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Timelines
in AA History
1940
1940's -Ebby familiar visitor 415 Lexington
A.A. office; Bill wrote memos Code Tradition & Code
Headquarters & Code Grapevine; Bill pushing hard A.A.
self-government through general service conference, visited
groups get support; St. Thomas & Knickerbocker Hospitals
pioneered best techniques combined medicine & A.A. worked
out (G
9, 13) (SM 16)
•
early
40' -Wife's A.A. prospects interviewed to this
time; A.A. Canada started; Lillian R. popular singer went
public (D
109) (G 9, 46)
•
mid
40' -Number black alcoholics found sobriety;
Aunt Jenny radio soap opera involving alcoholic family
member; U.S. groups proliferating rapidly & starting
abroad; radio discovered A.A., call in radio show Ask
An Alcoholic; Wilson's traveled among groups U.S. &
Canada, movie Lost Weekend out portrayed alcoholic 1st
time not Bowery bum successful middle-class businessperson
reduced Bowery bum (G
8) (N 120) (P
317)
•
late
40' -Bill stumped U.S. & Canada explaining,
cajoling need for Fellowship continuity after he &
Dr. Bob gone (G
51)
1940 -Father Ed Dowling wrote 1st Catholic
recommendation A.A.; Bill selling wire rope; A.A. got building
for meetings 334 1/2 24th Street called 24th Street Clubhouse;
Fitz M. long loner Washington D.C. area joined Hardin C.
& Bill A.; Paddy K. founded A.A. Boston; Sister Ignatia
made hospitalization available alcoholics St. Vincent's
Charity Hospital Akron took alcoholic patients single rooms;
Akron Group starting meeting King School, Big Book done
Braille, Norman Y. had done, never read it; Deaconess hospital
took alcoholic patients single room; rainy night Bill &
Father Edward Dowling, S.J. meet 24th Street clubhouse;
Bill Dr. Bob royalties Big Book starting 1940; impressive
A.A. growth; end 3,000 copies Big Book, 1,500 members coast,
about 50 groups, 12-13 cities quite stable groups Akron,
New York, Cleveland, Detroit, Greenwich Connecticut, Philadelphia,
Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Little Rock, Arkansas, Washington
D.C. Richmond Virginia, St. Louis; official office set up
30 Vesey Street Room 703 downtown Manhattan; membership
about 2,000; book sales sole support A.A. office; stock
ownership Works Publishing Inc turned over Board Trustees;
Toronto minister Reverend George Little saw copy Big Book,
gave to parishioner who sobered up; A.A.'s 1st club house
24th Street New York opened; Jimmy B. started A.A. Philadelphia
home George S.; Dr. Haggard & Dr. Jellinek published
Quarterly Journal Studies Alcohol (A
11, 17, 180, 253) (D 202, 220,
249-250) (E 34-35) (G
24, 66, 79, 86) (H 188, 204,
366) (L 122, 128, 171-172)
(SM 12) (N
98) (P 222, 238, 257) (S
34) (TC 11)
•
early
40' -Dick P. 1st Spanish-speaking joined A.A.;
no word John D. Rockefeller 3 years (B
294) (D 249)
•
late
40' -1st news bulletin Vesey Street headquarters
issues groups, 1st pamphlet A.A. published called A.A.,
John D Rockefeller Jr. A.A. dinner, 1st A.A. clubhouse
24th Street, 1st A.A. oriented drying facility High Watch
Farm Kent Connecticut, passing hat custom started, Father
Edward Dowling S.J. & Reverend Harry Emerson Fosdick
1st religious leaders endorse A.A. (G
86) (H
147)
•
Winter
-Reporter Saturday Evening Post Jack Alexander assigned
investigate & perhaps do A.A. story (A
190-191) (B 310) (H
148, 181) (N 100)
•
end
40' -A.A. had 2,000 members (A
310) (H 147)
•
January
-Akron group found new home King School, started take
collections rent, custodial expenses; most groups required
hospitalization, being talked to least 5 A.A.'s or passed
committee before new person join; Youngstown 2 couples
visit prospective A.A. before could attend 1st meeting;
John S. joined A.A.; definite working agreement Sister
Ignatia superior Sister Clementine, Dr. Bob, probably
Chief Staff St. Thomas Hospital (D
100, 146, 263, 348) (S 85,
87)
•
February
-Grand Central Station Lois started weeping due not having
home, started looking own place; Lorraine Greim Ruth Hock's
assistant started work Newark office; Bill & Lois
move Monsey apt small place Greenwich Village; Bert T.
& Horace C. discover & guarantee rent building
334 1/2 West 24th Street, old Illustrators Club (B
297, 304) (L 128) (P
216)
•
February
8th -John D. Rockefeller Jr. gives A.A. dinner,
Manhattan's exclusive Union Club (A
87) (B 295) (E
15) (G 73) (H
145) (L 128, 198) (P
232)
•
March
-Mort J. early A.A., book convert, came Los Angeles from
Denver & helped faltering group; started custom reading
Chapter 5 Big Book Cecil group (A
93) (P 266, 288)
•
March
16th -Works Publishing moves offices Newark,
30 Vesey Street Room 703 lower Manhattan (A
187) (L 129, 198) (P
235)
•
April
21st -1st rehabilitation home for alcoholics
Joy Farm near Kent Connecticut (L
122, 199)
•
May
-1st anonymity break national level Rollie H. catcher
Cleveland Indians just caught Bob Feller no-hitter, revealed
been sober A.A. year, caused lot publicity (D
251) (N 85, 95) (P
236)
•
June
-2nd A.A. meeting Baltimore (P
258)
•
June
30th -Works Publishing Company incorporated
(W
160)
•
September
-1st meeting Toledo A.A., Duke P., others started; Journal
Nervous & Mental Diseases published most unsympathetic
review Big Book (D
255) (N 92)
•
October
1st -Total A.A. membership 1,433, 30% + Cleveland,
47% Ohio (S
157)
•
November
4th -Wilson's moved upstairs bedroom 334 1/2
24th Street 24th Street Clubhouse (H
366) (P 238)
•
November
2nd week -3 groups Cleveland, 3rd week Orchard
Grove Group started making 4 (D
209-210)
•
December
-Group started Ashtabula, Ohio due Plain Dealer articles
A.A., Cleveland about 30 groups (A
134) (D 207, 211) (H
62)
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