Thursday, August 30, 2012

Vermont's Green Mountain Men of A.A. - Bill W. and Dr. Bob (New Book) ,


 

 

 

 

Dick B discusses a second new book released this month

by Christian Recovery Radio with DickB

Thursday, August 30, 2012 05:00PM


Copyright 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved

In our second special “Christian Recovery Radio with Dick B.” show, we will highlight our latest book, Bill W. and Dr. Bob, the Green Mountain Men of Vermont: The Roots of Early A.A.’s Original Program. This special show is presented on the eve of our 10-day trip to Vermont where we will present A.A. history workshops in Burlington, St. Johnsbury, Northfield, Manchester, and East Dorset, Vermont. Places where one can find the real evidence of the Christian upbringings of three key figures in early A.A: (1) A.A. cofounder Bill Wilson; (2) A.A. cofounder Dr. Bob Smith; and (3) the man that Bill Wilson called his sponsor, Ebby Thacher.

We will present a brief overview of the 13 chapters in our new book by highlighting five important topics covered in the book: (1) The long-overdue return to A.A.’s Vermont roots and the trails that led us there. (2) What was going on with Bill Wilson, his friend Ebby, Rowland Hazard, Shep Cornell, and Cebra Graves at East Dorset, Manchester, Burr and Burton Academy, and other Vermont locations. (3) St. Johnsbury individuals, organizations, and institutions that directly impacted Dr. Bob’s ideas. (4) How these happenings relate to A.A.’s “original program.” (5) How the detailed facts presented in our book can help others today.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Many Early AA Successes Its Vermont History Confirms


Alcoholics Anonymous History

 

Questions the Vermont Workshops May Help You Answer

 

Dick B.

Copyright 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved

 

The Relationship of A.A.’s Vermont  Roots to the Original A.A. Program

 

The relationship of all these Vermont happenings [the ones covered in our new title, Bill W. and Dr. Bob, the Green Mountain Men of Vermont: The Roots of Early A.S.’s Original Program, and those which will be investigated, discussed, evaluated, and reported at the September 2012 International Christian Recovery Coalition workshops in Vermont] to A.A.’s Original Program Founded in Akron in 1935 by Bill W. and Dr. Bob

 

What the Christian Upbringing of A.A.’s Cofounders Will Reveal

 

The Vermont-related origins of A.A. point to that time when A.A.’s cofounders were youngsters growing up, and later remembered so many of the lessons they had heard, learned, and formerly believed, as they found themselves struggling with and winning out over alcoholism.

 

The Questions Asked, and The Questions Answered

 

The following are a few of the answers the Vermont history makes available for AAs and Christian recovery leaders and workers to ponder and prove to themselves today:

 

           The reason why Dr. Bob said the basic ideas of A.A. came from the Bible.

 

           The reason why Dr. Bob called early Akron A.A. a “Christian Fellowship.”

 

           The reason why all who saw the summary of the Akron program prepared by Rockefeller’s agent Frank Amos exclaimed, in one way or another: “Why this is First Century Christianity.”

 

           The reason why the Oxford Group’s first name—“A First Century Christian Fellowship”—gave a signal as to its relationship with Jesus Christ and First Century Christianity’s daily fellowship, principles, and practices.

 

           The reason for the two A.A. ideas: “Love and service” and “Love and Tolerance.” And the relationship to these of 1 Corinthians 13—a segment of the Bible early AAs considered “absolutely essential.”

 

           The reason why both Dr. Bob and Bill W. said that Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount contained the underlying spiritual philosophy of A.A. And the fact that so many of A.A.’s Twelve Step ideas clearly came from Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7.

 

           The reason why there are so many quotes from, and ideas derived from, the Book of James—an A.A. favorite and absolute “essential.”

The reason why the Big Book and A.A.’s Twelve Steps contain so many quotes or ideas identifiable in and Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount.

 

           The reason why so many of the old school Akron A.A. practices were focused—as were the Acts of the Apostles—on daily fellowship, daily prayer, daily study of God’s word, daily breaking of bread, daily communication in the Temple and the homes, and daily witnessing.

 

           The reason why the Big Book contains so many unqualified references to “God,” to pronouns referring to God, and to biblical descriptions of God such as Creator, Maker, Heavenly Father, Father, Spirit, and Father of Lights.

 

           The reason why all early AAs were required to profess a belief in God and to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

 

           The reason why early AAs had Bible study, prayer meetings, Quiet Time, real surrenders to God through Christ, daily fellowship and meetings, daily visits and breaking of bread in the homes of AAs and their families.

 

           The reason why the “Lord’s Prayer” was part and parcel of every early A.A. meeting; and the reason why “Thy will be done” was given such prominence in the Big Book.

 

           The reason why ministry and service to God and to others was foundational in A.A. literature and practice.

 

           The reason why there was so much reading in early A.A. about Jesus, his life, his teachings, his healings, his power, his love, his crucifixion, his sacrifice for us, his resurrection, and his ascension and place at the right hand of God, from which we await his return.

 

The reason why Dr. Bob’s wife Anne Smith taught from her journal that the Bible ought to be the main Source Book of all.

 

           The reason for looking at the upbringing of the founders in light of Proverbs 22:6.

 

The reason why the principles, practices, and ideas one is taught in the home, by the parents, in in church, in Sunday school, during the younger years, and from kindergarten through high school are—by sheer repetition—so well remembered and later recalled and often heeded after hurtful intervening travail.

 

           The reason for believing Bill Wilson, Dr. Bob, and A.A. Number Three when each said he had been “cured” of alcoholism.

 

           The reason why the biblical ideas of fellowship with God and His son, communicating with them, praying to them, studying the Bible about them, absorbing biblical truths, widespread reading of Christian literature, conversion, and witnessing can be found in the root organizations and people who practiced the principles and practices found later in early A.A.

These foundational “old school A.A.” principles and practices are found in the Great Awakening of 1875; the Young Men’s Christian Association and its non-denominational outreach; the rescue missions and their emphasis of salvation and the Bible; the Salvation Army and its emphasis on salvation, the Bible and working with others; the Great Evangelists and their conversions and healings and preaching of the Word of God; the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor and its practices; and the early principles and practices of “A First Century  Christian Fellowship” called the Oxford Group and espoused so long by Bill’s mentor Dr. Samuel M. Shoemaker.

 

           The reason why the original personal stories in the First Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous so simply and clearly testified to the way AAs in the Midwest implemented the principles and practices of the Akron Christian Fellowship and why those same personal stories made no mention of the Twelve Steps or the Big Book itself—for the simple reason that neither the Twelve Steps nor the Big Book had been completed or published when the Akronites were writing their stories under Dr. Bob’s supervision. And for the further reason that Dr. Bob said, of the period from 1935  through 1939, “I didn’t write the Twelve Steps. I had nothing to do with the writing of them.”

 

Arguments still persist that AAs cannot be cured and that early AAs (including the cofounders who expressly said they were cured) were mistaken, uneducated, and misled though they originally and uniformly said they had been cured by the power of God. And and though their distinguished expert Dr. Silkworth said he had treated several who were “ permanently cured.”

 

Disputes still continue over the accuracy of early A.A. success rates (75% claimed in Akron; and 93% documented in Cleveland). But little or nothing is said about the simple, early Christian Fellowship message effectively developed and employed for those who wanted God’s help, who went thoroughly and to any length to get it, and who then helped others accomplish the same objective.

 

Yet Bill’s message was that the Lord had cured him; Dr. Bob’s message was that “Your Heavenly Father will never let you down;” and Bill D.’s message that this was the “golden text” of A.A. And each and all of the first three AAs all proclaimed the validity and reliability of the  message for alcoholics who still suffer.

 

Why? Because their simple messages rested on the necessity for belief in God, for establishing a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, for renouncing alcohol forever, for going to any lengths to do just that, for obeying and relying on the power of God, and for helping others get well via the same path.

 

We think a new light will shine before you and show you what A.A. can really do today if its Vermont heritage is coupled with the Christian upbringing of the cofounders and with the Christian healing techniques they learned from their Vermont brothers and sisters before there was even a thought of A.A. as a solution to alcoholism and addiction.

 

The light comes from the shining beacon enlightening all future alcoholics that each of the first three AAs succeeded in that  path before the first A.A. group was founded on July 4, 1935.


 

Gloria Deo

Sunday, August 19, 2012

The Roots of Early A.A.'s Original Program--Vermont


Announcing!



The New Dick B. and Ken B. Book





Bill W. and Dr. Bob, the Green Mountain Men of Vermont



The Roots of Early A.A.’s Original Program



________________________________________________________



ISBN 978-1-885803-53-5

Copyright 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved



Paradise Research Publications, Inc.

Kihei, Maui, Hawaii



Price: $19.95





Description



Bill W. and Dr. Bob, the Green Mountain Men of Vermont: The Roots of Early A.A.’s Original Program by Dick B. and Ken B. reveals that A.A. cofounders Bill W. and Dr. Bob had very similar Christian upbringings. It discusses what they learned from their respective families, Congregational churches, revival and temperance meetings (in Bill’s case); Young Men’s Christian Association ties; and the strong emphasis on the Bible at their respective academies. The book examines how they were influenced by their Congregational Church-dominated academies, which required daily chapel (with sermons, Scripture reading, prayer, and hymns), and daily exposure to the Bible and prayer meetings. It considers Bill’s required four-year Bible study course at Burr and Burton Academy and required church attendance. The book discusses what Bill learned from his Vermont friends Ebby Thacher, Rowland Hazard, F. Shepard Cornell, Cebra Graves, and Mark Whalon; from the Christian churches and Sunday schools he attended in Vermont; and from his Bible study with his grandfather Griffith. The book describes Dr. Bob’s Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor participation, with its stress on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, conversions, Bible study, prayer meetings, Quiet Hour, and reading Christian literature. In short, learn how the roles played by God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible in the Vermont Christian upbringings of Bill W. and Dr. Bob led to victory in Akron, Ohio, by men who had exhausted every human effort to overcome the curse of alcoholism (to use Dr. Bob’s words.)



dickb@dickb.com; 808 874 4876



Gloria Deo

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Long-Overlooked, Important, AA Big Book Personal Stories


Announcing!



The New Dick B. and Ken B. Book





A.A. Literature Frequently Mentioning God, His Son Jesus Christ & the Bible



The Long-Overlooked Big Book Personal Stories



________________________________________________________



ISBN 978-1-885803-51-1

Copyright 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved



Paradise Research Publications, Inc.

Kihei, Maui, Hawaii



Price: $14.95





Description



A.A. Literature Frequently Mentioning God, His Son Jesus Christ & the Bible: The Long-Overlooked Big Book Personal Stories by Dick B. and Ken B. (2012) brings to light for Christians in and outside of A.A., suffering newcomers, and the alcoholism and addiction recovery community the too-long-overlooked personal stories (testimonies) in A.A. literature that show that God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible are frequently mentioned in A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature. It shows how and when these key stories were removed from editions of the Big Book for decades. This new book shows why many in the recovery community have viewed these recovery victories as non-Conference-approved literature and inevitably characterized these personal stories as not being a genuine part of the recovery program of Alcoholics Anonymous. It makes known that A.A. itself—decades later—recently republished these stories, making them now “Conference-approved.” It removes the shackles which have been used to prohibit mention of God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible in official literature and regular meetings. The book welcomes back to the recovery scene the now-documented and authoritative testimonies of recovered alcoholics as to how—by applying the original Akron A.A. program—they have recovered from their “seemingly-hopeless,” “medically-incurable” condition of mind and body, and been cured of alcoholism. It enters the entire recovery arena with two other important spiritual tools: (1) A.A.’s Conference-approved Experience, Strength & Hope (2003); and (2) Alcoholics Anonymous: The Original 1939 Edition, with a new Introduction by Dick B. (2011).



Gloria Deo

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

A.A. History Workshops, Vermont, Sep 3 - 9. Y'all come!


This next two weeks we will be emailing those who might want to join us in Burlington, St. Johnsbury, Manchester, East Dorset, and maybe Northfield Vermont for A.A. history workshops that will provide you with a chance to see all the evidence of the Christian upbringing of Bill Wilson, Dr. Bob Smith, Ebby Thacher, and others who helped make Vermont the real source area for early A.A.

If you'd like to come, please contact me at dickb@dickb.com; or 808 874 4876. There is no registration fee. Just a desire to see those who really care about unraveling and correctly reporting real 12-Step history  that just hasn't been known or published in all the recovery years since 1935.

Continuing details on our blog: http://MauiHistorian.Blogspot.com; and twitter: http://Twitter.com/#!.DickB_Maui.

God Bless, Dick B., Kihei, Maui, Hawaii www.dickb.com

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Importance of AA Big Book 1st Ed. Personal Stories Today


A.A. “Conference-approved” Literature That Frequently Mentions the Bible and God

Yep! You heard or read that correctly



The Third Segment of the Long Overlooked Big Book Personal Stories



Dick B.

Copyright 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved



Part Two: Alcoholics Anonymous: The Original 1939 Edition, Segment 2C

(Dover Publications, Inc., 2011)



About Part One



In Part One, we discussed the A.A. General Service Conference-approved book published in 2003, which restored to “Conference-approved” status so many of the Big Book personal stories that were removed—piece by piece—over the years by printing new editions that simply eliminated them and replaced them with stories deemed more suitable to the powers that be.

We pointed to the lame excuses that the replacement took place because First Edition stories were written by the “uneducated;” merely to show “what we were like’ (emphasis added), and that they were written in an alleged “flying blind period,” “trial and error” by nature, and with plenty of “mistakes.”



About This Part Two and Its Three Segments:



How The First Edition, Personal Stories, and Dick B.’s Introduction in the Dover Publications Book Can Really Help Drunks Seek and Be Helped by God.



In Part Two, we propose that those in 12-Step Fellowships freely use today two major tools:



First: Point to, and boldly state that all the Big Book personal stories are now “Conference-approved” and thereby overcome the “bleeding deacon” test which consigned them to oblivion as relics of by-gone days. This can be done by citing the new “Conference-approved” publication by A.A. itself, Experience, Strength and Hope.



Second: Use for general reading, authoritative facts, and application of old school A.A. principles today, the 2011 publication, Alcoholics Anonymous “The Big Book” The Original 1939 Edition Bill W.: With a New Introduction by Dick B. (Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 2011).



In so doing, you can utilize the First Edition personal stories and the testimonies for the purpose and with reference to what they were intended to show. That is, they were written to show exactly how and why the original, old school program—summarized by Frank Amos in DR.BOB and the Good Oldtimers, at page 131—had produced the successes (75% claimed in Akron, and 93% documented in Cleveland). Exactly how those who wrote, in their own language and from their own point of view exactly how they found or rediscovered God.



Exactly how those writing the original personal stories were required to believe in God; were required to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior; were required to obey God’s will; were required to use the Bible and prayer, and then to help others get straightened out by the same means.



Bearing in mind and taking special note that the personal stories did not and could not mention the Big Book or the Twelve Steps because neither existed prior to the date of publication in 1939.



In this final segment, therefore, we urge you to look in the stories and at our quotes here and see how closely the Midwest pioneers followed the summary of their program that Frank Amos gave and is reported in DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, at page 131.



Do that. And you will see the simplicity of the original program. You will see how the pioneers followed the lead of Dr. Bob and usually mentioned him in their stories. How closely their simple program adhered to old school A.A. and had nothing to do with the Big Book or Twelve Steps.



You will see that they were not “flying blind,” using the Bible and the power of God in a “trial and error” method of “mistakes.” They were succeeding. They were new men in Christ. They were victorious. And they knew each other well, got together frequently, and openly professed their belief in God and the fact that they used the Bible as their daily guide.



What You Will Learn From the Dover Publications Original First Edition



           Despite shopworn and disarming statements that are frequently made with the claim that the Big Book language has never been changed, you will see the error of that claim. You will see that the entire Bill Wilson conversion experience program was completely altered by eliminating the A.A. Solution—A “Spiritual Experience”—from the First Edition language.



           You will see from the original First Edition personal stories just how many times Christ and Christianity were mentioned, how many times the Bible was mentioned, and how very frequently reliance on God (not some nonsense god or illusory higher power) was stressed.



           You will see from the extensive introduction by Dick B. the importance of the First Edition stories; precise places where God, Christianity, and the Bible were mentioned; and how these stories fit so neatly with the real Akron A.A. Christian Fellowship program that has been the subject of so many Dick B. books and articles. See for example The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 3rd ed., 2010.



You will learn that the techniques described by the pioneers worked. That God, Jesus Christ, the Bible were often described as “ever-present” helps. And that the role of God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible is as available, easily discerned, and can be widely applied in 12 Step groups today. And by all those suffering from alcoholism and addiction who want God’s help and a solution.



Part Two, Segment 2 C: Probative Direct Quotes from Personal Stories--Using Dover’s Pages as References. Thus, Still More First Edition Personal Stories about God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible:



1.      The Car Smasher, pp. 364-369:



I was shown what might be done about my drinking with the help of God.



My every need was being met as long as I accepted and acknowledged the Divine Help which was so generously given.



Their suggestion was that we simply acknowledge we had made a pretty dismal failure of our lives, that we accept as truth and act upon what we had always been taught and known, that there was a kind and merciful God, that we were His children, and that if we would let Him, He would help us.



There are, it seems to me, four steps by be taken by one who is a victim of alcoholism.



First: Have a real desire to quit.



Second: Admit you can’t. (This is the hardest.)



Third: Ask for His ever-present help.



Fourth: Accept and acknowledge this help.



2.      An Alcoholic’s Wife, pp. 378-379:



Since giving my husband’s problem to God I have found a peace and happiness. I know that when I try to take care of the problems of my husband I am a stumbling block as my husband has to take his problems to God the same as I do.



My husband and I now talk over our problems and trust in a Divine Power. We have now started to live. When we live with God we want for nothing.



3.      An Artist’s Concept, pp. 380-385:



A seed had been planted, however, and a short time afterward I met a man who has for the past five years devoted a great deal of time and energy to helping alcoholics. Looking back on that meeting, the simplicity of his talk with me is amazing. He told me very little but what I already knew, in part, but what he did have to say was bereft of all fancy spiritual phraseology—it was simple Christianity imparted with Divine Power.



The next day I met over twenty men who had achieved a mental rebirth from alcoholism.



4.      The Rolling Stone, pp. 386-390:



I went into the hospital and started to build my body up again through proper nourishment, and my mind through a different method than I had ever known of. A religious awakening was conveyed to me. . .



It has been nearly a year and a half since I have found this new life and I know as long as I do the few things that God requires me  to do, I never will take another drink.



5.      Lone Endeavor, pp. 391-396:



I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your letters and for ‘ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS.’



Before the book arrived and after reading the chapters I knew that the only way to combat this curse was to ask the help of the greater Power, God. I realized it even though I was then on a binge.



I thought to myself, yes this is the only way. God is still my only chance. . . . I’m sure I have found the solution, thanks to ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS.



Addendum and the Curious Nonsense about “Basic Text” That Has Kept So Many From Ever Getting Beyond “The Doctor’s Opinion,” The Ensuing Chapters, and the “Spiritual Appendix.”



Over and over, when I was new, people—including me—were repeatedly told to read the “Big Book.” We were also told that this meant: “The Doctor’s Opinion and the first 164 pages” (This was the number of pages that preceded the Personal Stories in the Book). To that advice was added the repeated expression that the “basic text” consisted only of the Doctor’s Opinion and 164 pages. Therefore, we were told NOT to read the personal stories. In fact, many that I met, knew in the fellowship, and counted as friends simply tore out of their Big Book all of the pages containing the personal stories.



Then I learned, of course, that A.A. itself had been systematically changing and eliminating personal stories. I now know it eliminated all but two that had been in the First Edition. And then there was the story of A.A. Number Three—Bill Dotson of Akron. His story was simply not included in the First Edition. Later, it was consigned to a place in the rear of the Big Book, following Dr. Bob’s story. And the result was that most of us didn’t have a clue who A.A. Number Three was, or what his story was, or how the eventual version contained, on page 191, what Dotson (Number Three) called “the Golden Text of A.A.”



Worse still, there was a story in an earlier edition where Bill Wilson plainly told a newcomer that the successful factor in the program was Jesus Christ! And he told it graphically by pointing to a painting on Jesus, stating, “There it is!” The solution! This story was also removed in the latest 4th edition of the Big Book.



Let’s first weigh a few of the untenable arguments made against those who even want to study the personal stories. Was the Big Book “basic text” just a part of the Big Book—the part that AAs wanted to hear about without looking at the testimonies? This curious product of the “wisdom of the room” confounds reason.



Here are the noteworthy points:



The latest (4th) edition of Alcoholics Anonymous has a book cover whose front page reads as follows: Alcoholics Anonymous: This is the Fourth Edition of the Big Book, the Basic Text for Alcoholics Anonymous.



It does not say the personal stories are not part of the text.



It does not say that the text for A.A. consists of the smaller portion of the book—the Doctor’s Opinion and a mere 164 pages.



It does not make the personal stories an “appendix” or “notes” or “footnotes.”



In the Fourth Edition, published in 2001, the page numbers run from 1 to 565. The title page of this edition says: “Alcoholics Anonymous The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism FOURTH EDITION.” It does not say “The” Story consists of the first 164 pages, but not any of the rest of the 565 pages.



As A.A.’s new “Conference-approved” Experience, Strength and Hope states in its Introduction on page ix: “The importance of these personal stories cannot be overstated.” And “The story section of the Big Book is far more important than most of us think.”



Page 29 of the Fourth Edition states: “Further on, clear-cut directions are given showing how we recovered. These are followed by forty-two personal experiences.” It does not say that the book contains Bill’s story, some directions for taking the steps, and forty-two stories that you need not bother to read. No!



Even in the Fourth Edition, the stories are testimonies, presumably written by those who followed directions. In fact, on page 58 of the Fourth Edition, the text tells the heart of what follows: “Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.” It does not say “thoroughly followed” Bill’s path. It says, “our path.” And the testimonies—the personal stories—show the results of the individual writers thought to have “thoroughly followed” the path. And all this is certainly true of the purposeful personal stories of the pioneers—almost all of which have been removed. But now, finally!  Restored! Years later!



A text is a text is a text, as Gertrude Stein can be paraphrased in her “A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.” She did not say, “A rose has many petals, but only a few constitute the rose.” Neither did A.A. say “Our text has 565 pages, but only 164 constitute the book.” It doesn’t take a genius to reject that nonsense.



Two More Completely Persuasive Personal Stories—Testimonials—Seldom Known or Mentioned



1.      He Thought He Could Drink Like a Gentleman, a personal story in the Third Edition, pages 216 to 217 about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, which story was removed, but now has been restored in Experience, Strength and Hope, where page 243 relates:



One evening I had gone out after dinner to take on a couple of double-headers and stayed a little later than usual, and when I came home Clarence [Clarence H. Snyder, who founded Cleveland A.A. in 1939] was sitting on the davenport with Bill W.



I do not recollect the specific conversation that went on but I believe I did challenge Bill to tell me something about A.A. and I do recall one other thing: I wanted to know what this was that worked so many wonders, and hanging over the mantle was a picture of Gethsemane [referring to a famous painting of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, with details in Matthew 26:36 and Mark 14:32—where Jesus told his disciples to sit while he went and prayed]



and Bill pointed to it and said, “There it is.”



2.      Alcoholics Anonymous Number Three: Pioneer member of Akron’s Group No. 1 the first A.A. group in the world. He kept the faith; therefore, he and countless others found a new life. Page 191 of the Fourth Edition states:



We were eating lunch, and I was listening and trying to find out why they had this release that they seemed to have. Bill [Wilson] looked across at my wife and said to her, “Henrietta, the Lord has been so wonderful to me, curing me of this terrible disease, that I just want to keep talking about it and telling people.”



I thought, I think I have the answer. Bill was very, very grateful that he had been released from this terrible thing and he had given God the credit for having done it, and he’s so grateful l about it he wants to tell other people about it.



That sentence, “The Lord has been so wonderful to me, curing me of this terrible disease, that I just want to keep telling people about it” has been a sort of golden text for the A.A. program and for me.”



[Note that, on the same occasion, Bill Wilson and Bill Dotson—A.A. Number Three—both tied their release from alcoholism to the “Lord.” They both said they had been “cured” by the “Lord.” And Dotson said the expression was “a golden text for the A.A. program” and for him.



Miss the Stories, Miss the Heavenly Father, the “Lord,” the Bible, The “Cure”



At least one, two, or things seem to happen when you tinker with the Big Book—to the extent that it contains concepts that Bill Wilson or the later “trusted” servants personally dislike and/or decide to change.



First, they eliminate something completely—as they did the personal stories which talked about the original A.A. program in terms of God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, and cure.



Second, they insert confusing synonyms that leave the reader in doubt as to what the intended meaning was.



Third, they invent a concept that denigrates a major portion of the “offensive” material. For example, at one point, A.A. itself published a “Big Book” without the personal stories at all (other than Bill’s). And when their General Manager came to Maui, I asked him why and pointed out that the original intent of the Big Book was to have it consist only of stories. He replied in front of the audience, “You’re right.” And before long, the hybrid Big Book, sans stories, just disappeared.



There are other ways that extraneous or corrupting ideas are sometimes introduced. But let’s just take the ones that can clearly be demonstrated.



·         If the suffering alcoholic and his mentors do not see, in their chosen portion of an edition, the words, “Heavenly Father,” “Lord,” “Bible, and “Cure;” and if the deletions are sometimes accompanied by apologetic explanations in their place, the readers and the leaders are left with some “higher power” or “Power” or a god “as we understood Him,” when the program itself originally referred only to God or to Jesus Christ.



·         “Heavenly Father:” Therefore, if you relegate Dr. Bob’s personal story to the ignored personal stories “further on,” you miss the reference on page 181 by Dr. Bob that says: “Your Heavenly Father will never let you down!” In fact, the newly published original Big Book printer’s manuscript shows plainly the vain attempt to substitute the word “Faith” for “Heavenly Father.” Yet compare Dr. Bob’s last major address where he repeatedly and consistently refers to “Heavenly Father.” See The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches Their Last Major Talks (Pamphlet P-53), pp. 15—“Heavenly Father;” 19—“Heavenly Father,” “My Father in heaven,” “Heavenly Father,” “My Father;” 30—“Heavenly Father.”  In fact, when I heard Dr. Bob’s son speak at the A.A. International Convention in San Diego, he repeatedly used the phrase “Heavenly Father.”
 

·         “Lord,” If you relegate A.A. Number Three’s personal story to the ignored personal stories “further on,” you miss the two references on page 191 by Bill Wilson and Bill Dotson (AA Number Three) which state “The Lord has been so wonderful to me curing me.” Interestingly, the other place where the complete statement about the Lord and the cure is quoted is in DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, at page 83. Combined with the deleted “Gethsemane” story in the Third edition, where Bill ascribes the cure to Jesus Christ, the meaning of the word “Lord” becomes clear.



·         “Bible,” If you eliminate all the personal stories where, as quoted above, the Bible is clearly mentioned, you are left with unattributed quotes from Bible language such as “Thy will be done;” “Faith without works is dead,” “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” “Creator,” “Maker,” “Father of lights.” And the befuddled newcomer hasn’t a clue where these words came from or to whom they refer.



·         “Cure,” Ignoring his own statement and that of Bill Dotson that the Lord had cured them, Bill directly contradicted his own faith and belief and wrote on page 85 of the Fourth Edition: “We are not cured of alcoholism.” And that statement has given rise to endless controversies in the rooms over whether AAs are “in recovery,” “recovering,” or “recovered.” Seldom is the word “cured” even mentioned. Yet see DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, where page 129 states “Dr. Howard S. . . had been cured by Smith and his friends’ activities and the Christian technique prescribed.”



Miss the Stories: And You May Just Hear Disputes Over the Facts Themselves



Try these experiments:



(1)    Tell people in a meeting or a treatment program that there is a cure for alcoholism, and that the statement in the Big Book on page 33 of the Fourth edition does not apply to those cured of alcoholism by “Divine Aid”—by the power of God. The statement is: “Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.” Howls of protest may accompany every word thereafter. The reason?  Most of the howlers don’t know that all three of the first AAs said explicitly that they had been cured of alcoholism—this after each had turned to God for help and been healed. Thus the quoted remarks of Bill Wilson and A.A. Number 3 on page 191 that the Lord had cured each are either unknown, claimed to be erroneous, or falling on the ears of those who don’t believe what Dr. William D. Silkworth expressly told Bill and other patients: The Great Physician (Jesus Christ) can cure your alcoholism; and Silkworth made the statement before the Rockefellers, AAs, and others that he had treated alcoholics who had been “permanently cured.”



(2)    Tell people in a meeting or a treatment program that, by turning to God, that you have  had a miraculous healing of your alcoholism. Howls of protest may claim in your presence that your claim is a violation of the Traditions because A.A. is not religious, or that A.A. is “spiritual, but not religious,” or that you have just offended someone who is an atheist, an agnostic, a Hindu, a Buddhist, or tried God and failed. The reason? Many don’t believe in God, don’t believe in miracles, and say that they go to church for their religion and to A.A. for their alcoholism. Or someone has never  read to them page 57 which states:



Seemingly he could not drink even if he would. God had restored his sanity. What is this but a miracle of healing? Circumstances made him willing to believe. He humbly offered himself to his Maker, then he knew. Even so has God restored us all to our right minds.

     

      Or someone has never challenged them as to whether they believed the  

      statement on   page 15:



There is a solution. . . . The great fact is just this, and nothing less. That we have had had deep and effective  spiritual experiences. . . .

The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us which we could never do by ourselves.



      Or they have been led to believe they cannot read, quote, or believe any   

      literature that is not “Conference-approved.” Therefore they may never have

      read the account by Clarence Snyder of how he was healed. In Mitchell K.’s

      How It Worked: The Story of Clarence H. Snyder and the Early Days of

      Alcoholics Anonymous in Cleveland, Ohio, page 70 states this:



At Clarence’s surrender, T. Henry, Doc, and a couple of the other Oxford Group members went into T. Henry’s bedroom. They all, including Clarence, who by now was used to this kneeling, got down on their knees in an attitude of prayer. They all placed their hands on Clarence, and then proceeded to pray.



These people introduced Clarence to Jesus as his Lord and Savior. They explained to Clarence that this was First Century Christianity. Then they prayed for a healing and removal of Clarence’s sins, especially his alcoholism. When he arose, said Clarence, he once again felt like a new man.

     

      The details about these “real surrenders” in which a newcomer was led to

      accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and in which he and others prayed

      for his healing are not confined to Clarence Snyder—though they have  

      independently been confirmed by many. See Dick B., That Amazing Grace:

      The Role of Clarence and Grace S. in Alcoholics Anonymous, 27, and Three  

      Clarence Snyder Sponsee Old-timers and Their Wives, Compiled and Edited

      by Dick B., Our A.A. Legacy to the Faith Community: A Twelve-Step Guide for

     Those Who Want to Believe, 20-28.



(3)    The requirement that all early A.A. newcomers profess a belief in God and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior was personally confirmed by me in

telephone conversations with A.A. Old-timer Ed Andy of Lorain, Ohio and by

Larry B., A.A. Old-timer Larry B. from Cleveland, Ohio; and I still have in my

possession Larry’s letter to me stating the facts and that they had taken him upstairs and had him become a born-again human being and God’s helper to alcoholics. And the biographer of Dr. William D. Silkworth quoted Dr. Silkworth to the same effect: Bill had originally insisted on surrenders to Jesus Christ—just as he had done at Calvary Mission in 1934.



All three of the first AAs—Bill W., Dr. Bob, and A.A. Number Three, who were all Christians and had studied the Bible—stated in writing that they had been cured. So did Clarence H. Snyder. And so did dozens of alcoholics whose stories were printed in newspapers and magazines across the nation. These articles can be seen by purchasing the scrap book obtaining them from A.A. World Services, Inc., in New York.



Those whose personal stories were published in the Big Book First Edition told exactly the procedure they followed after A.A. was founded in June, 1935 and the first group was founded on Jul y 4, 1935.






Gloria Deo

Friday, August 10, 2012

An Update on an A.A. History "Lover?"

Glenn C.'s comments about A.A. Historian Dick B. and the History "Lover"

Does that mean that Dick is going into a nursing home or
some place else like that where there will be no
room to store all those books?

It looks like Dick's son Ken is taking over most of the running o
the operation now, and seems to want to get rid of most
of the stock of Dick's books which they have stored on their shelves.

And/or, Dick's son Ken (who is a pastor who is not a
recovering alcoholic himself) wants to start
putting more emphasis on Christian recovery
as a church-oriented endeavor with less AA involvement.

I don't know. Do you know more?

If we posted this in the AAHistoryLovers, we
would get a really furious protest from some of
our members, accompanied by serious threats to
quit the group themselves.

It seems best, doesn't it, to assume that those
who are Dick's fans will already be on his internet
mailing list, or will know people who are?
It wouldn't help anything at all to tear the
AAHistoryLovers apart and destroy it, just in
order to post one announcement which those who are
interested will have probably already received anyway.

Glenn Chesnut




My response
Group members give serious threats to
quit the group themselves

LET THEM QUIT THE GROUP!!

Banning someone because their scholarship is different is counterproductive.
Banning someone because they submitted a message about an AA historian's book give away is INSANE AND DOWNRIGHT WRONG. Where are your morals Glenn C?? are you really practicing
the Principles of AA

I Challenge Glenn Chesnut
to address these issues
within The AA History Lovers Group

(1) I Demand an apology and retraction.
(2) I Demand reinstatement as a member.
(3) I Demand reinstatement of Dick B as a member
(4) I Call for his (Glenn C) resignation for conduct unbecoming of a
moderator and unauthorized actions by his self/group
which are deeply damaging to a member.
(5) I call for new non biased
non internet
and non publishing
connected
moderator
I Was a participating member for many years.
I did absolutely nothing that was in any way abusive, incorrect, or promotional.
I was banned by one man, Glenn Chesnut,
in an arbitrary, insulting, abrupt way—without any reasonable justification.
All should desire to see
Glenn Chestnut Moderator Yahoo AA History Lovers as Moderator Emeritus



Read Dick B's Response
Someone who purports to be the moderator of A forum posting site and someone else who uses the name AWUH decided to write insolent replies to my post. Their problem is that they didn't take the time to learn the facts before they wrote.
The Big Book calls this "contempt prior to investigation."
(Editor LDP: I am not sure to which site or post Dick B is Referring to here
in this first paragraph)

If I post, I can expect contempt now and then.
Contempt prior to investigation is another matter entirely.

Here are the facts:

The owner of
http://www.aabibliography.com has been a long and consistent contributor to all kinds of history about A.A. And for many years.

I have no connection whatever with his website or him although he has posted a number of items about me - as well as other historians like Mel Barger, Ernest Kurtz, and many others. He has also gathered and posted a large number of books and articles germane to A.A. history.

However, apparently he decided--when he learned that I was distributing free cases of A.A. history books (350 cases)--to tell aa history lovers about the opportunity. He didn't notify me in advance or ask my permission or receive any request from me.

Instead, he was told by the owner of that site - Glenn Chesnut - that I was headed for a nursing home, was turning my 20 years of research over to one of my sons, and was trying to "Christianize" A.A.

Then Chesnut banned the contributor from his website and told him members would be "furious" if he listed anything pertaining to Dick B.

I have no connection whatever with A.A. history lovers. I don't surf it. I don't use it. I don't like one or two of the members because of their close-mindedness, but I know and like dozens of the others. And I have never met Glenn Chesnut.

I have protested the affront to the owner of aabibliography because I oppose censorship of A.A. history, and Glenn Chesnut has claimed he has most of the leading historians connected with his site. If he does, I am not surprised that several of them--who are my friends--have written me regretting Glenn's intemperate and arbitrary acts.

To close the matter, live and let live. Onward to the history lovers. Onward to aabibliography. And let the dead bury their dead.
I’m glad to see your revised announcement about A.A. History Lovers. Chesnut deserves every statement you made because your
statements are truthful and his attitude is vicious and harmful to AAs.
God bless,
Dick B.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

AA Conference-Vermont History-St. Johnsbury-Dr. Bob


Press Release: A Portion of the AA History Workshops in East Dorset, Manchester, St. Johnsbury in Our Vermont A.A. Leader Cadre Workshops – September 2 – 9, 2012



                                                                                                            Contact: Richard G. Burns

                                                                                                                           808 874 4876

                                                                                                                           dickb@dickb.com

                                                                                                                           Kihei, Maui, Hawaii



A New Awakening Recovery Path Today in St. Johnsbury, Vermont



By Dick B.

© 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved



Preparations for the September 2012 A.A. History Cadre Workshops in Vermont



Suggested Inspirational Walk to Places Where A.A.’s Cofounder Dr. Bob Smith Received What He Called His Excellent Training in the Good Book as a Youngster in Vermont



“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Prov 22:6 KJV)



Dick B. and Ken B.





Making available to visitors and those diligently seeking recovery from addictions, substance abuse, and other life-controlling problems the major biblical sources of the original, highly-successful, Christian recovery program founded and developed by Bill W. and Dr. Bob in Akron, Ohio, on and after June 10, 1935.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Your Walk Around St. Johnsbury



DR. BOB’S BIRTHPLACE AND BOYHOOD HOME; Begin at Dr. Bob’s Birthplace and Boyhood Home at 297 Summer Street.



            Snap a photo of yourself and Dr. Bob’s family home.



            Visit the premises.



            If you like, attend one of the “open” A.A. meetings held there.



NORTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, ST. JOHNSBURY: Walk to the Smith family church at 1325 Main Street--North Congregational Church, St. Johnsbury.



            Snap a photo of yourself and the beautiful, towering stone edifice.



            Enter the church and view the ornate sanctuary.



Allow ample time to see, browse, and study the materials in the Dr. Bob Core Library, which has been graciously provided, and is maintained, by the church.



The Dr. Bob Core Library volumes will tell you, as to the church, where the family of Judge Walter P. Smith--Bob’s father--worshipped on Sunday morning, attended Sunday school that afternoon, and that evening heard preaching and united in prayers (and also attended such YMCA events, lectures, and concerts as were provided there). You will see where the church’s Christian Endeavor Society for young people held its meetings. You can read volumes of material on Christian Endeavor and on the history of Christian Endeavor in Caledonia County. You may learn the subject of the sermons, the Sunday school lessons, the Sunday prayer meetings, and the Wednesday evening prayer and Christian Endeavor meetings. You will see the extensive, varied, and reported details of the “Great Awakening” of 1875 in St. Johnsbury, which transformed the town, the church, and the people of St. Johnsbury; converted hundreds to Christ and impacted on community life for decades thereafter. There is much on the history of the North Church; the role of Fairbanks family members as donors, builders, office holders, and             Sunday school and mission work participants. Governor Erastus Fairbanks was a lifetime Deacon to the church. There are many records of the extensive church participation by the Smith family members (including Judge Walter P. Smith, Mrs. Susan H. Smith, Mrs. Smith’s mother, Dr. Bob, and Dr. Bob’s foster sister Amanda Northrup). There is much material to assist visitors in understanding the relevance of the church and its training to the subsequent history and program of Alcoholics Anonymous, its founders, principles, and practices. You will have an opportunity to get a greater perception of the Bible roots of the Akron Christian A.A. Fellowship. And how these Vermont roots figured largely in A.A. beginnings--with its required conversions; required reliance on God; required five elements of recovery; weekly and almost daily “old fashioned prayer meetings;” stress on reading of the Bible privately and at meetings; stress on cultivation of the habit of prayer; regular seeking of God’s guidance; Quiet Time, the use of devotionals, and frequent reading of Christian literature; and persistent and continuing personal work in love and service to provide free help to new alcoholics so that they could get straightened out and live successful spiritual lives. In the language of A.A.’s own Big Book text, the recovered pioneers were said to have become happy, joyous, and free. They had conceded to their innermost selves that they were alcoholic and could not manage their own lives; that probably no human power could relieve them, and that--when God had been sought and they had established a relationship with Him--God could and would do, and had done, for them what they could not do for themselves. They vociferously declared that they had been cured by the power of God; that the Creator had healed them of their terrible malady; and that they had unselfishly been moved to witness to others precisely how this miracle of recovery had been accomplished.



            Consider dropping a donation in the box.



FAIRBANKS MUSEUM AND PLANETARIUM: Cross Main Street to the impressive Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium, donated to the Town of St. Johnsbury by Colonel Franklin Fairbanks, and containing substantial historical archives, diaries, and records.



            Snap a photo.



            Visit the museum.



            Make an appointment, if desired, to view the historical records in their   archives.



THE ST. JOHNSBURY ATHENAEUM: Walk south to 1171 Main Street to the magnificent St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, a library for the town and for St. Johnsbury Academy “scholars” (i.e., students). Built in the Second Empire style, the Athenaeum was a gift to the town from Governor Horace Fairbanks in 1871. It contains a treasure trove of books, manuscripts, photos, papers, and other historical materials. Researchers and historians, as well those in recovery, can--as we did--spend hours and hours in the comfortable library amidst its well-stocked shelves and stacks.



Snap a photo of yourself and the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum



Be sure to visit the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum. Utilize the available help from the library staff, indexes, computers, and copy facilities. There are comfortable chairs,    adequate rest rooms, water fountains, and newspapers.



Consider dropping a donation in the box.



Spend substantial time reviewing the history of the Green Mountain state and the sons and daughters of Vermont. Examine the history of St. Johnsbury, the extensive role of the Fairbanks family in community affairs, the immense economic blessings emanating from the invention of the platform scale by Thaddeus Fairbanks and the long-lasting success of the Fairbanks Scales business. Look through the town directories which tell the story, year by year, of the Smith family’s great involvement in the affairs of the community. Search the Smith family genealogy; the activities of North Congregational Church, St. Johnsbury, and the town’s other churches; Congregationalism in Vermont; the YMCA in Vermont; the “Great Awakening” of 1875 in St. Johnsbury; the Christian Endeavor Society in St. Johnsbury and in Vermont; Temperance activities; and the role of women (including Mrs. Walter P. Smith) in domestic missionary work, women’s clubs, local and traveling libraries, Temperance, and the St. Johnsbury Academy.



View on the microfilm reader the complete newspaper accounts of Dr. Bob’s boyhood days in St. Johnsbury in the St. Johnsbury Caledonian (town newspaper), which is today known as the Caledonian-Record.



 See the genealogies, biographies, and historical activities of the important sons of Vermont.        



THE FORMER SITE OF THE ST. JOHNSBURY YMCA BUILDING (destroyed by fire in 1984 and then demolished), Eastern Avenue.



Rev. Henry Fairbanks donated the YMCA building which was constructed in 1885 and located just off Main Street at 113 Eastern Avenue (until it was destroyed by fire in 1984). Prior to the erection of the building, the state Executive Committee of the Vermont YMCA had conducted Gospel “canvasses” in St. Johnsbury (and throughout Vermont for several years beginning in 1875) and--through the work of lay evangelists--catalyzed the “Great Awakening” of 1875 in St. Johnsbury itself through “Gospel Meetings” which built on the prayers for revival and “union meetings” of the local churches of several denominations in St. Johnsbury. Even the Fairbanks Scales plant was opened at noon time for prayer meetings. Hundreds were converted to Christ during this revival work. At least one report made at the national YMCA Convention in Richmond, Virginia, in 1875, placed the number of decisions for Christ at 1,500--almost one-third of the town population. And YMCA people continued the evangelical work for some time after 1875.


Dr. Bob’s father, Judge Walter P. Smith, was president of the St. Johnsbury YMCA from 1895 until at least 1897. Dr. Bob attended St. Johnsbury Academy from 1894 until he graduated in 1898. The Academy on Main Street was easy walking distance from the YMCA building on Eastern Avenue. The YMCA and the Academy’s students interacted closely, even to the point that the YMCA was putting ¼-½ page ads in the student publication while Dr. Bob was in school there. Fairbanks family members were leaders in its evangelical work, beginning no later than the annual State of Vermont YMCA Convention held in Norwich in November of 1874.



The YMCA provided Bible classes, Bible studies, Bible conversation classes, and meetings for young men. It conducted lectures, concerts, and other events in the churches and at St. Johnsbury Academy. It provided gym facilities for young men; and it worked in close cooperation with St. Johnsbury Academy, running regular advertisements in the student newspaper.



THE COURT HOUSE, Main Street, and Judge Walter P. Smith (Bob’s father)



Just across the street from the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum is the court house where Dr. Bob’s father, Walter Perrin Smith, served many successive elected terms as Probate Judge handling the settling of estates and probate of wills. The Judge is also frequently listed and recorded among the community lawyers. He served as a town agent and village auditor; superintendent of schools; State’s attorney; and representative for St. Johnsbury in the Vermont Legislature. At the North Congregational Church, St. Johnsbury, he was a Sunday school teacher for many years, a Sunday school superintendent, and a Deacon. Prior to becoming a lawyer, he taught in schools and served as Principal of Hardwick Academy. He served St. Johnsbury Academy as one of its examiners. The Judge was long involved in the local banking system as an investor, director, trustee, and officer in three of the town’s banks--Merchants National, Passumpsic Savings, and First National. He became President of Carrick Brothers Granite Company. He was a widely sought-after speaker at political events, a Republican, and a well-known Congregationalist.



ST. JOHNSBURY ACADEMY, 1000 Main Street (Mrs. Walter Smith and Bob himself)



Dominating the south end of Main Street is the campus of St. Johnsbury Academy, which was founded by the three Fairbanks brothers--Thaddeus, Erastus, and Joseph P. The details of this unusual facility can best be learned by making an appointment in advance to visit with the Academy archivist, Joanne Bertrand, who works at the Grace Orcutt Library on campus.



Snap several photos of yourself, of the Academy buildings, and of South Church next door where daily chapel was often held.



Located in the archives are many of the founding papers requiring religious training and Bible study. Academy governing papers required that trustees be members of a Congregational Church, that “scholars” (= students) attend Daily Chapel where there were Scripture readings, sermons, exhortations, prayers, and singing. All scholars were duty-bound to attend a church service and a Bible study once each week.



Important archival and library papers include school catalogs showing the textbooks, curricula, trustees, Principal, staff, teachers, and scholars in attendance. There are histories of the Academy (at least one of which was partially prepared by Mrs. Walter P. Smith), attendance cards for Bob and, earlier, his mother; photographs of Dr. Bob and of his graduating class; Dr. Bob’s commencement program which names him as Orator; accounts of Bob’s activities as Manager and member of the Glee Club; Dr. Bob’s participation  in debates, a fraternity, and class offices; class notes about Dr. Bob; and many copies of the student newspaper (both at the Academy and at the Athenaeum). Papers also show Bob’s mother as an Academy student, then an Academy teacher, then an active member of the Alumni Executive Committee, presenter of a large portion of the school’s history at major celebrations, and author of two chapters of a book on the history of the Academy.



Robert Holbrook Smith (A.A.’s Dr. Bob)--who was born August 8, 1879, in the family home at 20 Summer Street in St. Johnsbury--is listed as a member and Sunday school scholar at North Congregational Church, St. Johnsbury. He himself wrote that he was active in the Christian Endeavor Society of North Congregational Church. He wrote, and records confirm, that he and his family regularly attended Sunday morning service, Sunday school, and Sunday evening service, as well as the Christian Endeavor meeting. Frequently, Bob attended the church prayer meeting on Wednesday and regularly attended Christian Endeavor meetings on Wednesday. He attended the local Summer Street School and was later a scholar at St. Johnsbury Academy from 1894 to 1898 (at which time he graduated). He attended and graduated from Dartmouth. And he received medical training at the University of Michigan and at Rush. He later received specialist training as a proctologist and practiced medicine in Akron, Ohio. Plagued with alcoholism since college days, he prayed for recovery with a small group of Christians at the home of inventor T. Henry Williams in Akron. Shortly after he thus sought God’s help, he attained sobriety. The date was June 10, 1935, regarded as the founding day of A.A. by Dr. Bob Smith and Bill Wilson of New York. From that date on, Dr. Bob personally helped over 5,000 drunks to recover, without charge to the drunk. This selfless service led A.A. cofounder Bill Wilson to dub Dr. Bob the “Prince of all Twelfth Steppers.” Dr. Bob had met Anne Robinson Ripley (his wife-to-be) at a St. Johnsbury Academy dance. He later married her at her home in Illinois and settled in the family home at 855 Ardmore Avenue in Akron where A.A. is said to have been founded. Anne Smith died first; Dr. Bob died shortly thereafter; and the two are buried in Akron. Both Dr. Bob and his wife were deeply committed to serving the Creator; were devout Christians; and were strong believers in Bible study, prayer, and seeking God’s guidance. Both widely read, recommended, and distributed Christian literature to early A.A. pioneers. And Dr. Bob assured newcomers to A.A. that--if they went to any lengths to establish their relationship with God, accept Christ, follow his teachings, abstain from drinking and temptation, diligently seek God’s help, and witness in love and service to newcomers in recovery: “Your Heavenly Father will never let you down!” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., 181).



The “excellent training” Dr. Bob had received in the “Good Book” as a youngster in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, provided the foundation for the “absolutely essential” Bible-basics of the early A.A. program. A.A. claimed for that original program a 75% success rate. And Dr. Bob’s sponsee, Clarence Snyder, followed up with a documented, 93% success rate in Cleveland among “seemingly-hopeless,” “medically-incurable,” “real” alcoholics who went to any lengths to be cured. He declared that A.A.’s basic ideas came from the Bible study done by the A.A. pioneers--particularly in the Book of James, in the Sermon on the Mount, and in 1 Corinthians 13.



Dr. Bob’s mother, Mrs. Walter P. Smith (Susan Holbrook Smith--born Susan Amanda Holbrook), can--in the alumni, faculty, and other library records of St. Johnsbury Academy, in St. Johnsbury Athenaeum records, in women’s affairs records, in St. Johnsbury Caledonian newspaper articles, and in missionary records--be seen as very much involved in: (1)  church service, (2) Sunday school service, (3) the Vermont Domestic Missionary Society, (4) libraries, (5) education, (6) Temperance activities, and (7) music. She was also involved in St. Johnsbury community affairs through other teaching and other religious activities, and through other Academy-related activities. Susan attended St. Johnsbury Academy and graduated from it in 1874. She then taught at St. Johnsbury Academy from 1874 to 1876. She and Judge Smith were married shortly thereafter after. Based on our intensive research over the past eight months, it seems very likely that both of Dr. Bob’s parents were impacted by the “Great Awakening” of 1875 in St. Johnsbury. Both were listed in North Congregational Church records in beginning in 1878 and became members in 1882. In the church, Mrs. Smith served as Sunday school teacher, Sunday school superintendent, Intermediate Department superintendent, president of the Women’s Club, editor of its cook book volume, member of the Vermont Domestic Missionary Society, and participant in the church quartet. She is listed as a participant in the Women‘s Christian Temperance Union. Through her activity with the International Women’s Clubs and the St. Johnsbury Women’s Club, she was singled out as the well-known and tireless worker for the free state library facilities in rural communities. She became a member of the State Library Commission. 





-----------------------------------------------------Gloria Deo------------------------------------------------