A.A. Cofounders Dr. Bob and Bill and their Christian upbringing in Vermont

These days there is more "wisdom of the rooms" in A.A. than there is accurate reporting of the most important aspects of A.A. itself. And I appreciate the moderator's letting my article be posted enumerating some of the major A.A. History points.

Some of the many items that led us ordinary drunks astray are the many times that the spelling of names of some of our early pioneers is wrong. Thus the correct spelling of the names of these folks is "Rowland Hazard," "Ebby Thacher," "Anne Riipley Smith" (Dr. Bob's wife), "Henrietta Seiberling."

Some of the highly significant missing historical pieces that enable us to learn how A.A. came about are:

(1) The younger days of Dr. Bob in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. There his birthplace was the family home at 20 Summer Street (number of address has been changed, but the house is still there). (2) North
Congregational Church of St. Johnsbury where Dr. Bob's father was a Deacon, Sunday school superintendent, and Sunday school teacher, as well as a member of the Executive Committee, and ex-officio member of the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor in which Dr. Bob was active. The father's name was Judge Walter P. Smith. Dr. Bob's mother was head of a large school in the church, Sunday school teacher, head of the women's group, singer in the choir, and church historian. Her name was Susan H. Smith. The entire Smith family was active in the church: Judge Smith, Susan Smith, Susan's mother, Dr. Bob, and his foster sister Amanda Northrup. (3) The church sermons and Sunday school lessons made it clear that families were to teach their children about salvation and the Word of God, and that many a sermon was tuned to the same subjects. (4) Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor had a program "For Christ and For Church" which had all the elements that were incorporated in the original Akron A.A. Christian Fellowship program: conversion meetings, converting members to God through Jesus Christ; Bible study meetings; prayer meetings; a Quiet Hour program; discussion of topical Christian literature and Bible passages; and a motto that Dr. Bob repeated in A.A.: "love and service." (5) The Y.M.C.A. of which Dr. Bob's father was president during Bob's high school years, and it participated in Bible studies, Sunday evening church events, and activities at St. Johnsbury Academy where Dr. Bob studied. The YMCA building was located just a block and a half from Dr. Bob's birthplace and boyhood home. (6) St. Johnsbury Academy--Congregational to the core. There Dr. Bob's father was an examiner. His mother had been a student there, a teacher there, and later an Academy historian and member of its alumni executive committee. Dr. Bob himself attended daily chapel, weekly church service, weekly Bibe study, and took courses that had a Christian aspect. Bob was a fraternity member, debater, president of the Glee Club, and class orator on graduation. These facts are virtually unmentioned either in A.A.literature or the writings of A.A. historians. Yet Dr. Bob said plainly that he had had excellent training in the Bible as a youngster.

(7) The Wilson House where Bill Wilson was born and which stands today as a memorial in East Dorset, Vermont. Both sets of Bill's grandparents were active in the little East Dorset Congregational Church on the green between Wilson House and the home of the other grandparents--the Griffiths. (8) Bill's drunken grandfather Willie Wilson was cured of alcoholism when he cried out to God for help on Mount Aeolus next to his home on the other side of the little church. Willie rushed to the church, announced he was saved, and never had a drop of liquor in the remaining 8 years of his life. (8) The Wilsons owned Pew 15 in the Church. (9) Bill's grandparents--the Wilsons and the Griffiths--belonged to and attended the East Dorset Congregtional Church, as did Bill himself. Bill's parents were married in that church. And Sunday school records and sermons reveal that salvation and study of the Word of God were as much a part of the East Dorset Church as they were the North Congregational Church. (10) Bill studied the Bible with his grandfather Griffith and his friend Mark Whalon. (11) Bill enrolled in the Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, Vermont. The school was run by Congregationalists. There Bill Wilson took a four year Bible study course, attended daily chapel, attended weekly church services at the Manchester Congregational Church, and was president of the school YMCA.

(12) Years later, on his third hospitalization at Towns Hospital for alcoholism, Bill was told by his physician Dr. William D. Silkworth that the "Great Physician" Jesus Christ could cure Bill of his alcoholism. (13) Very soon, Bill's long-time friend Ebby Thacher visited Bill - sober - and told Bill he had made a decision for Jesus Christ at Calvary Rescue Mission where he lived; and Bill noted that Ebby had been born again. (14) Bill then decided that he too should go to the mission and there be helped by the Great Physician as he saw Ebby had been. (15) Bill went to the altar at Calvary Rescue Mission, made a decision for Jesus Christ, soon wrote that he had been born again, staggered drunk to Towns Hospital for his last visit, decided he should call on the "Great Physician" for help, cried out to God, had a "white light" experience he likened to that of the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus. Bill sensed the presence of God and remarked "So this is the God of the Scriptures." Bill was instantly cured and never drank again for the rest of his life.

There is much more to the Christian origins of Alcoholics Anonymous, and we will talk about it elsewhere. Primarily in Dr. Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous by Dick B. and The Conversion of Bill W. by Dick B.