Benjamin Rush believed alcoholism to be a disease. He felt his father was an alcoholic and died due to his consumption. Benjamin had written, “An Enquiry into the Effects of Spirituous Liquors Upon the Human Body and Their Influence Upon the Happiness of Society.” in the 1700s. Benjamin may have been the first to suggest alcoholism is a progressive illness and would be destroyed by the disease (Ref-Avenues Recovery). Benjamin demanded hospitals treat addiction and mental illness while trying to establish a unit to treat intoxicated patient. Some have said he is the father of the temperance movement. Benjamin was born in 1746 and died in 1813. The Washingtonians didn’t start their crusade until he 1840s and A.A wasn’t born until the 1930’s. Benjamin Rush was a physician, a political leader and a signer of the Declaration of Independence and fought to abolish slavery.
The the Washingtonians were founded by six inebriates in 1840 – their purpose was to work with the drunkards themselves. The group grew to over 600,000 members. Sadly, the movement began to dwindle, as it may have been that their single purpose to help other alkys could well have been diluted, as anyone became a member of the Washingtonians. Also there may have been more in-fighting as the members wanted to commit to other issues and the primary purpose of helping Alkies wasn’t anymore.
Below is a picture of Washingtonian Hall and the founders.
Frank Buchman – Born in 1878, passed away in 1961. He was the founder of the Oxford Group, a Christian-based movement and the birthplace of A.A. The purpose was to give its members a moral rearrangement. The Oxford Group wasn’t only alcoholics but many people who needed or wanted help. Dr Bob and Bill W were members of this movement, as was Rowland whose words were heard by Ebby and so on….and so on.
Rowland Hazard – Born 1881, passed away 20th December 1945. Rowland had passed a message of sobriety which led to Ebby T contacting his friend Bill W. Rowland never joined AA but was a member of the Oxford Group. Rowland went to see Dr Carl Jung who told Rowland that he was a chronic alcoholic and beyond the help of medicine. He told him his only hope was for a life-changing “vital spiritual experience” — an experience which Jung regarded as a phenomenon. Rowland developed his spiritual life in the Oxford Group.
Below is the man who wrote ‘Drs Opinion’ in the big Book of Alcoholics. This is Dr William Silkworth. Dr Silkworth was born in 1873. He was director of Charles B Towns hospital in New York for drug and alcohol dependency in 1930. Dr Silkworth was the man who had a profound influence on Bill Wilson. Sadly Dr Silkworth passed away in March 1951.
Ebby Thacher – The friend of Bill W who set the seed for sober living. Ebby was a member of the Oxford group founded by Frank Buchman. There Ebby heard Rowland speak of his experience in the Oxford Group meetings. Ebby was born in 1896 and passed away on 21st March 1966.
Bill W – my name is Bill (Friend of Bill) all that stuff. Bill was born in 1895 – Bill had his moment of clarity or gift of desperation in the Towns Hospital. Bill became sober on 11th December 1934 and remained that way until his passing in 1971. The co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous and main writer of the Big Book who aided in saving the lives of many people around the world.
Below is the gravestone on Thomas Thetcher a Grenadier in the North Regiment of the Hants Milita. This features in Bill’s Story on his visit to Winchester Cathedral. Here sleeps in peace a Hampshire Grenadier, who caught his death by drinking cold small Beer, Soldiers be wise from his untimely fall and when ye’re hot drink Strong or none at all. An Honest Soldier never is forgot
Whether he die by Musket or by Pot.
Dr Bob – Co-Founder of Alcoholics Anonymous – Born 1879 – His last drink was June 1935. Dr Bob passed away on 16th November 1950 at 71 years old. Below is a pic of Dr Bob with Anne Smith. Dr Bob had been called the prince of the twelfth steppers. Dr Bob gave his final public talk in the same year he died at the first international convention in Cleveland, where he penned the phrase, Keep it simple.
Lois Wilson – the wife of Bill who was married in 1918 – I assume had to put up with a lot, shall we say. Lois was born on 4th March 1891 – passed away on 5th October 1988. Lois with Anne B was the Co-Founder of the Al-Anon fellowship and worked tirelessly to help this fellowship group over the years.
Anne Smith – Wife of Dr Bob and some call Mrs Anne Smith the mother of A.A.. Anne was born in 1881 and married Dr Bob in 1915. Anne Smith died June 12st 1949 at the age of 68 years old. Even before the Al-Anon groups were created, Anne and Lois were doing more for the families of the alcoholics.
Charles B Towns – The hospital was founded in 1909 by a man, with the same name, a bit of luck. The hospital was built to treat alcoholism. This is the hospital where Bill W had walked out a sober man and remained so. Charles B Towns was enthusiastic about A.A. and loaned a considerable sum of money to the group so that they could get their book published in 1937. Charles B Towns passed in 1947.
This is Dr Leonard Strong – the husband of Bill Wilson’s younger sister, Dorothy, Leonard was the man who get Bill into the Towns hospital for treatment numerous times. Leonard was also one of the first non-alcoholic trustees of Alcoholics Anonymous. He died in 1989 at the age of 90 years old.
Henrietta Seiberling – The lady who introduced Dr Bob to Bill W at her home. Henrietta was born in 1888 and passed away December 5th 1979. Henrietta was a member of the Oxford Group and helped Alcoholics Anonymous grow. On Henrietta’s gravestone is says ‘Let Go, Let God’.
Hank P – AA number 2 in New York, a pioneer of getting the Big Book out there. Hank got sober in 1935 and drank again in 1939. Hank Passed away on January 18th 1954. His story ‘The Unbeliever’ is in the first edition of the big book. Hank is often forgotten in the history of A.A. and is believed to be the actual co-founder of A.A. and may have even come up with the name itself…but no one really knows.
Bill D – The Man in the Bed, Alcoholic number 3. His last drink was on June 26th 1935. His story is in 2nd, 3rd and 4th editions – Alcoholics Anonymous Number Three. Bill D passed away on September 17th 1954.
Florence R – the first woman to come to AA, Florence had written the story ‘A Feminine Victory’ and was sober over a year when she wrote this. Florence prayed for inspiration to tell her story that would encourage other women to seek help as she did. Because Florence was sober for over a year, the name ‘A Hundred Men’ had to be discarded as the name of the Big Book. Sadly, Florence drank again and later died at the age of 47 years old in 1943.
Bobbie B – Was Born in 1902 and passed away in 1952. Bobbie was the National Secretary to Bill W in 1942 – 1949. Written about her in AA comes of Age. Bobbie’s loyalty and devotion, together with her incredible energy and capacity for work, were invaluable assets to us during the troubled and dangerous years that lay ahead. Almost single-handedly, dealt with the problems that arose in the groups as a result of Jack Alexander’s article on A.A. in the Saturday Evening Post. She wrote thousands of letters to troubled members and to faltering new groups. She was truly our inspiration, at a time when there was doubt as to whether A.A. unity was possible. Nell Wing said about Bobbie ‘I can’t tell you the number of alcoholic all over the world who owe their sobriety to that special lady’ – This includes letters from all over the world such as Australia and Great Britain,
Nell was born May 27, 1917 and passed away 14th February 2007 at the age of 89 years old. In 1947 Nell Wing took on a temporary job at the Alcoholic Foundation as she was on her way to New Mexico to study art. Nell stayed. The trustees’ Archives Committee was formed in 1973, and in 1975, A.A.’s Archives was officially opened with a ceremony chaired by George G., then chairman of the trustees’ Archives Committee. Lois W., Bill’s widow, cut the ribbon and Nell Wing was, of course, the Archivist. The first Archivist of A.A. Nell was Bill’s secretary from 1950 and retired in 1982.
Jim B – Born 1898 – Passed away 8th September 1974. Jim was probably known as A.A.’s first atheist. His Story ‘The Vicious Cycle’ can be seen in editions 2,3 and 4. Jim arrived in A.A. in January 1938, Jim B drank again and arrived back through the doors in June 1938 and stayed sober up to his passing. Jim helped start A.A. in Baltimore when he moved there in 1940. Jim has been given credit for tradition three and also the use of “God as we understood Him”.
Marty Mann – born 15th October 1904 – passed away 22nd July 1980. Marty wrote the story ‘Women Suffer Too’ which appeared in Editions 2, 3 and 4. Marty is considered one of the first female members to achieve long-term sobriety from 1944 until she died in 1980. Marty had begun attending A.A. in April of 1939.
Sylvia K’s sobriety date is around September 1939 and stayed sober until she died in 1974. Sylvia’s story is in the 2,3 and 4th editions of the big book – Keys of the Kingdom. One of the earliest female members of A.A. Sylvia travelled to Akron to look for this cure…..Anyway, Sylvia became one of the founding members of A.A. in Chicago with Earl T. Sylvia passed on October 31st 1974 and sober.
Tom Powers – Born in 1911 and passed away in 2005. Tom attended his first meeting in New York in 1941 and took his last drink in 1946. He called Bill W his sponsor and helped write the Twelve and Twelve, published in 1953. Tom fell out with Bill and opened a clinic in New York whose principles of recovery eventually became All Addicts Anonymous (AAA). He is credited with applying the Twelve Step Program to the treatment of other addictions such as drugs, eating and sex.
Chuck C – Born 1902 – he became sober in January of 1946. Chuck was known as an inspiration in early A.A. and helped many alcoholics to recover. His New Pair of Glasses talk was turned into a book, a book many have passed to others in the fellowship for many years. Chuck passed away in 1984. Below is a 4-minute talk that is paramount.
Chuck C with Bill W below.
Barry L – The author of Living Sober. Barry L. got sober in 1945, and he wrote Living Sober in 1975. He also wrote the pamphlet ‘Do You Think You’re Different’ in 1977. Barry L. passed away in 1985 not long after he spoke at the 1985 World Convention where he spoke about the traditions and the relationship between AA and the LGBTQ Community he said “We weren’t in closets; we were sealed in Vaults”. Barry got sober 40 years earlier when homosexuals were treated as sexual deviants. In 1945 there was no Gay pride.
Below is a picture of Barry L and his friend, Lois Wilson.
Clancy I – Born 07/07/1927 – Clancy ended up being gifted sobriety on 31/10/1958. He became a much-loved circuit speaker who was the link from Bill W to the near present day. Clancy passed away on 24/08/2020 giving him 62 years of continuous sobriety. Clancy was the founder of the Pacific Group of L.A. The group still meet in person and on Zoom. In 1974 Clancy became managing director of the L.A. Midnight Mission, where he was once a client. You can listen to many of Clancy’s speaker tapes if you search that famous internet engine.
Sandy B – Born September 1931. Sandy became an inspired speaker for A.A. and spoke of the principles of the program and fellowship. Sandy peacefully passed away while in an A.A. meeting on September 28th 2014 while reading step one from the 12×12. Sandy was given the gift of sobriety on December 7th 1964.
Dr Paul O – Whose story in the big book was Dr Addict Alcoholic became ‘Acceptance was the answer”. His original sobriety date was in December 1966 but drank again, he stayed sober from July 1967 up to his passing on May 19th 2000. His wife, Max was a longstanding member of Al-Anon the two had been married for 28 years when Dr Paul O entered A.A. ‘I must keep my magic magnifying mind on my acceptance and off my expectations’.
Joe and Charlie travelled the world making the big book come alive, explaining it in a way many could understand. Joe McQ got sober around 1962 in Little Rock Arkansas – being an African American Joe was only allowed to stand at the back of the meeting, not engage in fellowship, and not touch the coffee, so Joe studied the big book then In 1973 at an Al-Anon Convention, the two met. Charlie got sober in 1970 and was a student of the Big Book like Joe. As years went on the two members travelled the world with their affectionately named The Joe and Charlie big book study. Sadly, Joe passed away in 2007 and Charlie passed away in 2011.
Some of you may have known that Joe McQ was unable to continue with the schedule of the Big Book studies and had to step down. In came another Joe, Joe McC from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Joe McC was born in 1939 and a long-time member of A.A. when he took the partnership on with Charlie. Joe McC passed away on 23rd November 2014, his sobriety date is unknown.
Coming back to the U.K. ‘Dartmoor Bill was born in 1929, he was a founding member of the Toynbee Hall group which was a huge part of East London recovery and later was the longest-sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous in Britain and Europe, having not touched a drink for the past 53 years. ‘Dartmoor’ Bill reached his half-century of sobriety in May 2003, and hundreds of A.A members celebrated with him at a party given by his wife at a church hall in Chelsea. Despite the onset of asbestosis, he spoke loud and clear for half an hour, regaling the company with his experience and sense of hope, insisting: “If you don’t take the first drink, you can’t get drunk.”
Bill died in 2006 at the age of 85 and 53 years sober.
First A.A Meeting in Europe was in Ireland, Dublin in 1946. Conor F had been living in the States and got sober in 1943, he came back to Dublin for a holiday and wanted to get something going, which he did. Below is a pic of Conor F (wearing glasses) and Sackville, Sackville got sober in 1947 and helped grow the fellowship in and around Ireland and also aiding the growth in other parts of England. Conor F moved back to Philadelphia and died in 1993 at 50 years sober. Sackville died in 1979 at 32 years sober.
Dr Max Glatt – Was a prominent expert in the treatment of addiction in the United Kingdom, He provided many talks at early alcoholics anonymous meetings in London. Dr Glatt worked as a doctor and psychotherapist at Warlingham Park Hospital along with treating addicts at Wormwood Scrubs. Dr Glatt A.A. believed AA as an important ally in the fight to rehabilitate the victims of Alcoholism’.
Marty M – Currently, it may appear the person with the longest continued sobriety a day at a time is. From North Carolina, Marty’s sobriety date is 1954. that will make him nearly 69 years sober. There are plenty of recorded messages that Marty provided during the lockdown era.
Ethel N – June 15th 1955 is the sobriety date of Ethel N from Philadelphia. Another member who has carried the message in all her long-term sobriety, you can hear many of Ethel’s speakers tapes online.
Because of the people who trudged the road to happy destiny, today, an A.A. presence can be found in approximately 180 nations worldwide, with membership estimated at over two million. There are more than 123,000 A.A. groups around the world and A.A.’s literature has been translated into over 100 languages.
Hope you enjoyed it.
East London Archives of Alcoholics Anonymous. 