24th Street Clubhouse, New York City, N.Y. November 15, 1952 A meeting was held at the 24th Street Club House in memory of Dr. Bob. A recording of Dr. Bob's last talk was played and a portrait of Dr. Bob was unveiled. Bill W. then addressed the meeting. Dr. Bob's recorded voice has come down to us across the air since he died in 1950. Some may say that his actual voice is still forever, but you and I know that is not so and that his spirit will be with us so long as this well loved society … [Read more...]

The American Weekly, March 11, 1951 (This is a magazine article about Dr. Bob Smith, AA’s cofounder.) By Booton Herndon The kindly faced man lying in the white hospital bed raised his hand to the light, studied it calmly and then remarked to the nurse standing by his bed: "I think this is it." Thus Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith recently passed from the world. So, finally, the story of "Dr. Bob, beloved by 120,000 members of Alcoholics Anonymous whom he had helped to find the way back … [Read more...]

"Simplicity, devotion, steadfastness, and loyalty; these were the hallmarks of Dr. Bob's character which he has well implanted in so many of us." - Bill Wilson. ROBERT HOLBROOK SMITH, M.D. 1879-1950 Dr. Bob was born August 8, 1879, in St. Johnsbury, Vt., the only son of Judge and Mrs. W.P. Smith, who were prominent in civic and social activities of that city. Though often rebellious against the strict authority of his parents, "Rob," as his schoolmates called him, was willing to work hard to … [Read more...]

This is one of the earliest letters in the Dr. Bob and Anne Smith Archives pertaining to the writing of the Big Book. To: Dr. R. H. Smith Orville, Ohio Akron, Ohio 3-11-39, Saturday p.m.   Dear Doctor: I am terribly sorry that it is has been necessary to delay the enclosed manuscript concerning some of the facts in Z-----'s life, (Note: Harry Z's story in the first edition of the Big Book is titled, "A Close Shave") but it just couldn't be helped. He and I were not able to … [Read more...]

Newspaper Article-1942 The Dr. Bob and Anne Smith Archives was transferred from the attic of Dr. Bob's daughter, Sue Smith Windows, in Akron, Ohio to a permanent repository at the Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies in Providence, Rhode Island. It joined several other collections already housed at Brown including the Kirk Collection (15,000 items pertaining to the temperance movement and early A.A.), the Clarence Snyder Collection (books, pamphlets, letters and ephemera … [Read more...]