Origin of the
Word “Alcohol”
From the Arabic
al-kuhul, a term applied to members of a group of chemical compounds
and, in popular usage, to the specific compound ethyl alcohol, or ethanol.
The Arabic word denotes kohl, a fine powder of antimony used as an
eye makeup. The word alcohol originally denoted any fine powder. The
alchemists of medieval Europe later applied it to essences obtained by
distillation and this led to
the current usage. It was not until the 18th century that the
word came to designate the intoxicating ingredient in liquor. (SD xiv, www
Encarta)
1774
Publication of
Anthony Benezet’s Mighty Destroyer Displayed, the earliest American
essay on alcoholism. (SD 4-5)
1784
Dr Benjamin Rush
(1746-1813) of Philadelphia, PA was a member of the Continental Congress, a
signer of the Declaration of Independence and Surgeon General of the
Continental Army during the Revolution. He is often called both the father
of American psychiatry and the father of the American temperance movement.
Rush wrote a 36-page paper titled An Enquiry into the Effects of Ardent
Spirits on the Human Body and Mind. It described habitual drunkenness as
a “progressive and odious disease” and asserted that total abstinence
“suddenly and entirely” was the only effective treatment. In 1810 Rush
called for the creation of “Sober houses” where alcoholics could be confined
and rehabilitated. (GB 43, 168, 1996 GSC-FR 15, SD 1-4)
1700’s (late)
From the latter
1700’s to early 1800’s, American alcohol consumption (and number of alcohol
distilleries) increased enormously. A growing number of prominent people
(e.g. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams)
called for a change in drinking practices. Momentum was picked up by
religious leaders who changed the notion of “temperance as moderation” to
“temperance as abstinence.” This began the growth of American temperance
societies. (SD 4-5)
1820s
By the 1820s people
in the US were drinking, on average, 27 liters (7 gallons) of pure alcohol
per person each year, and many religious and political leaders were
beginning to see drunkenness as a national curse. (www NARA)
1840
Apr 5, a group of
six drinking club friends (William Mitchell, John Hoss, David Anderson,
George Steers, James McCurley and Archibald Campbell) at Chasels Tavern in
Baltimore, MD formed a total abstinence society. Pledging “not drink any
spirituous or malt liquors, wine or cider” they named themselves the
Washington Temperance Society (in honor of George Washington). They
later became known as Washingtonians. They sought out new prospects
(“hard cases”) and held weekly meetings at the tavern until the owner’s wife
objected to the increasing loss of their best customers. They had a 25-cent
initiation fee ($5 today) and member’s dues of 12 ½ cents per month ($2.50
today). (SD 8-9, www Milton Maxwell paper)
Nov 19, the
Washingtonians held their first public meeting. Growth of the movement was
extremely rapid. Widespread and enthusiastic support came from thousands of
existing temperance societies. This was due to the great success the
Washingtonians had in mobilizing public attention on temperance by relaying
their “experience sharing” of alcoholic debauchery followed by glorious
accounts of personal reformation. One of the movement’s leaders noted,
“There is a prevalent impression, that none but reformed drunkards are
admitted as members of the Washingtonian Society. This is a mistake. Any man
may become a member by signing the pledge, and continue so by adhering to
it.” (SD 9, www Milton Maxwell paper)
1841
May 12, the
Washingtonians organized the first Martha Washington Society meeting
for women and children in NY. They provided moral and material support to
reform female inebriates and assisted the wives and children of male
inebriates. This was the first temperance movement in which women assumed
leadership roles. The movement also spawned juvenile auxiliary groups. Freed
blacks organized separate Washingtonian societies. (SD 10)
1842
Feb 22, Abraham
Lincoln spoke to the Springfield, IL Washingtonians. He praised the movement
and criticized earlier temperance movements that defined the alcoholic as
incorrigible: “I believe if we take habitual drunkards as a class, their
heads and their hearts will bear an advantageous comparison with those of
any other class. There seems ever to have been proneness in the brilliant
and warm-blooded to fall into this vice.” (SD 9, GSO) Lincoln is also quoted
as saying that intoxicating liquor was “used by everybody, repudiated by
nobody” and that it came forth in society “like the Egyptian angel of death,
commissioned to slay if not the first, the fairest born in every family.”
(1996 GSC-FR 15, www Encarta)
1843
Mid-to-end, the
Washingtonian movement peaked after having reached all major areas of the
US. Estimates of its membership vary and are contradictory. The sole
requirement for membership was to sign a “total abstinence pledge.” Members
included teetotalers, temperance advocates, a large segment of adolescents
(under 15) and drinkers of various types whose numbers far exceeded that of
the “drunkards.” A reliable estimate of the number of alcoholics in the mix
is impossible to derive. Over the lifetime of the movement, hundreds of
thousands signed pledges but the number of rehabilitated alcoholics was
likely under 150,000. (1996 GSC-FR 15, SD-10, www Milton Maxwell paper)
1847
Estimate of when the
Washingtonians “spent its force.” The society originally favored “moral
suasion” to achieve reformation of the alcoholic through abstinence.
However, its membership evolved to consist primarily of non-alcoholic
temperance advocates. As a result, sentiments shifted away from reformation
of the alcoholic to pursuit of a legal means to prohibit alcohol.
Washingtonian practices came to be viewed as outmoded and interest waned.
When the novelty and emotional appeal of the Washingtonians became outmoded,
they faded from the scene. AACOA 125 cites issues such as religion, politics
and abolition of slavery as root causes of the decline. While there are
incidents of this, these factors do not appear to be substantively relevant.
The primary reasons for the Washingtonians’ demise remain shrouded in
history. One factor, however, was very apparent: they had departed
significantly from their original intended purpose and composition. (SD
8-14, 12&12 178-179, AACOA 124-125, PIO 366-367. www Milton Maxwell paper)
1849
Swedish physician
Magnus Huss, coined the word alcoholism in his writings titled
Alcoholismus Chronicus (Chronic Alcoholism) and Chronische
Alkohols Krankheit (Chronic Alcohol-Sickness) It took nearly a
century for Dr Huss’ new term, and the accompanying term alcoholic to
achieve widespread usage in America (GB 167-168, SD xiv)
1852
The term Skid Row
derived from a section of Seattle, WA. A sawmill built in Pioneer Square
near Puget Sound used skids (tracks of peeled logs) to get the timber to the
mill. The area became home to vagrants and destitute alcoholics. It was
known first as “Skid Road” and later as “Skid Row.” (SD 72)
1862
Charles B. Towns was
born on a small farm in central GA. (RAA 84)
1864
Bill Wilson’s great
uncle Waldow Barrows was killed in the Civil War Battle of the Wilderness. (PIO
54)
1865
Bill W’s
grandparents William C Wilson and Helen Barrows were married. (RAA 136)
1870
Bill W’s father,
Gilman (Gilly) Barrows Wilson, and mother, Emily Griffith, were born. (BW-RT
12)
1872
Oct, Jerry McAuley
opened the Water St Mission in the notorious Fourth Ward of NYC. It marked
the beginning of the urban mission movement. The movement, which spread
across America by the Salvation Army, focused its message to the Skid Row
alcoholic. When McAuley passed away (in 1884) S H Hadley succeeded him.
Hadley’s example of recovery from alcoholism was cited in William James’
book The Varieties of Religious Experience. Hadley’s son, Harry,
later collaborated with Rev Sam Shoemaker to establish a rescue mission at
Calvary Episcopal Church in NYC. (SD 74-77, EBBY 65)
1873
Jul 22,
William Duncan Silkworth was born in Brooklyn,
NY to Isabelle Duncan and William Silkworth Sr. (SW 3)
1878
Jun 4, Frank Nathan
Daniel Buchman was born in Pennsburg, PA. (RAA 114, NW 32)
1879
Aug 8,
Robert Holbrook Smith was born in St Johnsbury,
VT to Judge and Mrs Walter Perrin Smith. Note: Bob had a much older foster
sister, Amanda [Northrupp], who became a history professor at Hunter
College, NY. (DBGO 9, 12, 14, CH 2, NG 29-30)
1881
Mar 21, Anne
Robinson Ripley was born in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, IL to Joseph &
Joyce Pierce Ripley. (Gv Jun 1950)
Oct 29,
Rowland H.azard ~ was born, the oldest son of
Rowland Gibson and Mary Pierrepont Bushnell Hazard. ~ (www)
1885
Sep, Dr Bob Smith
entered the Summer St Elementary School in St Johnsbury, VT. (DBGO 12)
1886
Aug 29, T Henry
Williams was born in South Woodstock, CT. (AGAA 65)
1888
Lois Wilson’s
parents, Dr Clark Burnham and Matilda Hoyt Spellman, were married. (LR 2)
Mar 18,
Henrietta Sieberling was born in
Lawrenceburg, KY, to Judge Julius A and Mary Maddox Buckler. (AGAA 83)
Summer, Dr Bob Smith
(turning 9) had his first drink from a jug of hard cider. (DBGO 13)
1889
Jan 2,
Bridget Della Mary Gavin (Sister Ignatia)
was born in Shanvilly, County Mayo, Ireland. (SI 44, 306, LOH 372)
1890
Aug 15, Elvin Morton
Jellinek was born in NY. (GB 171)
1891
Mar 4, Lois Burnham
was born at 182 Clinton St in Brooklyn, NY. She was the eldest of six
children from a distinguished and affluent family. (WPR 54)
1893
Dec 27,
Samuel Moor Shoemaker was born in Baltimore,
MD. (www)
1894
Sep, Dr Bob Smith
(age 15) entered St Johnsbury Academy. (DBGO 15, GB 34)
Sep, Bill Wilson’s
parents, Emily Griffith and Gilman Wilson, were married (PIO 13, BW-RT 15,
RAA 137)
Dec, Bill Wilson’s
uncle, Clarence Griffith, died of tuberculosis in CO. (BW-RT 31, BW-40 25,
PIO 28)
1895
Nov 26,
Bill Wilson was born in East
Dorset, VT in a room behind a bar in the Wilson House (formerly the Barrows
House) a village hotel run by his grandmother. (BW-RT 15, CH 4, NG 10, PIO
13, 407, RAA 138).
1896
Jan 2, Harry Morgan
Tiebout was born in Brooklyn, NY. (HT vii)
Apr 29, Edwin (Ebby)
Throckmorton Thatcher ~ was born in Albany, NY. (EBBY 20).
1898
Dr Bob Smith first
met Anne Robinson Ripley during his senior year at St Johnsbury Academy. (DBGO
16, GB 34, WPR 3) After graduating from St Johnsbury Academy, he entered
Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH. (CH 2, DBGO 348)
Dorothy Brewster
Wilson, Bill’s sister, was born. (PIO 15)
1901
The Charles B
Towns Hospital for Drug and Alcohol Addictions opened in NYC. It was a
private “drying out” hospital for the affluent. It initially opened on 81st
and 82nd Sts. and later moved to 93 Central Park West. Towns also
later opened an annex (behind the Central Park facility) at 119 W 81st
St to provide treatment for patients of “moderate means.” Hospital fees had
to be paid in advance, or be guaranteed. Treatment fees for alcoholism ran
from $75 to $150 in the main hospital ($1,560 to $3,120 today) and $50
($1,040 today) in the annex. (SD 84-85, SW 125)
1902
Harvard professor
William James’ presented the Gifford Lecture Series at the U of Edinburgh.
The lectures were published as The Varieties of Religious Experience- A
Study In Human Nature. James was also called the founding father of
American psychology. (GB 47)
Dr Bob Smith
graduated from Dartmouth College. During his school years, drinking was a
major activity. In the eyes of the drinking fraternity, he was “summa cum
laude.” The school itself had a reputation as “the drinkingest of the Ivy
League schools.” (CH 2, DBGO 22, 348, NG 30, RAA 172, GB 34) After
graduation, Bob went through three years of drifting and selling heavy
hardware in Boston, Chicago and Montreal. (GB 35)
Bill W’s mother,
Emily, spent much of the year in FL with his sister Dorothy. Bill wrote
several letters asking when she would be returning home. (BW-FH 18)
1903
Bill W’s family
moved to 42 Chestnut Ave in Rutland, VT. Bill attended the Church St School.
(PIO 20)
1904
Emily and Gilman
Wilson’s marriage was stormy. Others noticed that something was wrong. (BW-FH
12, BW-RT 17)
Oct 15, Margaret
(Marty) Mann ~ was born in Chicago, IL to Lillian Christy and William Henry
Mann. ~ (GB 119, MMM 13-16)
1905
Sep, Bill Wilson’s
father, Gilman (after earlier having a bitter argument with Emily) took Bill
on a late-night buggy ride and asked him to take good care of his mother and
sister and be good to them. The next morning Bill’s sister Dorothy told him
their father had gone away. Prior to this there were extended absences of
Bill’s mother, Emily, described sometimes as “nervous breakdowns.” (BW-RT
5-12, NG 10, BW-FH 12, 18-19, PIO 24) Bill’s father left the family and
departed for western Canada. Bill did not see him again for 9 years (summer
of 1914). Emily sent word to her father, Fayette, to drive up to Rutland and
get Bill and Dorothy. Emily remained behind in Rutland for a time to make
arrangements. (BW-RT 11, 17-18, BW-40 12-13, BW-FH 12)
Fall, Dr Bob Smith
entered the U of MI as a 26 year old pre-med student. He drank with a much
greater earnestness than he had previously shown. (AABB 173, CH 2, DBGO 25,
NG 30)
1906
Bill Wilson, his
sister Dorothy and mother Emily, moved back to East Dorset to live with
Bill’s maternal grandparents, Fayette and Ella Griffith. (AACOA 53, BW-RT
11, 17, PIO 22, BW-RT 19, NG 10, RAA 130, BW-40 13, BW-FH 12)
The Rev Drs Elwood
Worcester and Samuel McComb, along with physician Dr Isador Coriat, opened a
clinic in the Emmanuel Church in Boston, MA. It introduced the use of
spirituality, and recovered alcoholics as lay therapists, in the treatment
of alcoholism. Among the noted lay therapists were Courtenay Baylor, Richard
Peabody, Francis Chambers and Samuel Crocker. (SD 100-101)
Oct, while on a
picnic, Bill W, and his sister Dorothy, were informed by their mother that
their father had gone for good. The news was devastating to Bill. Emily left
the next day for Boston, MA to attend an osteopathic medical school. (PIO
24-27, BW-RT 19-20, BW-40 13, BW-FH 19)
1907
Bill Wilson’s
parents divorced. Bill considered this a “great disgrace and great stigma.”
(NG 309) There appears to be evidence that his father’s drinking was a
prominent cause of the divorce. (WPR 57, PIO 15)
Spring, Dr Bob Smith
left the U of MI due to his drinking to take a one-month “geographic cure”
on a large farm owned by a friend. (AABB 173, DBGO 26)
Late summer, Bill
Wilson's grandfather, Fayette, challenged him saying, "nobody but an
Australian bushman knows how to make and throw the boomerang.” (AACOA 53,
PIO 29-30, LR 19-20, BW-RT 28-29, BW-40 21-23, NG 11)
Fall, Dr Bob Smith,
after being allowed to take his exams, was forced to leave the U of MI due
to his drinking. He transferred as a junior to Rush Medical College near
Chicago. While at Rush his drinking was so bad his fraternity brothers
called for his father. (AABB 173-174, CH 2, DBGO 26, NG 30, 316, PIO 25)
1908
Feb, Bill Wilson
made the boomerang his grandfather Fayette challenged him to make and
perceived himself as a “Number One Man.” (BW-RT 33-35) His grandfather then
gave him his Uncle Clarence’s violin and challenged him to learn how to play
it. (AACOA 53, BW-RT 36-37, LR 20, BW-40 25-28)
Spring/summer, Bill
Wilson met his closest friend Mark Whalon (10 years his senior). (BW-RT 40,
RAA 141, BW-FH 12, PIO 22)
Jul, Frank N D
Buchman arrived in England to attend the Keswick Convention of evangelicals.
After hearing a sermon by a woman evangelist, Jessie Penn-Lewis, he
experienced a profound spiritual surrender and later helped another attendee
to go through the same experience. His experiences became the key to the
rest of his life’s work. Returning to the US, he started his “laboratory
years” working out the principles he would later apply on a global scale.
(NG 9, NW 32-45, PIO 130)
1909
The Akron Rubber
Mold and Machine Co. was founded. It reorganized later, in 1928, as the
National Rubber Machinery Co. In 1935, it became the center of a proxy fight
that brought Bill W to Akron, OH. (BW-RT 211-212, CH 4, NG 26, PIO 134, RAA
142)
Late spring, Bill
Wilson’s grandparents decided to send him (at age 14) to the prestigious
Burr and Burton Seminary in Manchester, VT for his secondary education. Bill
started classes that fall. He boarded at the school for 5 days a week and
returned home by train to East Dorset on weekends. (PIO 33, NG 12, BW-FH 19,
BW-RT 48)
1910
Dr Bob Smith (age
31) received his medical degree, with high marks, from Rush U. Prior to
graduating, the Dean of the medical school required Bob to return for two
more quarters and remain absolutely dry. (GB 35) After graduation, Bob
received a highly coveted 2-year internship at City Hospital in Akron, OH.
(CH 2, DBGO 27, NG 30,)
Dr Bob Smith started
internship at City Hospital. For two years, he had no problem with drinking.
(DBGO 27)
1911
Ebby T and Bill Wilsob first met. They were classmates at Burr and
Burton Seminary for one year (PIO 34, GB 26)
Nov 12, Ruth Eva
Miller (later Hock) was born in Newark, NJ. (WPR 77)
1912
Dr Bob Smith (age
33) started medical practice at the Second National Bank Bldg in Akron, OH.
He remained there until he retired from practice in 1948. It did not take
him long to return to old drinking habits. (DBGO 28)
Lois Burnham
graduated from Packer Collegiate Institute, an exclusive girl’s school in
Brooklyn, NY. (DBGO 28, 348, LR 12, PIO 40, BW-FH 13)
Sep, at the
beginning of the school year at Burr and Burton, Bill W was president of the
senior class, star football player, star pitcher and captain of the baseball
team and first violin in the school orchestra. (BW-FH 19)
Nov 18, Bill
Wilson's schoolmate and "first love" Bertha Bamford, died from hemorrhaging
after surgery at the Flower Hospital in NYC. She was the daughter of the
rector of the Manchester, VT Zion Episcopal Church. Bill learned about it at
school on the 19th. It began a 3-year episode of depression,
which severely affected his performance at school and home. (AACOA 54, PIO
35-36, BW-RT 51-58, NG 12, BW-FH 19-20)
1913
Jan, Bill Wilson
failed nearly every mid-year exam and was forced to drop out of school. (BW-RT
58, BW-FH 19-20)
Apr, It was clear
that Bill Wilson could not graduate from Burr and Burton. He moved to Boston
to live with his mother, Emily. (BW-RT-58)
Summer, Bill
Wilson’s grandfather took him to PA for the 50th anniversary of
the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg. (PIO 38-39)
Summer, Bill Wilson
and Lois Burnham spent some time together while both their families
vacationed at Emerald Lake near East Dorset, VT. Lois (4 ½ years older than
Bill) was not especially interested in him at the time. (BW-RT 68, PIO
38-39, LR 13, 15) They met through Lois’ brother Rogers. (PIO 48, BW-FH
23-24, WPR 56)
Late summer, after
an absence of several months, Bill Wilson returned to Burr and Burton and
took the senior exams. He failed his German class and could not receive his
diploma. Bill’s mother argued with the principal (James Brooks) who would
not budge. Bill then went to live with his mother and sister in Arlington,
MA (a suburb of Boston) where he made up his German course. (BW-FH 20, BW-RT
65)
Fall, Bill Wilson’s
mother, Emily, decided that he should become an engineer and attend MIT. He
attended Arlington High School to prepare for examinations for MIT. He was
essentially repeating his senior year. (BW-FH 2-21)
1914
Early, Dr Bob Smith
(previously hospitalized at least a dozen times for his drinking) was unable
to get sober. His father sent a physician from St Johnsbury to bring him
home to VT. Bob stayed in VT for about four months. He did not touch a drink
again until five years later when “the country went dry” (1919). (AABB
174-175, DBGO 28-29, NG 30)
Summer, the
relationship between Bill Wilson (age 18) and Lois (age 22) changed into a
romance. (PIO 39, GB 27)
Jul/Aug, World War I
(the Great War) started in Europe and Russia. (www)
Aug, Bill Wilson
went to British Columbia to visit his father, Gilman (their first meeting in
9 years). Bill also met Christine Bock whom Gilman planned to marry. (PIO
42, BW-RT 65-66)
Fall, unable to pass
the MIT entrance exams, Bill Wilson enrolled at Norwich U military college
in Northfield, VT. (BW-RT 65, BW-FH 20-21) Norwich was considered second
only to West Point in the quality and discipline of its military training.
Total enrollment was 145 students. Bill was miserable at Norwich (PIO 40-42,
LR 16, BW-RT 61, BW-FH 21)
1915
T Henry Williams
went to Akron, OH to work as Chief Engineer for the National Rubber
Machinery Co. (PIO 145)
Jan 25, after a
17-year courtship, Dr Bob Smith and Anne Robinson Ripley married in Chicago,
IL. They took up residence at 855 Ardmore Ave, Akron, OH. (CH 2, DBGO 29)
Early, at the start
of his second semester at Norwich, Bill Wilson hurt his elbow and insisted
on being treated by his mother in Boston. She did not receive him well and
immediately sent him back. Bill had panic attacks that he perceived as heart
attacks. Every attempt to perform physical exercise caused him to be taken
to the college infirmary. After several weeks of being unable to find
anything wrong, the doctors sent him home. This time he went to his
grandparents in East Dorset, VT. (BW-FH 21-22)
Spring, Bill
Wilson’s condition worsened in East Dorset but doctors could find nothing
physically wrong. He spent much of the early spring in bed complaining of
“sinking spells.” (BW-FH 22) Later, his grandfather, Fayette, motivated him
with the prospect of opening an agency to sell automobiles. Bill’s
depression lifted and he began trying to interest people in buying
automobiles. He wrote to his mother that he nearly sold an automobile to the
Bamfords (the parents of his lost love). (BW-FH 23)
Summer, Bill Wilson
sold kerosene burners and played fiddle at dances, weddings and other
affairs. Romance blossomed between him and Lois. (PIO 48, BW-FH 23-24)
Sept 11, Bill Wilson
and Lois became secretly engaged. (PIO 49, LR 1, BW-RT 79, BW-40 35, GB 27)
Fall, Bill Wilson
re-entered Norwich in a different frame of mind. He discovered a talent for
leading his fellow cadets but his poor academic performance continued. He
was also noted as being much better at giving orders than obeying them. The
Commandant wanted to expel Bill but the school’s musical director
interceded. (BW-FH 24-25)
1916
Feb, Bill Wilson (an
onlooker and still a freshman) and his sophomore classmates were suspended
for a full term from Norwich U for a serious hazing incident which started a
fight between the freshman and sophomore classes. (PIO 49, BW-RT 87)
June, the Norwich
Cadets, as part of the VT National Guard, were called up to respond to the
Mexican border troubles fomented by Pancho Villa. This caused Bill Wilson
and his classmates to be reinstated. The cadets were sent to Ft Ethan Allen
for mobilization but returned to Norwich in a matter of weeks. (PIO 49, BW-RT
88-89)
Bill Wilson’s half
sister, Helen, was born to Bill’s father, Gilman, and his second wife
Christine. (PIO 80)
1917
Jan, Lois moved to
Short Hills, NJ to teach at a small private school her Aunt Marian started
in her home. (LR 12)
Apr 6, the US
declared war on Germany and entered World War I. (RAA 145, www)
May, Bill Wilson
departed for officer’s training at Plattsburg, NY. After eight weeks of
artillery training at Ft Monroe, VA, he was commissioned a second lieutenant
in the 66th Artillery Corps and sent to Ft Rodman outside of New
Bedford, MA. (BW-RT 92-95, BW-40 38, 41, WPR 57)
Summer, Bill Wilson
(age 22) took his first drink at Emmy and Catherine (Katy) Grinnell’s house
in New Bedford, MA. It was a Bronx Cocktail (i.e. gin, dry and sweet
vermouth and orange juice). He got thoroughly drunk, passed out, threw up
and was miserably sick the next day. (AACOA 54, PIO 54-56, BW-RT 95-97,
BW-40 42-43, NG 13-14, BW-FH 26)
Oct 12, Henrietta
Buckler and J Frederick Sieberling were married in Akron, OH. (AGAA 83)
Dec, Congress
approved the 18th
amendment to the US Constitution for the prohibition of alcohol. (www,
DBGO 30 says 1918)
1918
Dr Bob Smith’s
father, Judge Walter Smith, died. (DBGO 10)
Jan, Frank Buchman
met Sam Shoemaker in Peking (now Beijing) China. Shoemaker had a spiritual
conversion experience and became a devoted member of Buchman’s First
Century Christian Fellowship. (NW 29, 47-52, RAA 117-118, AGAA 209)
Jan, Lois left her
Aunt Marian’s School in NJ. (LR 22, RAA 118)
Jan 24, spurred by
rumor that Bill Wilson might soon go overseas, he and Lois were married at
the Swedenborgian Church of the New Jerusalem in Brooklyn, NY. The wedding
date was originally Feb 1. Lois’ brother Rogers Burnham was best man. Bill’s
last stateside posting was at Ft Adams near Newport, RI. (BW-RT 100, PIO 58,
407, RAA 146, BW-FH 27, WPR 57)
Feb 15, Dr Bob Smith
and Anne’s adopted daughter, Suzanne (Sue) was born. (CH 11, PIO 140)
Jun 5, Dr Bob Smith
and Anne’s son, Robert (Smitty) was born. (CH 2, PIO 140)
Jul 18, Bill Wilson
sailed from Boston to NY Harbor on the British ship Lancashire. Later, on
the voyage to England, an officer shared brandy with him. Detained in
London, Bill visited the Winchester Cathedral and experienced a "tremendous
sense of presence.” He read an epitaph on the headstone of a Hampshire
Grenadier (Thomas Thetcher) later to be cited in Bill’s Story in the
Big Book. (BW-RT 102-108, PIO 59-60, RAA 146)
Nov 11, Armistice
Day, World War I ended at the 11th hour of the 11th
day of the 11th month. (BW-RT 109, RAA 146, www)
1919
Jan, the 18th
amendment to the US Constitution, for the prohibition of alcohol, was
ratified. (www)
Mar, Bill Wilson
sailed from Bordeaux, France on the S.S. Powhatan to NY Harbor. (BW-RT 109)
May, Bill Wilson was
discharged from the Army at Camp Devens. (BW-RT 109)
Summer, Bill & Lois
moved into her father’s home at 182 Clinton St in Brooklyn, NY. (BW-RT 113,
LR 27, PIO 62, 407, RAA 147)
Lois’ father, Dr
Clark Burnham, got Bill Wilson a job as a clerk in the insurance department
of the NY Central Railroad working for his brother-in-law Cy Jones. After
“some months,” Bill was fired. (PIO 63, BW-RT 119, BW-40 57) For several
weeks, he worked on the NY Central piers near 72nd St in
Manhattan, driving spikes into planks. Threatened with violence, because he
would not join a union, he decided to move on. (AACOA 54, PIO 63, BW-RT 114)
Aug, Bill Wilson and
Lois set off for an extended month-long walking trip thru ME, NH and VT.
Lois encouraged it partly to give them time to think and partly to get Bill
away from drinking. (LR 27-30, PIO 64-65)
Oct, Congress passed
the Volstead Act (National Prohibition Act) over President Wilson’s veto.
(www, GB 170)
1920
Feb, Lois got a job
with the Red Cross at the Brooklyn Naval Hospital. (LR 31)
Bill Wilson and Lois
moved into a one-room furnished apartment on State St (around the corner
from Lois’ parent’s home on Clinton St). Bill, not finding what he wanted to
do, was restless and increased his drinking. (LR 31)
1921
Frank Buchman was
invited to visit Cambridge, England. His movement The First Century
Christian Fellowship would later become the Oxford Group and
receive wide publicity during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Core principles
consisted of the “four absolutes” (of honesty, unselfishness, purity and
love - believed to be derived from scripture in the Sermon on the Mount).
Additionally the OG advocated the “five C’s” (confidence, confession,
conviction, conversion and continuance) and “five procedures” (1. Give in to
God, 2. Listen to God’s direction, 3. Check guidance, 4. Restitution and 5.
Sharing - for witness and confession). (DBGO 53-55, CH 3) (GB 45 states
Buchman dated the founding and name of the OG when he met with
undergraduates from Christ Church College of Oxford U).
Feb, Lois started
work at a better paying job at the psychiatric ward of Bellevue Hospital.
Bill and Lois moved from State St to a 3-room attic apartment on Amity St. (LR
33-35, BW-RT 124)
May, Bill Wilson
answered a blind advertisement in the NY Times and received a reply
from Thomas Edison to come to his laboratory to take an employment test of
286 questions. (PIO 64-66)
Jul, Bill Wilson and
Lois went on another camping trip over the (300-mile) Long Trail in the
Green Mountains of VT. The trip was Lois’ way to get Bill to stop drinking.
On the trip, Bill decided to enter law school and later entered night
classes at the Brooklyn Law School (a division of St Lawrence U). (LR 31,
BW-FH 30, PIO 64)
Late summer, Bill
Wilson found work as a fraud and embezzlement investigator for the US
Fidelity and Guarantee Co, and got his first glimpse of Wall St. Shortly
after going to work at USF&G, he received an employment invitation from
Thomas Edison but decided instead to stay around Wall St. (PIO 64, BW-RT
121-123, BW-FH 31)
Dec Bill Wilson’s
grandmother, Ella Brock Griffith, died. (PIO 70, BW-RT 125)
1922
Ebby T’s family
business failed. (PIO 83)
Bil W’s bouts with
alcohol increased. More and more he drank alone. (BW-RT 124-125, CH 3, LR
34, PIO 67)
Frank Buchman
resigned his job at the Hartford Theological Seminary to pursue a wider
calling. Over the next few years, he worked mostly in universities
(Princeton, Oxford and Cambridge). During the economic depression, students
(particularly in Oxford) responded to his approach and were ordained
ministers. Others gave all their time to working with him. (www)
Summer, Lois
experienced two ectopic pregnancies (the first in Jun and the second in
Jul). After the second misfortune, Bill Wilson and Lois were obliged to face
the fact that they would never have children. They applied to the
Spence-Chapin adoption agency but to no result. In later years, they found
out that they were denied the opportunity for adoption due to Bill’s
drinking. (PIO 67, LR 34, RAA 147-148, NG 315, WPR 59)
1923
Bill Wilson’s
mother, Emily, married Dr Charles Strobel. (PIO 75)
Dr Bob Smith and
Anne adopted a daughter, Suzanne (age 5) the same age as their son Smitty.
(CH 2-11, DBGO 35-36)
May, Lois
experienced her third ectopic pregnancy which led to surgical removal of her
ovaries. Bill Wilson was so drunk he did not go to the hospital to see her.
(BW-RT 128, LR 34, RAA 147, BW-FH 37)
Dec 25, Christmas,
Bill Wilson wrote a vow in the flyleaf of the family bible: “Thank you for
your love and help this terrible year. For your Christmas, I make you this
present: No liquor will pass my lips for one year. I’ll make the effort to
keep my word and make you happy.” Two months later, there was another such
vow. (BW-RT 127, RAA 148, BW-FH 33)
1924
Bill Wilson’s
grandfather (and substitute father) Gardner Fayette Griffith, died. (BW-RT
128, PIO 70)
Bill Wilson finished
law school but never picked up his diploma. He showed up for a final exam so
drunk he could not read the questions. He paid a $15 fee ($160 today) for
the diploma but was required to attend a commencement ceremony to pick it
up. He was unwilling to do that. (LR 31, PIO 67, 70, BW-FH 32, WPR 59)
Feb, Bill Wilson
again vowed not to drink. As time passed, there would be still other vows.
(BW-RT 127)
1925
Apr, Bill Wilson and
Lois began a one-year motorcycle/camping trip on a three-wheeler
Harley-Davidson with sidecar to evaluate businesses. Among the places they
visited were GE in Schenectady, NY and Portland Cement in Egypt, PA. By
winter, they were in FL and then headed north into Canada. Bill was one of
the first “market analysts.” His alcoholism progressed. (PIO 69-75, BW-FH 5,
LR 37, 39, WPR 59-60)
1926
Bill Wilson’s
drinking problem was openly discussed with his benefactor, Frank Shaw, at
business conferences between him and Shaw. (PIO 75, BW-RT 141) For the next
few years fortune threw money and applause Bill’s way. (PIO 75) However, his
success as a securities analyst was to be marred by a worsening drinking
problem. (PIO 407)
Spring, Bill Wilson
and Lois returned to Brooklyn for the marriage of Lois’ sister, Kitty, on
Jun 17. Lois was matron of honor. Both Lois and Bill had previously been
injured in a motorcycle accident. (BW-RT 141, LR 60-61)
Jun/Jul, Bill and
Lois departed for another six months of investigating businesses. They could
have traveled first class on Bill’s expense account and $20,000 line of
credit ($210,000 today). Instead, they drove a second-hand DeSoto Lois
outfitted with curtains so that they could sleep along side of the road.
(BW-FH 40, WPR 60 says the auto was a fairly new Dodge)
1927
Jan, Bill Wilson
wrote to Lois “There will be no booze during 1927.” It was a short-lived
promise. (LR 69)
Summer, Bill Wilson
and Lois went to Cuba to investigate the Cuban Sugar Co. in Havana. Bill’s
drinking created many problems and he accomplished little. Frank Shaw wrote
to Bill expressing concern. In Sep, Bill wrote to Shaw that drinking had
always been a problem for him and he was “through with alcohol forever.” (PIO
79-80, BW-FH 43-44)
Sept/Oct (?), on the
way home, Bill Wilson and Lois stopped in Miami Beach, FL to see Bill’s
father and his second wife, Christine. Bill first met his half-sister,
Helen, born in 1916. (PIO 80)
On returning to NY,
Bill Wilson and Lois rented a three-room apartment at 38 Livingston St in
Brooklyn. Not big enough for Bill’s desires, he enlarged it by renting the
apartment next door and knocking out the walls between them. (BW-RT 144, LR
71, PIO 80-81)
By the end of 1927,
Bill Wilson was so depressed by his behavior and drinking that he signed
over to Lois all rights, title and interests of his stockbroker accounts
with Baylis and Co. and Tobey and Kirk. (LR 72, PIO 82)
1928
Bill Wilson was a
star margin trader among his Wall St associates and made great financial
strides. However, there was no question about the severity of his drinking.
He sank into a form of hostility that poisoned his relationships. Bill’s
brother-in-law, Dr Leonard V Strong (his sister Dorothy’s husband)
confronted him on the progressive nature of his drinking and referred Bill
to a colleague for a physical examination. (BW-RT 144-145, PIO 81, GB 29)
Summer (?), a group
of Rhodes Scholars returned home to S. Africa, from Oxford U, England to
tell how their lives changed through meeting Frank Buchman. A railway
employee labeled their train compartment The Oxford Group. The press
took it up and the name stuck (the name First Century Christian
Fellowship faded). (RAA 120, www)
Sep 28, St Thomas
Hospital in Akron, OH opened. Shortly after, Dr Bob Smith and Sister Ignatia
met for the first time. Sister Ignatia (of the Sisters of Charity of St
Augustine) was the registration clerk at the hospital. At this time, she was
unaware of Dr Bob Smith’s drinking problem. Later, Dr Bob Smith, who loved
to give people nicknames, gave Sister Ignatia the nicknames of “Angel
Alcoholics Anonymous,” "Little Angel of AA’s," "Little Sister of Alcoholics
Anonymous" and "Ig." (LOH 202, 372, SI 6-9, DBGO 45-46)
Oct 20, Bill Wilson
signed a pledge in the family Bible: “To my beloved wife that has endured so
much, let this stand as evidence to you that I have finished with drink
forever.” On Thanksgiving, Bill pledged again in the family Bible: “My
strength is renewed a thousand fold in my love for you.” (PIO 81)
1929
Dr Bob Smith went
back to school to study under the Mayo brothers in Rochester, MN. He also
studied at the Jefferson Medical School in Philadelphia, PA and became a
surgeon proctologist. His condition was severely compounded by his daytime
habit of taking barbiturate sedatives (until around 4PM) and drinking at
night. (CH 101, DBGO 32-33)
Jan, Bill Wilson
pledged again in the family Bible: “To tell you once more that I am finished
with it. I love you.” (PIO 81)
Jan, on a trip to
Manchester, VT Bill Wilson called Ebby T in Albany, NY. After an all-night
drinking spree, they chartered a flight with Flyers Inc. in Albany to be the
first flight to Manchester. They landed drunk (the pilot, Ted Burke, as
well) and disgraced themselves. (EBBY 39-41, PIO 83-84, BW-40 121, NW 20, LR
76-77, LOH 367, BW-RT 183-184) Note: beyond this incident, it does not
appear that Bill and Ebby drank together very much.
Oct 29 (black
Tuesday) the Stock Market collapsed. Bill Wilson was broke and $60,000 in
debt ($645,000 today). He and his benefactor, Frank Shaw, parted company.
Later, Bill’s friend, Dick Johnson, offered him a job in Montreal with
Greenshields and Co. By Christmas the Wilsons were in Canada (BW-RT 152-154,
LOH 367, LR 81, PIO 85-86, RAA 148-149, BW-FH 44-46)
1930
Bill Wilson and Lois
lived lavishly in Canada in a furnished Glen Eagles apartment on Cotes des
Neiges in Mount Royal overlooking Montreal. They had a new Packard
automobile and membership in the Lachute Country Club. (BW-RT 154, BW-FH 45,
LR 81)
Neurologist, Dr
William Duncan Silkworth (nicknamed “Silky”) after losing his investments
and savings in the stock market crash, started work at Towns Hospital
earning $40 a week ($440 today). Charles Towns did not see eye to eye with
Silkworth on alcoholism as an illness. (PIO 101, SW 30-31) (NG 22 says
Silkworth arrived in 1924)
Sept 3, Bill Wilson
wrote his last promise to stop drinking in the family Bible: “Finally and
for a lifetime, thank God for your love.” After that, he gave up making
promises in despair. (LR 79)
Fall, in less than
ten months after arriving in Montreal, Bill Wilson was fired from
Greenshields and Co (due to his drinking and fighting in the country club).
Lois went back to Brooklyn because her mother had fallen ill. Bill stayed
behind in Montreal to clean up details. (RAA 149, PIO 86, BW-RT 155, BW-FH
45)
Dec, after a binge
that started in Montreal and carried him into VT, Lois went to get Bill
Wilson They finally returned to Clinton St and moved into a room there.
Lois’ mother was dying from bone cancer. (PIO 86-87, BW-FH 46)
Dec 25, Christmas,
Lois’ mother died. Bill Wilson drunk for days beforehand, could not attend
the funeral and stayed drunk for many days after. (SW 30-31, PIO 87, BW-RT
156, LR 82, BW-FH 46)
1931
Bill Wilson was able
to work occasionally through 1931, but entered a phase of helpless drinking.
Lois went to work at Macy’s, earning $19 a week ($230 today) and that became
their livelihood. (PIO 90, 128, BW-FH 47)
The Common Sense of Drinking,
by Richard Peabody, was published. It strengthened the concept of alcoholism
as an illness and contained the statement “Half measures are to no avail.”
The book later became a prominent reference source in the early AA
Fellowship. (NW 16, SW 126 says 1930)
Rowland Hazard ~ (age 50) was treated by Dr Carl
Gustav Jung in Zurich, Switzerland. It is believed that he was a patient for
about a year, sobered up and then returned to drinking. Treated a second
time by Jung, Rowland was told that there was no medical or psychological
hope for an alcoholic of his type; that his only hope was a vital spiritual
or religious experience - in short a genuine conversion experience. Bill
Wilson later wrote that this was “the first in the chain of events that led
to the founding of AA.” (NW 11-19, NG 8-9, EBBY 59, LOH 277)
Dec, Russell (Bud)
Firestone (alcoholic son of Akron, OH business magnate Harvey Firestone Sr.)
was introduced to Sam Shoemaker by James Newton on a train returning from an
Episcopal conference in Denver, CO. Newton was a prominent Oxford Group
member and an executive at Firestone. Bud, who was drinking a fifth or more
of whiskey a day, spiritually surrendered with Shoemaker and was released
from his alcohol obsession. Bud joined the OG and became an active member
(but later returned to drinking). (NW 15, 65, AGAA 8-9, 32-36)
1932
Rowland Hazard found
sobriety through the spiritual practices of the Oxford Group (it is not
clear whether this occurred in Europe or the US - and it could have occurred
in 1931). Rowland was a dedicated OG member in NY, VT and upper MA and a
prominent member of the Calvary Episcopal Church in NYC. He later moved to
Shaftsbury, VT. (NW 10-19, NG 8-9, PIO 113-114, AGAA 28, 141-144, LOH
277-278, www)
Apr 8, Bill Wilson’s
brother-in-law, Gardner Swentzel (Kitty’s husband) helped him form a stock
buying syndicate with Arthur Wheeler and Frank Winans. Bill was assigned a
generous interest with the stipulation that if he started drinking again the
deal would be off and he would lose his interest in the venture. (PIO 90-91,
BW-RT 164-165)
May, Bill Wilson
went on a business trip to Bound Brook NJ with a group of Pathe Co.
engineers to examine a new photographic process. It turned into a disaster.
In a small hotel Bill drank Apple Jack (Jersey Lightning) and was drunk for
3 days. His contract with Wheeler and Winans was cancelled. (PIO 91-92, BW-RT
165-167, AACOA 55-56)
Financier, Joseph H
Hirshhorn (also sometimes misspelled Hirshorn and Hirschorn) hired Bill
Wilson to analyze and evaluate companies. (DBGO 45, PIO 93-98, www)
1933
President Franklin D
Roosevelt declared a mortgage moratorium preventing banks from foreclosing
on unpaid mortgage payments. This kept both Bill Wilson and Dr Bob Smith
from being evicted from their homes. (CH 114)
Jan, Harvey
Firestone Sr. (grateful for help given his son Bud) sponsored an Oxford
Group conference weekend (DBGO says 10-day house party) headquartered at the
Mayflower Hotel in Akron, OH. Frank Buchman and 30 members (DBGO says 60) of
his team were met at the train station by the Firestones and Rev Walter
Tunks (Firestone’s minister and rector of St Paul’s Episcopal Church). The
event included 300 overseas members of the OG and received widespread news
coverage. The event attracted Henrietta Sieberling, T Henry and Clarace
Williams and Anne Smith. (NW 65-67, CH 2, DBGO 55, AGAA 9, 37-51, 71)
Feb, Congress passed
the 21st amendment
to the US Constitution to repeal the 18th amendment. (www)
Early, Anne Smith
attended meetings of the Oxford Group with her friend Henrietta Sieberling
(whose marriage to J Frederick Sieberling was crumbling). Anne later
persuaded Dr Bob Smith to attend. The meetings were held on Thursday nights
at the West Hill group. (NW 67-68, SI 32, 34, DBGO 53-60, CH 2-3, 28-29)
Beer had become legal and Dr Bob Smith previously went through a
beer-drinking phase (“the beer experiment”). It was not long before he was
drinking a case and a half a day fortifying the beer with straight alcohol.
In his Big Book story, Bob says that this was around the time when he was
introduced to the OG. He participated in the OG for 2 ½ years before meeting
Bill. (DBGO 42, AABB 177-178, NW 62)
Joe Hirshhorn sent
Bill Wilson on a trip to Toronto, Canada. Bill arrived at the border drunk
and was refused entry. He protested so belligerently that he was arrested
and jailed. After finally arriving in Toronto, Bill stayed drunk and had to
be sent home as useless. This was his last chance on Wall St. (BW-FH 48, PIO
98)
May, Lois’ father
married “Joan Jones.” Lois was the only family member who attended the civil
wedding ceremony. (LR 83-84, PIO 98, BW-RT 170)
Jun-Sep, Lois took a
3-month leave of absence from Macy’s. She and Bill Wilson spent the summer
in VT at the home of Bill’s sister, Dorothy, who was vacationing in Europe
with her family. (BW-FH 49, LR 84, BW-RT 171)
Autumn, Lois, now
earning $22.50 a week at Macy’s ($317 today) turned to her brother-in-law Dr
Leonard V Strong, who arranged, and paid for, Bill Wilson’s first admission
to Towns Hospital. Bill was subjected to the “belladonna cure.” The regimen
primarily involved “purging and puking” aided by, among other things, castor
oil. Belladonna, a hallucinogen, was used to ease the symptoms of alcohol
withdrawal. (PIO 98-101, LR 85, BW-40 104, NG 14-15, 310, BW-FH 50, BW-RT
174)
Dec 5, the 21st
amendment to the US Constitution was ratified when Utah became the 36th
state to vote to repeal the 18th amendment. The almost decade and
a half prohibition of alcohol was widely flaunted and yielded fortunes for
organized crime figures in bootlegging and smuggling. (www, GB 30)
1934
Dr Bob Smith was
appointed to the courtesy staff of St Thomas Hospital in Akron, OH. His
position at City Hospital had become precarious because of his drinking. (SI
9, DBGO 45, 51, NG 317)
The Sermon On The
Mount by Emmet Fox was
published. Both Fox and the book would later become popular among early AA
members. Dr Bob Smith would propose the book as recommended reading for
Akron, OH members. (NW 111-112, 114, DBGO 310-311)
Sister Ignatia
befriended Dr Thomas P Scuderi, (an emergency room intern who later became
Medical Director of Ignatia Hall at St Thomas Hospital). She convinced him
that alcoholics were sick and accident-prone and persuaded Dr Scuderi to
allow them to “rest” in the hospital prior to release. Dr Scuderi and Sister
Ignatia secretly treated Bill D (later to become AA #3) prior to his meeting
Dr Bob Smith and Bill. (SI 10, DBGO 51).
Mar, Lois quit her
job at Macy’s to take Bill Wilson to VT. They stayed there until the summer.
(PIO 105-106)
Jul, Ebby T was
approached in Manchester, VT by his friends Cebra Graves ~ (an attorney) and
F Sheppard (Shep) Cornell ~ (a NY stockbroker). Both were Oxford Group
members who had done considerable drinking with Ebby and were abstaining
from drinking. They informed Ebby of the OG in VT but he was not quite ready
yet to stop drinking. (EBBY 51-55, PIO 113)
Jul (?), Bill
Wilson’s second admission to Towns Hospital (again paid by Dr Leonard V
Strong). Bill met Dr Silkworth for the first time. Silkworth explained the
obsession and allergy of alcoholism but Bill started drinking again almost
immediately upon discharge. Bill was unemployable, $50,000 in debt ($675,000
today) suicidal and drinking around the clock. (AACOA 52, PIO 106-108, BW-40
114-117, NG 15, 310, BW-FH 50-55)
Aug, Cebra G and
Shep C vacationed at Rowland H’s house in Bennington, VT. Cebra learned that
Ebby T was about to be committed to Brattleboro Asylum. Cebra, Shep and
Rowland decided to make Ebby “a project.” (NG 309)
Aug, Rowland H and
Cebra G persuaded a VT court judge (Cebra's father Collins) to parole Ebby T
into their custody. Ebby had first met Rowland only shortly before. In the
fall, Rowland took Ebby to NYC where he sobered up with the help of the
Oxford Group at the Calvary Mission. (RAA 151, AACOA vii, NW 20-21, 26, EBBY
52-59, NG 9-10, PIO 115, AGAA 155-156)
Sep 17,
Bill Wilson’s third admission to Towns Hospital (again paid by Dr Leonard V
Strong). Dr Silkworth pronounced Bill a hopeless drunk and informed Lois
that Bill would likely have to be committed. Bill left the hospital a deeply
frightened man and sheer terror kept him sober. He found a little work on
Wall St, which began to restore his badly shattered confidence. (PIO
106-109, LR 87, AACOA vii, 56, BW-RT 176-177, NG 15, 310, BW-FH 4-5, 54-55)
Nov 11, Armistice
Day. Bill Wilson went to play golf and got drunk and injured. Lois began
investigating sanitariums in which to place Bill. (AACOA 56-58, BW-FH 56)
Nov (late), Ebby T,
while staying at the Calvary Mission and working with the Oxford Group,
heard about Bill Wilson’s problems with drinking. He phoned Lois who invited
him over for dinner. (EBBY 66)
Nov (late), Ebby
visited Bill Wilson at 182 Clinton St and shared his recovery experience
"one alcoholic talking to another.” (AACOA vii, 58-59) A few days later,
Ebby returned with Shep C. They spoke to Bill about the Oxford Group. Bill
did not think too highly of Shep. Lois recalled that Ebby visited several
times, once even staying for dinner. (AACOA vii, NG 17-18, 311, BW-FH 57-58,
NW 22-23, PIO 111-116, BW-RT 187-192)
Dec 7, Bill Wilson
decided to investigate the Calvary Mission on 23rd St. He showed
up drunk with a drinking companion found along the way (Alec the Finn). Bill
kept interrupting the service wanting to speak. On the verge of being
ejected, Ebby came by and fed Bill a plate of beans. Bill later joined the
penitents and drunkenly “testified” at the meeting. (AACOA 59-60, BW-40
136-137, NG 18-19, BW-FH 60, NW 23, PIO 116-119, BW-RT 193-196, AGAA
156-159, EBBY 66-69)
Dec 11, Bill Wilson
(age 39) decided to go back to Towns Hospital and had his last drink (four
bottles of beer purchased on the way). He got financial help from his
mother, Emily, for the hospital bill. (AACOA 61-62, LOH 197, RAA 152, NG 19,
311, NW 23, PIO 119-120, GB 31).
Dec 14, Ebby visited
Bill Wilson at Towns Hospital and told him about the Oxford Group
principles. After Ebby left, Bill fell into a deep depression (his
“deflation at depth”) and had a profound spiritual experience after crying
out “If there be a God, will he show himself.” Dr Silkworth later assured
Bill he was not crazy and told him to hang on to what he had found. In a
lighter vein, Bill and others would later refer to this as his “white flash”
or “hot flash” experience. (AABB 13-14, AACOA vii, 13, BW-40 141-148, NG
19-20, NW 23-24, PIO 120-124, GTBT 111, LOH 278-279)
Dec 15, Ebby brought
Bill Wilson a copy of William James' book The Varieties of Religious
Experience. Bill was deeply inspired by the book. It revealed three key
points for recovery: 1) calamity or complete defeat in some vital area of
life (hitting bottom), 2) admission of defeat (surrender) and 3) appeal to a
higher power for help (acceptance). The book strongly influenced early AAs
and is cited in the Big Book. (AACOA 62-64, LOH 279, EBBY 70, SI 26, BW-40
150-152, NG 20-24, 312-313, NW 24-25, PIO 124-125, GTBT 111-112, AABB 28)
Dec 18, Bill Wilson
left Towns Hospital and began working with drunks. He and Lois attended
Oxford Group meetings with Ebby T and Shep C at Calvary House. The Rev Sam
Shoemaker was the rector at the Calvary Church (the OG’s US headquarters).
The church was on 4th Ave (now Park Ave) and 21st St.
Calvary House (where OG meetings were usually held) was at 61 Gramercy Park.
Calvary Mission was located at 346 E 23rd St. (AABB 14-16, AACOA
vii, LR 197, BW-40 155-160, NG 24-25, PIO 127, GB 32-33, AGAA 144)
Dec (late), after
Oxford Group meetings, Bill Wilson and other OG alcoholics met at Stewart’s
Cafeteria near the Calvary Mission. Attendees included Rowland H and Ebby T.
(BW-RT 207, BW-40 160, AAGA 141-142, NG 314)
1935
Early, Bill Wilson
worked with alcoholics at the Calvary Mission and Towns Hospital,
emphasizing his "hot flash" spiritual experience. Alcoholic Oxford Group
members began meeting at his home on Clinton St. Bill had no success
sobering up others. (AACOA vii, AABB, BW-FH 69, PIO 131-133)
Mar/Apr, Henrietta
Sieberling (nicknamed “Henri”) encouraged by her friend Delphine Weber,
organized a Wednesday-night Oxford Group meeting at T Henry and Clarace
Williams’ house on 676 Palisades Dr. The meeting was started specifically to
help Dr Bob Smith who later confessed openly about his drinking problem. OG
meetings continued at the William’s house until 1954. (DBGO 56-59, AGAA 103
says May)
Apr, Bill Wilson had
a talk with Dr Silkworth who advised him to stop preaching about his “hot
flash” and hit the alcoholics hard with the medical view. Silkworth advised
Bill to break down the strong egos of alcoholics by telling them about the
obsession that condemned them to drink and allergy that condemned them to go
mad or die. It would then be easier to get them to accept the spiritual
solution. (AACOA 13, 67-68, BW-RT 211, NG 25-26, PIO 133)
Apr, Bill Wilson
returned to Wall St and was introduced to Howard Tompkins of the firm Baer
and Co. Tompkins was involved in a proxy fight to take over control of the
National Rubber Machinery Co. based in Akron, OH. (BW-RT 211, NG 26, BW-FH
74, PIO 133-134, GB 33)
May, Bill Wilson
went to Akron but the proxy fight was quickly lost. He remained behind at
the Mayflower Hotel very discouraged. (BW-RT 212, PIO 134-135)
May 11, (AGAA says
May 10) Bill Wilson in poor spirits, and tempted to enter the Mayflower
Hotel bar, realized he needed another alcoholic. He telephoned members of
the clergy listed on the lobby directory. He reached the Rev Walter Tunks
who referred him to Norman Sheppard who then referred him to Henrietta
Sieberling (47 years old and an Oxford Group adherent). Bill introduced
himself as “a member of the OG and a rum hound from NY.” Henrietta met with
Bill at her gatehouse (Stan Hywet Hall) on the Sieberling estate. She
arranged a dinner meeting the next day with Dr Bob Smith and Anne. (AACOA
65-67, SI 21, BW-RT 212-213, DBGO 60, 63-67, NG 26-28, PIO 134-138, GB 19)
Note: some stories (AACOA 67) say that when Henrietta called Anne, Dr Bob
Smith was passed out under the kitchen table. He was upstairs in bed (re Dr.
Bob Smith’s Nightmare 179 4th ed).
May 12, Mother’s Day
(AGAA says Mother’s Day was May 11) Bill Wilson (age 39) met Dr Bob Smith
(age 55) Anne and their young son Bob (age 17) at Henrietta Sieberling’s
gatehouse at 5PM. Dr Bob Smith, too hung over to eat dinner, planned to stay
only 15 minutes. Privately, in the library, Bill told Bob of his alcoholism
experience in the manner suggested by Dr Silkworth. Bob opened up and he and
Bill talked until after 11PM. (AACOA vii, 67-70, BW-RT 214-215, DBGO 66-69,
NG 28-32, BW-FH 4, GB 21)
May, Bill Wilson
wrote a letter to Lois saying that he and Dr Bob Smith tried in vain to
sober up a Dr McKay, ~ a “once prominent surgeon” who developed into a
“terrific rake and drunk” (PIO 144, BW-40 Appendix C). Henrietta Sieberling
arranged for Bill to stay at the Portage Country Club. (DBGO 70, 77)
Jun, Bill Wilson
moved to Dr Bob Smith’s house at the request of Anne Smith. Bill insisted on
keeping two bottles of liquor in the kitchen to prove that he and Bob could
live in the presence of liquor. Both worked with alcoholics and went to
Oxford Group meetings on Wednesday nights at the home of T Henry and Clarace
Williams. T Henry lost his job due to the proxy fight that brought Bill to
Akron. (AACOA 141, NW 68-69, 73, DBGO 70-71, 99-102, PIO 145-147, AGAA 186,
NG 317) Favored Scripture readings at meetings were The Sermon on the
Mount, First Corinthians Chapter 13 and the Book of James. (AAGA
193, 208-209, 253) (GTBT 95-96 says that meetings were held at Dr Bob
Smith’s house and moved to the Williams’ house in late 1936 or early 1937)
Jun 10 (more likely
Jun 17)
after a multi-day binge on the way to, and at, an AMA convention in Atlantic
City, NJ, a drunken Dr Bob Smith was picked up at his office nurse’s house
in Cuyahoga Falls. Bob went through a 3-day sobering up period with Bill
Wilson’s help. Scheduled for a surgery at City Hospital, Bob pronounced, “I
am going through with this - I have placed both operation and myself in
God’s hands. I’m going to do what it takes to get sober and stay that way.”
Bill gave Bob his last drink (a beer) and a “goofball” (a barbiturate) to
steady him prior to the surgery. (AACOA vii, 70-71, SI 22, DBGO 72-75, NG
32, PIO 147-149, AA video Bill’s Own Story)
Jun 11 (more likely
Jun 18), Dr Bob Smith suggested that he and Bill Wilson work with other
alcoholics. A local Minister, J C Wright, provided them with a prospect.
They tried in vain, throughout the summer, to sober up Edgar (Eddie) Reilly
~ (described as an “alcoholic atheist” and “able to produce a major crisis
of some sort about every other day”). Eddie missed the chance to be AA #3
but he showed up at Dr Bob Smith’s funeral in 1950. He was sober a year and
attending the Youngstown, OH group. (AACOA 72-73, DBGO 77-81, 85, NG 37,
319, PIO 151-152, AAGA 184, CH 5-6)
Jun 28, Bill Wilson,
Dr Bob Smith and Eddie R visited Bill Dotson ~ (Alcoholic Anonymous
Number Three) at City Hospital. A prominent attorney in Akron, Bill D
had been hospitalized 8 times in 1935 because of his drinking. Bill Wilson
and Bob visited Bill D every day. It took about 5 days before Bill D would
say that he could not control his drinking. He checked out of the hospital
on Jul 4 and within a week, was back in court sober and arguing a case.
Akron’s Group #1, AA’s first group, marks its beginning as the date that
Bill D left the hospital. (AACOA 71-73, AABB 184, BW-RT 219-220, DBGO
81-89, NG 37, 319, PIO 152-154, GB 42, AGAA 202-203) (Note: Bill D was
Ohio’s Delegate for Panel 1, the first General Service Conference in 1951).
Jul (?), Lois went
to Akron to join Bill Wilson at the Smith’s house for two weeks (LR 197, NG
41, BW-FH 85).
Jul, encouraged by T
Henry Williams, Ernie Galbraith ~ (AA #4, The Seven Month Slip)
contacted Dr Bob Smith and sobered up. He later married Dr Bob Smith’s
adopted daughter Sue in Sep 1941. Ernie could not stay sober and their
marriage was a disaster. Tragically, on Jun 11, 1969, their daughter Bonna
committed suicide after taking the life of her 6-year-old daughter Sandy.
Ernie G died two years later to the day. (AACOA 7, 73, DBGO 92-95, AAGA 68,
CH 72-74, PIO 154-155)
Aug 26, Bill Wilson
returned to NYC. Meetings were held at his house at 182 Clinton St on Tues.
nights. His home also became a halfway house, of sorts, for drunks. (AACOA
74, BW-RT 225, PIO 160-162, GTBT 96, GB 51, AGAA 145)
Nov 19, Ebby T came
to live with Bill Wilson and Lois at Clinton St. (LR 197, EBBY 72, NG 42-44)
Winter, Henry (Hank)
P. ~ (The Unbeliever) and John Henry Fitzhugh (Fitz) M. ~ (Our
Southern Friend) sobered up at Towns Hospital. Hank and Fitz provided a
big help to Bill Wilson. Hank started AA in NJ at his house and Fitz started
AA in Washington, DC (AACOA 16-17, 74, LR 101, BW-RT 225-226, NG 43-
