A Letter and Reply to Bonnie Burke,
Managing Director of Wilson House in East Dorset, Vermont, Explaining Our
Planned Vermont Tour
Dick B.
Bonnie: Thanks so much for excellent, fact-filled interview.
It’s the kind of material we think blesses our many listeners and those who
ought to listen.
As to the proposed Vermont trip, the following details are
important:
1. No money to
cover our travel, meals, and accomodations, no trip. And we hope that will be
resolved one way or another in July.
2. Our two
trips to Vermont for research purposes were a gold mine of information most
simply don’t want to report, or at least haven’t.
The following matters have to do with Bill Wilson
a) There is the
common view, espoused by Kurtz, that Bill had no Christian upbringing and with
others including Hartigan claiming Bill was not a Christian.
b) Our visit
with Marge into the church made clear the Wilson participation you had given us
leads for. Further extensive research, gathered by various historians, showed
that Bill read the Bible with his grandfather Fayette and his friend Mark
Whalon. These researchers and writers told of grandpa Willie’s miraculous conversion
and cure. They showed Bill remembered
his parents singing and the memory of the “Father” it brought out. They showed
Bill remembered Sermons, hymns, conversion meetings, and temperance meetings.
They showed that the Griffiths regarded the little church as the family church,
that they attended it, that Bill’ mother regarded it as the family church and
attended, and that Bill was there in church and Sunday school. They showed his
parents were married in the church and lived in the parsonage. They showed that
Wilson lineage attended that church, made financial and other contributions.
They held offices. They were among the founders. And they owned Pew 15. In
other words, the violin and the boomerang and the temperance pledge overwhelmed
and was superimposed upon the rally important evidence about Bill’s East Dorset Congregational Christian
upbringing.
c) There are
still some pending questions about what the parents did while in Rutland and
whether they attended, or Bill attended the church there.
d) Thanks in
large part to Fredericka Templeton, we verified that Burr and Burton was
heavily influenced by Congregationalists, that it owned a pew in the local
church where students attended, that there was
required daily chapel—with sermons, hymns, and Scripture reading, that
Bill took a four year Bible study course at the academy, that Bill was
president of the school YMCA, that Bertha Bamford was president of the school
YWCA, and that both attended “Y” activities together, and that—instead of being
an atheist—Bill went into another of his many depressions when Bertha died and
“turned his back” on God—which is a common occurrence with some drunks when a
parent or loved one is taken from them.
e) We believe
there may be additional information in Manchester—an area where I believe you
are connected in terms of its historical society.
f) We know
thousands have attended Wilson House, a much smaller number know about or use
the Griffith Library despite its immense importance, and the little white
church on the green is barely noticed or
spoken of.
g) In other
words, Wilson House needs no seminar or public recognition. It deserves far
more attention when it comes to a cadre of Christian leaders knowing about and
briefly seeing, and hearing about both
the East Dorset and Burr and Burton scene. And it’s a tough job because of the
increased secularization of the fellowship and its hostility to Bible and
religion
h) While our
focus is on East Dorset and Manchester as “optional”, we are hopeful that some
of the key cadre members will accompany us there, listen, and soak up facts
3. St.
Johnsbury is another matter entirely.
a) It is loaded
with concrete historical locations and information. They are barely known,
seldom reported, and disparagingly
discussed. For example, a tiny group of the history lovers went there, looked
at the library before it was completed (and still has much more to come when
funding is possible), and said there was nothing there of importance.
b) I won’t
burden you with all the details which we laid out in
www.dickb.com/drbobofaa.shtml. But they are not known and are tossed
aside—Great Awakening, Evangelists, Rescue Missions, YMCA brethren, Salvation
Army, Christian Endeavor, and Oxford Group sources. Dr. Bob’s boyhood home rebuffed us and refused the library that we
therefore placed
At North Congregational Church which is itself loaded with
information. The Athenaeum is warm and welcoming. So was St. Johnsbury Academy;
and the two visits unearthed an immense Christian upbringing of Dr. Bob.
c) There is a
nice hotel in St. Johnsbury there where our cadre can stay while we conduct a
tour, show and tell.
d) From there,
they can, if they wish, go to Manchester and East Dorset ; and we will be
there. Whether accomodations are available is up for grabs and, if properly,
scheduled, might enable stays there or at nearby inns.
e) Ditto a Fall
Leaves tour.
4. As our
interviews and worldwide growing membership of International Christian Recovery
Coalition show, there is a growing body of vibrant, devoted to AA, Christian
leaders holding forth all over the world. Therefore the questions are:
a) Will one or
several sponsors pay for the trip expenses of Ken and myself. They probably
would come to $5000. And I have
circularized some who might combine to help.
b) Considering
the shortness of time and your busy schedule, we don’t know what Wilson House
can permit, provide, or schedule; but we would welcome it. Many of my groupies
often ask when I’m coming back. And this might be a brief substitute.
c) As you know,
I love and treasure Wilson and Griffith and the little church as well as the
warmth and importance there. One of your nearby Vermont souls has volunteered
to help; and we can use any and all
local help that is available and offered.
5. This has
sprung up all of a sudden out of our several western workshops and conferences,
the Coalition, the radio show, and a steady flow of phone calls and emails. So
it’s a long shot, but worthy of the effort if it can happen.
6. Your
suggestions, comments, and support would be most welcome. Thank you for the
inquiry.
God bless,
Dick B.
Author, 44 titles & over 1,000 articles on A.A. History
and the Christian Recovery Movement
Exec. Dir., International Christian Recovery Coalition
Christian Recovery Resource Centers - Worldwide
Christian Recovery Radio
www.DickB.com
DickB@DickB.com
(808) 874-4876
PO Box 837, Kihei, HI 96753-0837
______________________________________________________________________________
From: Wilson House [mailto:wilsonhouse_532@comcast.net]
Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2012 8:51 AM
To: 'Dick B.'
Subject: RE: Fall Leaves event k rev 06 29 12
Tell me even more about this. Thanks again for having me on your radio
program.
Bonnie Burke
From: Dick B. [mailto:dickb@dickb.com]
Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2012 5:30 PM
To: ………
Subject: Fall Leaves event k rev 06 29 12
A.A.’s Spiritual Roots: They Center on New England
An International Christian Recovery Coalition Fall Leaves
Workshop
Informative Visits to Historic A.A.-Related Locations in
Vermont
By Dick B.
© 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved
Come Join Us!
Here are some principal leads:
www.dickb.com/turning.shtml
www.dickb.com/drbob.shtml
www.dickb.com/goodbook.shtml
www.dickb.com/Akron.shtml
www.dickb.com/drbobofaa.shtml
www.dickb.com/conversion.shtml
We are planning a Fall Leaves Workshop centered on the New
England Area and definitely zooming in on historic A.A.-related locations in
Vermont: the Green Mountain territory of Bill W.’s and Dr. Bob’s youth. It’s
where my son Ken and I identified and examined in great depth some of the
Christian roots of A.A. And we gathered an immense amount of historical
evidence, embodied it in our books and articles, posted it on the Web, and
included it in our www.ChristianRecoveryRadio.com presentations. But there’s nothing
like the excitement of seeing it all for yourself with excellent guidance.
If we can get the response and assured funding of our own
travel from Maui to Vermont, you will be able to participate in September 2012
events involving:
1. St.
Johnsbury and Dr. Bob’s boyhood home;
2. North
Congregational Church—the Smith Family church and location of the historical
collections in Dr. Bob Core Library;
3.
Identifying Akron A.A.’s
“Christian fellowship” program with Dr. Bob’s Young People’s Society of
Christian Endeavor;
4. The
immense historical resources in the St.
Johnsbury Athenaeum (library);
5. The St.
Johnsbury Fairbanks Museum, the Courthouse where Dr. Bob’s dad was probate
judge, the former location of the YMCA building where Dr. Bob’s father was
President;
6. St.
Johnsbury Academy—where Dr. Bob’s mother was a teacher and later an historian,
where Dr. Bob’s father was an examiner, and where Dr. Bob attended daily chapel
and weekly church services and Bible studies, and participated in YMCA events;
7. East
Dorset and Bill W.’s birthplace;
8. The
Wilson House where Bill W. was born and where many A.A. meetings, seminars, and
tours and offered;
9. The
Griffith House where Bill was raised by his maternal grandparents for several
years and where he studied the Bible with his maternal grandfather, Fayette
Griffith;
10. The
Griffith House Library which probably contains the largest collection
of A.A. historical books and articles and pamphlets and
memorabilia of
any place in the world
11. East
Dorset Congregational Church, where Bill, Bill’s parents, and
both sets of grandparents attended; and where Bill attended
church and
Sunday school, along with revival and conversion and
Temperance meetings;
12. The Bill and Lois Wilson gravesites;
13. Manchester, where Bill attended Burr and Burton Academy,
attending its
required daily chapel and four-year Bible study course, and
was its president
of the Young Men’s Christian Association during his senior
year; and
14.Your optional
personal detour to see the Fall Leaves display.
Want to come? This tour and workshop will give you a take on
A.A. history, A.A. historical collections, and A.A.’s Christian roots and
origins you’ve probably never heard about or understood. It will provide you
with important keys to the Christian upbringing of Dr. Bob and Bill W. It will show you more about real
“spirituality”; ie., the relationship with God that the Big Book talks about.
You visit a location with thousands of A.A.-related historical items. It will
take you to an area filled with New England charm. It will be far more than
just a walk through a memorial building or two. It will be at a time when the Fall
Leaves displays and Leaf pickers are about. And Dick B. and Ken B. will be
there to show you what’s what.
What is needed to make it happen:
Prayer.
A real interest in learning something very vital about
“old-school” A.A. ideas and their applicability today.
A zest for a guided tour to inspect and handle scads and
scads of historical evidence, attend meetings if you wish, and hear Dick B. and
Ken B. report on 22 years of research as you move about and stop for some short
talks.
Benefactors to provide funds for our travel are needed.
Your plans for a car or car pool with friends.
Accommodations at the St. Johnsbury Marriott hotel and in
East Dorset.
And an essential willingness to walk, look, listen, and
learn.
Since this will be an International Christian Recovery
Coalition workshop, we are looking for a cadre of Christian leaders and workers
in the recovery arena who want to learn and pass on to others what we’ve found
and you have actually seen.
This will be unlike other history and archive conferences,
seminars, and forays.
You’ll see and enter the buildings. You’ll pick up and
examine the historical items. You’ll explore on your own, too. You’ll hear from
two speakers who have researched, written about, and spoken about the whole
scene—many times.
This may be the only time in your life that you will have
such an opportunity.
July is the month to plan and let us know if you’ll be
coming and when. It is also the month to help fund our trip. And then to make
your car and hotel reservations.
If the light is green in July, we’ll go. In August, we’ll
act. If the light is other than green, at least you’ve had a chance to make the
trip or plan a future one.
For more information, contact Dick B. by email at
DickB@DickB.com.
Gloria Deo
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