book also inspired others to write meditation books, but few have equaled Twenty-Four Hours a Day. Mel Barger Mel ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mel Barger mel Mel ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mel Barger melb@accesstoledo.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Hickcox" To: Sent: Friday, September 29, 2006 8:36 PM Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] Richmond Walker > > I have come across a 24 Hours a Day volume that lists Richmond Walker as > author in two places. I understood that he did not want to be listed > hence > the statement in most of the volumes have "Compiled by a member of the > Group at Daytona Beach, Fla." usually at the very end of the book. > > This volume has "Richmond Walker" on the title page and "Editor's > note: This book was compiled by Richmond Walker (1892-1965) of the Group > at Daytona Beach, Florida." on the copyright page. No publishing date is > given.
> > Since Walker appeared to not want his name in the book, I am wondering if > any list member has information on why Hazelden felt the need to put it Download 13.83 Mb. Share with your friends:
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