Bill Dotson, known as "Alcoholics Anonymous Number Three," played a pivotal role in the early history of AA, marking a significant milestone in the fellowship's development. His story is one of transformation, hope, and the enduring power of mutual support in overcoming addiction. Early Life and Struggles Bill Dotson was a prominent lawyer and city councilman in Akron, Ohio. Despite his professional success and active involvement in his community, Dotson's life was marred by severe alcoholism. … [Read more...]
Ebby Thacher: The Man Who Brought the Message to Bill W.
Ebby Thacher, often overshadowed in the history of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), played a crucial role in forming the fellowship by bringing the principles of the Oxford Group to his old friend, Bill Wilson. Ebby’s story is one of early influence, personal struggle, and a complex relationship with sobriety that offers a profound lesson on the challenges of addiction and recovery. Early Life and Connection with Bill W. Born Edwin Throckmorton Thacher on April 29, 1896, in Albany, New York, Ebby … [Read more...]
Bill’s Letter to Dr. Jung
The letter below, dated 1/23/61, was written by Bill Wilson to the eminent Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist Dr. Carl Gustav Jung. Bill considered it a long overdue note of appreciation for Dr. Jung's contribution to A.A.'s solution for alcoholism. The Big Book refers to part of the story on pages 26 and 27. His letter is then followed by Dr. Jung’s reply. My dear Dr. Jung: This letter of great appreciation has been very long overdue. May I first introduce myself as Bill W., a co-founder … [Read more...]
Henry G. (Hank) Parkhurst. (1895-1954)
Hank Parkhurst was a business dynamo who was the first alcoholic to recover in New York, following Bill Wilson. Thus, Hank was New York's AA#2. His was a vital contribution to AA: without Hank Parkhurst the Big Book might never have been published. Hank was born March 13, 1895, in Marion, Iowa into a family that had lived in that area for several generations. He was so gifted an entrepreneur that an associate once described him as being able to produce a good idea a minute for business. … [Read more...]
Anne Ripley Smith, wife of Dr. Bob, Mother and Co-Founder of A.A.
Pioneer A.A.'s Most Ignored, Forgotten, yet Critically Important Resource by Dick B. Let's meet the woman Bill Wilson and others frequently called the "Mother of A.A." (See Dick B., Anne Smith's Journal 1933-1939: A.A.'s Principles of Success, 3rd ed, pp. ix, 10, 54, 137, 139; Sue Smith Windows and Robert R. Smith, Children of the Healer, pp. 29, 43, 152; Women Pioneers in Twelve Step Recovery, Hazelden, 1999, p. 2). I'd been going to A.A. meetings regularly for about four years and had … [Read more...]
Bill Dotson – AA #3
On a Friday night, September 17, 1954, Bill Dotson died in Akron, Ohio. "That is, people say he died, but he really didn't," wrote Bill Wilson. "His spirit and works are today alive in the hearts of uncounted AA's, and who can doubt that Bill already dwells in one of those many mansions in the great beyond." Bill Dotson, the "Man on the Bed," was AA number 3. At his death, he had not had a drink in more than nineteen years. His date of sobriety was the date he entered Akron's City Hospital … [Read more...]
The Forerunner – Rowland Hazzard
By: RON RAY 140 Dove Trail Bowling Green, KY 42101 After telling Rowland Hazard that he could never regain his role in society, Dr. Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) the renowned Swiss psychiatrist was asked, "Is there no exceptions?" “Yes,” replied Dr. Jung, "...once in a while alcoholics have had what are called vital spiritual experiences." He went an to describe a spiritual experience as "... huge emotional displacements and rearrangements. Ideas, emotions, and attitudes which were once … [Read more...]
ERNIE G. – AA #4
The man generally considered AA number 4 was Ernie Galbraith, who first got sober in the summer of 1935, when Bill Wilson was still staying with the Smiths in Akron. Described as a wild, devil-may care young fellow (page 158 in the Big Book); he had enlisted for a one-year term in the Army when he was only 14 (but could pass for 18). After getting out of the Army he went to Mexico where he worked for an oil company, then "rode the range" in Texas. He had been married twice and had a son. … [Read more...]
Lois Burnham Wilson: Bill Wilson’s Wife
"I believe that people are good if you give them half a chance and that good is more powerful than evil. The world seems to me excruciatingly, almost painfully beautiful at times, and the goodness and kindness of people often exceed that which even I expect." Lois Burnham Wilson Lois Burnham, the co-founder of The Al-Anon Family Groups, was born on March 4, 1891 at 182 Clinton Street, Brooklyn Heights, New York. Brooklyn Heights at that time was in character much the same that it … [Read more...]
Rowland the Messenger
(Rowland Hazzard brought the message to Ebby Thatcher who brought the message to Bill Wilson.) By Ron Ray, 9/24/92, from Bowling Green, KY After telling Rowland H. that he could never regain his position in society, Dr. Carl Jung the renowned Swiss psychiatrist was asked, "Is there no exceptions?" "Yes," replied Dr. Jung, "there is. Exceptions to cases such as yours have been occurring since early times. Here and there, once in a while, alcoholics have had what are called vital spiritual … [Read more...]
Marty Mann and the Evolution of Alcoholics Anonymous
By Sally Brown Marty Mann is scarcely a household word today, yet she is arguably one of the most influential people of the 20th century. Marty's life was like a blazing fire, but was nearly extinguished by personal tragedy and degradation. She rose to a triumphant recovery that powered a historic, unparalleled change in our society. Through her vision and leadership, the attitude of America toward alcoholism was changed from a moral issue to one of public health. This was a tremendous shift, … [Read more...]
Emmet Fox and Alcoholics Anonymous
One of the very early recovering alcoholics who worked with co-founder Bill W. was a man named Al, whose mother was secretary to Emmet Fox, a popular lecturer on New Thought philosophy. When the early groups were meeting in New York, members would frequently adjourn after a meeting and go to Steinway Hall to listen to Fox’s lecture. To this day there are AA groups that distribute Fox’s pamphlets along with Conference-approved AA literature. An account sets forth in “Dr. Bob and the Good … [Read more...]
Bill Wilson: A Christmas Greeting
(From Bill and Lois Wilson) Dear Friends: As we stand together, looking back on 1957, we see among us a heartening growth in numbers and in spirit. Our global unity is something for wonder. The world around us is everywhere our friend. That we of AA can really have and hold such blessings in this time of great fear and conflict – this time when all men and women stand at history’s most fateful crossroads – is almost beyond belief. Nevertheless we do have these blessings. The sum of … [Read more...]
Samuel M. Shoemaker: What The Church Can Learn From Alcoholics Anonymous
The following is offered for your study only because it was written in 1955 and presented by Samuel M. Shoemaker, a minister of the Gospel, a world-recognized Christian intellectual and an early friend of Bill W. and Dr. Bob. If you find it helpful, the next time somebody wants to change the program or its' purpose to further their ends, feel free to quote Dr. Shoemaker from the following or Bill W. who said, "Sometimes the good is the enemy of the best." "... God chose what is foolish in the … [Read more...]
Dr. Silkworth: Some writings by & about “The little doctor who loved drunks.”
William Duncan Silkworth, M.D. (For those of you who don’t know, Silky wrote the two letters included in “The Doctor’s Opinion” in the Big Book. He worked at Towns Hospital in New York City, where he helped Bill W. & many early AA members detox from alcohol for the last time.) WILLIAM DUNCAN SILKWORTH, MD (1873-1951) The Roundtable Of AA History, January 10, 1998 Doctor William D. Silkworth, called, "the little doctor who loved drunks", began an indispensable contribution to … [Read more...]