Bonnie Burke's New Title: "My Journey Toward Gratitude: The Vision and Renewal of the Bill W. House"

Before he passed away, Bonnie's former husband--Albert ("Ozzie") Lepper--had purchased the "Mt. Aeolus Inn" in East Dorset, Vermont, from Henry Holden in early 1987.

(The inn had been known previously as "The Wilson House" from around late 1871 until around 1920.)

Ozzie began renovating it in 1987; reopened it as “The Wilson House” in 1988; and completed major renovations in 1994.

Bonnie worked alongside her husband Ozzie for many years in renovating and maintaining The Wilson House until he passed away.

She then took over as the Managing Director of The Wilson House.

Bonnie told me that she wrote "this memoir"--"My Journey Toward Gratitude: The Vision and Renewal of the Bill W. House"--"to preserve Ozzie’s vision and document the early years."

Bonnie's book may be ordered from:

1. "Northshire (Bookstore) Manchester in Manchester Center, VT [ph. 802.362.2200; ph. (toll free) 800.437.3700];

2. The Wilson House, East Dorset, VT; and

3. If you know her, from Bonnie directly.

I have ordered my copy. What are you waiting for?

[Photo credit: The Wilson House of East Dorset (on Facebook).]

Get “the rest of the story” at “Dick B. on Recovery" on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dickbonrecovery/.

Dick B.'s son Ken

Email: DickB@DickB.com

“The Dick B. Memorial Vermont A.A. History Research Tour, July 17-21, 2017”: Come and/or Help Support!

“The Dick B. Memorial Vermont A.A. History Research Tour, July 17-21, 2017”

Want to:

(a)   Grow substantially in your understanding of the roles God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible played in early A.A.’s astonishing success with “seemingly-hopeless,” “medically-incurable” alcoholics who thoroughly followed the original, early A.A. path?

(b)   Become much more effective as a Christian leader or worker in today’s recovery arena in carrying the message to those who still suffer?

What’s in it for you if you become a Participant in and/or a Sponsor of “The Dick B. Memorial Vermont A.A. History Research Tour, July 17-21, 2017?”

1. For Participants:

I will be making presentations each evening about A.A. cofounder Bill W. relating to:

   a. His family and the Christianity in his family;

   b. His upbringing in East Dorset before the family moved to Rutland around March/April 1903;

   c. His upbringing in Rutland;

   d. His upbringing by his maternal grandparents after Bill's mother brought him and his sister Dorothy back from Rutland around 1905 or early-to-middle 1906.; and

   e. His Christian upbringing at Burr and Burton Seminary.

   f. I will also take questions about those five topics of early A.A, history, and about other topics (such as Dr. Bob's Christian upbringing in St. Johnsbury, Vermont; the trail of Christianity leading to Bill's meeting with Ebby and Bill's early work in New York before meeting Dr. Bob in Akron; Bill and Bob's time in Akron over the summer of 1935; the development of early A.A. in Akron and New York from the fall of 1935 until the Big Book was published; and the earliest A.A. work in Cleveland).

   g. During the daytime, I will offer to those who would like to participate the opportunity to do "hands-on" research with me in East Dorset, Manchester (where Burr and Burton Seminary is located), and (probably) Rutland.

   h. I will also be making audio and/or video recordings of my presentations and of my research (to the extent practical), if one or more people are available with the interest, equipment, and skills to make recordings.

i.                 I will also be making available to Participants (and to Tour Sponsors) additional materials, such as the book my dad and I co-authored around the time we did our A.A. history research tour in Vermont in September 2012: 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. This is a 121-page book with 369 footnotes reflecting some of what we learned from our research about Vermont after my dad wrote The Conversion of Bill W. in 2006 and after we co-wrote Dr. Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous in 2008.

The registration fee is $500.00.

To register as a Participant, please send me an email message at DickB@DickB.com with your name, mailing address, and cell phone number; and I will get you the details about the process.

2. For Tour Sponsors and Supporters of My Efforts to Carry on Dick B.’s Legacy

a.      You will receive copies of materials I circulate as part of presentations I make during “The Dick B. Memorial Vermont A.A. History Research Tour, July 17-21, 2017”— written (and audio and/or video, if available).

b.     You will receive additional materials, such as the book my dad and I co-authored around the time we did our A.A. history research tour in Vermont in September 2012: 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. This is a 121-page book with 369 footnotes reflecting some of what we learned from our research about Vermont after my dad wrote The Conversion of Bill W. in 2006 and after we co-wrote Dr. Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous in 2008.

c.      I would also be glad to make myself available by phone call and/or Skype for questions you may have about my dad’s (and my) 25+ years of research on A.A. history and the Christian Recovery Movement, and about how to apply effectively that knowledge in today’s recovery arena.

d.     I’ll also be glad to keep you informed via webpage(s), blog post(s), Facebook post(s), Instagram post(s), and other means—including, hopefully soon, webinars—of the latest work I am doing in the A.A. history field and in the practical application of A.A. history knowledge in today’s recovery scene.

I'm looking to raise between $5,000.00 and $10,000.00 from folks who have been blessed with my dad's and my 25 years of research on the roles God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible played in early A.A.'s astonishing success with "seemingly-hopeless," "medically-incurable" alcoholics who thoroughly followed the early A.A. path.

Specifically, I'm looking for folks who would like to contribute $500.00 (or larger) chunks to sponsor "The Dick B. Memorial Vermont A.A. History Research Tour, July 17-21, 2017" and to help me carry on my dad's work.

To become a Tour Sponsor and/or help support my ongoing work, please send me an email message at DickB@DickB.com with your name, mailing address, and cell phone number. I’ll then send you back details about where and how to make a sponsorship donation, and about how your donation might be made tax-deductible, if that would be of help.

Hope you will join me in person (as a Participant) and/or "in spirit" (as a Sponsor).

In GOD's love,

Dick B.'s son Ken

Cell: 1-808-276-4945

Skype: Episcopos007

Special Offer #4 on Dick B. A.A. History Titles "Five Titles Special Offer" and/or "Get the Set!" (save even more!)

Tired of all the secular talk in Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-Step groups when:

1. A.A. cofounder Bill W. is quoted in the Big Book as having said that "the Lord" had "cured" Bill of alcoholism ("Alcoholics Anonymous," 4th ed., 191); and

2. A.A. cofounder Dr. Bob wrote as the last sentence in his personal story in the Big Book: "Your Heaven Father will never let you down!" ("Alcoholics Anonymous," 4th ed., 181)

Get "the rest of the story" with Dick B.'s 25 years of research on the biblical origins of A.A. and how a knowledge of those origins can help a person carry the message more effectively to those who still suffer today.

How?

Take these two steps now:

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Pick up a lifetime of learning for yourself and/or share the fruits of Dick B.'s 25 years of research with sponsees, interested 12-Steppers, and others by establishing a "lending library."

How?

Get the 31-Volume "Dick B. A.A. History Reference Set" 

Only $249.95, with FREE Shipping to U.S. Destinations **

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(**Email DickB@DickB.com for Special Shipping Prices to non-U.S. Destinations.**)

Click here now to see details about "The Dick B. A.A. History Reference Set":

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Dick B.'s son Ken :)

The Dick B. Memorial Vermont A.A. History Research Tour, July 17-21, 2017.

The Dick B. Memorial Vermont A.A. History Research Tour, July 17-21, 2017.

I’m planning to be in Vermont from about Thursday, July 13, through about Tuesday, July 25, 2017. Want to join me from July 17-21 for a guided research tour of the area of Vermont in which A.A. cofounder Bill W. was born and raised—i.e., East Dorset, Rutland, and Manchester?

My dad (pen name: “Dick B.”) had 45 titles on A.A. and its history published by the time he passed away on September 12, 2015. And he left me five more books that just needed final editing by me. Those 50 titles were the fruits of more than 29 years of continuous sobriety in A.A. and of more than 25 years of research—beginning in early 1990—on the biblical origins of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Albert (“Ozzie”) Lepper—who in 1987 purchased the deteriorating hotel in which A.A. cofounder William Griffith Wilson (“Bill W.”) was born on November 26, 1895; reopened it as a functioning hotel in 1988 under the name of “The Wilson House”; and completed a major physical rehabilitation of the hotel in 1994 which he had begun in 1987—invited my dad to present weekend seminars on A.A. history at The Wilson House for eight years in a row during the 1990s. And what you won’t hear anywhere else is that Ozzie told me dad that he was refurbishing The Griffith (House) Library so that it could house my dad’s library. (The first installment of my dad’s donation was 23,900 items, and those items and many others are now housed at The Griffith Library.)

In 2006--after reviewing Bill W.’s “autobiography” titled “My First 40 Years”; after studying the available biographies of Bill [e.g., Thomsen (1975), Hartigan (2000), Raphael (2000), Mel B. (2000), White (2003), Cheever (2004), Lobdell (2004)]; and after much additional research—my dad wrote The Conversion of Bill W.: More on the Creator’s Role in Early A.A. (I helped to format and edit that title.)

In 2008 and again in 2012, my dad and I went through East Dorset as part of our efforts to research the Christian upbringings of Bill W. and Dr. Bob in Vermont. We also visited Burr and Burton Academy (formerly Burr and Burton Seminary) in Manchester, Vermont, and spent time there interviewing the archivist who wrote the text for the official book about the school. In addition, we visited Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont, and briefly spoke with the assistant archivist at the school archives. We also did a picture-taking tour of Rutland; and we continued to reach out to churches in Rutland concern the Wilson’s church activity there.

And in 2012, my dad and I had published Bill W. and Dr. Bob, the Green Mountain Boys of Vermont: The Roots of Early A.A.'s Original Program by Dick B. and Ken B.

And we again swung through East Dorset during our fourth Vermont A.A. history research tour in 2013. [Our first tour was in October 2007, but that was focused exclusively in St. Johnsbury, where A.A. cofounder Robert Holbrook Smith (“Dr. Bob”) was born and raised.]

Then in 2014, my dad and I videotaped a class titled “Bill W., Dr. Bob, and the Cure of Alcoholism: The Rest of the Story” which went into more information we had learned about Bill W. (and Dr. Bob).

And since that time, I have continued to research and write—as did my dad until he passed away on September 12, 2015—in large part about Bill W.’s Christian upbringing in Vermont.

In 1979, Ernest Kurtz had written: “Of Bill’s earlier exposure to religion, little is known—probably because there is little to know.” [See: Kurtz, Not-God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous, exp. ed. (Center City, Minn.: Hazelden, 1979, 1991), 16.] But had Kurtz gone to East Dorset, Rutland, Manchester, or Northfield, Vermont?

Well, my dad (especially) and I have gone to Vermont numerous times. And there are still numerous gaps in the historical record—particularly about Bill W.’s Christian upbringing—that cry out to be filled.

For example:

1. From what month and year until what month and year did Gilman and Emily Wilson live in The Wilson House in East Dorset;

2. From what month and year until exactly what day, month, and year did Gilman, Emily, and Bill live at a “nearby house” after moving out of The Wilson House and before moving to Rutland? And what was the address/location of that “nearby house?”

3. Exactly when did Gilman, Emily, Bill, and Dorothy move to Rutland?

4. Did the Wilson family attend church in Rutland? If so, which one(s); and from when until when?

5. Exactly when did Gilman Wilson leave Vermont for Canada?

6. Exactly when did the remaining members of the Wilson family (i.e., Emily, Bill, and Dorothy) return to East Dorset.

7. What more is there to learn about Bill’s four years at Burr and Burton Seminary from September 1909 through June 1913—particularly about his religious training there and about his related Christian activities there?

Want to join me in my continuing quest to extend my dad’s work on the biblical origins of Alcoholics Anonymous—particularly, in this case, relating to Bill W.’s upbringing in Vermont?

Come with your questions and research suggestions, or just come and listen. If you’d like, I’d be glad to give you suggestions as to research you can do yourself before, during, and/or after the July research tour. And I may do a series of articles and/or an eBook based on the trip.

The donation for participating in the research tour is $500.00. Please let me know if you’d like to register by email at DickB@DickB.com or by phone at (808) 276-4945, and I’ll send you a Registration Form and/or otherwise help you register. (And please contact me if you would like to see about having the donation made tax deductible.) And if you cannot make it on those dates, feel free to come before the tour dates and/or after them—while I’m in the area—and I’ll see what I can do to make it worth your time. Finally, if you just can’t make it while I’m in Vermont, please consider making a donation of $500.00 to support my carrying on of my dad’s work begun in 1990.

Please note that all travel, lodging, food, and transportation arrangements will be “on your own.” I’m offering some of my time and my help (if you want it) relating to doing research in the area (if you want to).

The Dick B. Memorial Vermont A.A. History Research Tour, July 17-21, 2017.

Hope to hear from you and see you in Vermont!

Dick B.’s son Ken

Email for the Tour: DickB@DickB.com

Phone: 1-808-276-4945

Check out the new "Dick B. on Recovery" page on Instagram!

https://www.instagram.com/dickbonrecovery/

Bill Wilson's 1943 Affirmation of His Born Again Status: His Inscription “Yours in Christ” by Dick B., with Ken B. (rev. 12/27/16)

Bill Wilson's 1943 Affirmation of His Born Again Status:

His Inscription “Yours in Christ”

By Dick B., with Ken B.

(lightly edited by Ken B., 12/27/16)
© 2014-2016 Anonymous. All rights reserved

Born again

Bill Wilson said in his autobiography:

For sure, I'd been born again.

[Bill W., My First 40 Years (Center City, Minn.: Hazelden, 2000), 147.

For more examples of this language, see Dick B., The Conversion of Bill W., 110 (http://www.dickb.com/theconversionofbillw.shtml)]

After Ebby's visit to Bill prior to Bill's decision for Christ at Calvary Mission, Bill Wilson wrote of Ebby:

The man was transformed; there was no denying he had been reborn.

[“Bill Wilson's Original Manuscript,” see lines 935-942, an unpublished manuscript located at Bill and Lois Wilson's home called “Stepping Stones” in New York. You may see what is purported to be a copy of this document here: http://www.aamo.info/bb/billstory/index.htm (accessed 12/27/16). For more on this, see, for example: Dick B., The Conversion of Bill W., xv, 47, 49.]

After Bill Wilson made his own decision for Christ at the rail at Calvary Mission in New York about December 7, 1934, he told his wife Lois about his experience that evening. Speaking of Bill's experience at Calvary Mission in a speech she gave in Texas, Lois stated:

And he [Bill W.] went up, and really, in very great sincerity, did hand over his life to Christ.

[“Lois Remembers: Searcy, Ebby, Bill & Early Days.” Recorded in Dallas, Texas, June 29, 1973, Moore, OK: Sooner Cassette, Side 1.

For more on this, see, for example: Dick B. The Conversion of Bill W., 61.]

Lois Wilson wrote in her autobiography:

Although my joy and faith in his rebirth continued, I missed his companionship.

[(L.B.W.), Lois Remembers: Memoirs of the Co-founder of Al-Anon and Wife of the Co-Founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (New York: Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., 1979), 98.

For more on this, see, for example: Dick B., The Conversion of Bill W., 114.]

Even author Mel B., the man who dubs himself a casual historian, concluded:

His [Bill W.'s] was clearly a kind of “born again” experience, . . .

[Mel B., New Wine: The Spiritual Roots of the Twelve Step Miracle (Center City, Minn.: Hazelden, 1991), 88]

In John 3:7 (KJV), Jesus said to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

In 1 Peter 1:23 (KJV), the Apostle Peter wrote:

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.

In Christ

In January 13, 1943, Bill Wilson signed his full name “Bill Wilson” in an inscription in a first edition Big Book he gave to his friend, Dr. Jesse M. Bader. A photo of the inscription was sent to me (Dick B.) by Ken R. I have it in my archives and have shown it at A.A. History conferences. You may see a picture of the page in Alcoholics Anonymous on which Bill Wilson wrote the inscription including “Yours in Christ” to Dr. Bader, as published by PBA Galleries in conjunction with the auction of this book [Sale 389: Rare Books & Manuscripts (#389) 09/25/2008 1:00 PM PDT], here:

https://www.pbagalleries.com/view-auctions/catalog/id/154/lot/42773/?url=%2Fview-auctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F154%2F  [accessed 1/2/2015]

Ken R. also posted the following message on the web:

“I just purchased a First Edition, Third printing Big Book inscribed on the front free endpaper,

“To my friend Dr. Jesse M. Bader,
            Yours in Christ, Bill Wilson, 1/13/43.”

Jesse Moren Bader (1886-1963) was a noted evangelist, ecumenist and global leader. He
founded the global, ecumenical, World Communion Sunday which was launched on October 6, 1940 and continues on the first Sunday in October each year.

This is the first time I've ever seen Bill W. inscribe anything “Yours in Christ” and it's also notable that he signed his full name. He apparently stopped signing his full last name about the time the Traditions were coming out.

Sincerely,
Ken R.”

And here is the detailed information PBA Galleries provided about this particular copy of the first edition of Alcoholics Anonymous in conjunction with the auction:

PBA Galleries (Auctioneers & Appraisers)

Sale 389: Rare Books & Manuscripts (#389) 09/25/2008  1:00 PM PDT CLOSED!

Lot 3 of 145:

Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than Six Thousand Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism

Lot closed - Sale Price: $13,200

Heading:         (Alcoholics Anonymous)

Author:           [Wilson, William (Bill W.)]

Place:              New York

Publisher:       Works Publishing Co.

Date:               1942

Description:    viii, [2], 400 pp. 9x6, original blue cloth, spine lettered in gilt, original jacket. First Edition, Third printing. Presentation copy inscribed on the front free endpaper, "To my friend Dr. Jesse M. Bader, Yours in Christ, Bill Wilson, 1/13/43." Jesse Moren Bader (1886-1963) was a noted evangelist, ecumenist and global leader. He founded the global, ecumenical, World Communion Sunday which was launched on October 6, 1940 and continues on the first Sunday in October each year. There were 5000 copies of this third printing published in June, 1942.

Lot Amendments

Condition:

Jacket chipped and worn, lacking top 2½" of spine strip and some of adjacent front panel, repairs on verso; volume spine head bumped, shelf wear, darkening along front endpaper gutter, else very good in good jacket.

Item number:197329

Full link: https://www.pbagalleries.com/view-auctions/catalog/id/154/lot/42773/?url=%2Fview-auctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F154%2F [accessed 1/2/2015]

Shortened link: http://mcaf.ee/ql4yt [accessed 1/2/2015. If the auction page doesn’t immediately come into view, copy-and-paste this link into your browser’s address bar and then hit “Enter”.]

Some Examples of the Phrase "in Christ" in the King James Version of the Bible

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV), the Apostle Paul wrote:

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. [emphasis added]

In Romans 8:1 (KJV), the Apostle Paul wrote:

There is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. [emphasis added]

Here are a couple of other examples of this phrase:

2 Corinthians 2:17 (KJV): “. . . in the sight of God speak we in Christ” [emphasis added]

1 Peter 5:14 (KJV): “Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen” [emphasis added]

Appendix

Additional Examples of Verses in the King James Version

in Which the Phrase “In Christ” Occurs

Rom 16:7: Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

1 Cor 1:2: Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

1 Cor 1:30: But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

1 Cor 3:1:  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

2 Cor 5:17: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Gal 1:22: And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:

Eph 1:1: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

Phil 1:1: Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

Phil 4:21: Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you.

Col 1:2: To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thess 2:14: For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:

1 Thess 4:16: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1 Pet 5:14: Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Gloria Deo

Obituary for Richard G. Burns (pen name: "Dick B.") who passed away one year ago on September 12, 2015

Aloha!

Dick B.'s son Ken here.

I maintain the "Dick B.: The Real 'Power' Behind Alcoholics Anonymous" blog that my dad started many years ago.

My dad, Richard G. Burns (pen name: "Dick B."), passed away one year ago on September 12, 2015.

Here is the Obituary for him that I had published in The Maui News:

Richard G. Burns, 90

Richard G. Burns, of Kihei, Maui, Hawaii, passed away on September 12, 2015. He was born on May 15, 1925, in Stockton, California. He was the only child of Earl Gordon Burns (1895-1971) and Alberta Viola (Whale) Burns (1894-1980).

            He was predeceased by his wife, Eloise Estelle Beil (1928-2001), to whom he was married 1951-1985. He is survived by two children, Kenneth and Donald; and Don’s two daughters, Emily and Jessica.

            Richard was a U.S. Army Sergeant in WW II.

            He received an A.A. degree, with honors, from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1948. He also received a Phi Beta Kappa key in his Junior year at Berkeley. He received his A.B. degree from Stanford University in 1949; and also received his Juris Doctor degree at Stanford in 1951.

            Richard was an attorney with Clausen & Burns, San Francisco, 1951-1961; and was in private practice in Corte Madera, California, from 1961-1986.

            After going on a guided tour of the Bible Lands with his son Ken around 1980, Richard became a Bible-believing Christian.

            Later felled by alcoholism, he entered Alcoholics Anonymous in April 1986, sponsored more than 100 men in A.A., and had more than 29 years of continuous clean and sober time at his death.

            In 1990, a Christian A.A. member asked Richard, “Dick, did you know that A.A. came from the Bible?” Researching that question launched a 25-year quest. He founded Good Book Publishing Company in 1991. Using the pen name “Dick B.,” he wrote 46 titles and more than 1,750 articles, and presented numerous audio and videos, on the topic of the roles played by God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible in early A.A.’s astonishing success. His best known title is: “The Good Book and the Big Book: A.A.’s Roots in the Bible.” In 2003, he cofounded Freedom Ranch Maui, Inc. And in 2009, he cofounded the International Christian Recovery Coalition. His main website is www.DickB.com. Contact Dick B.’s son Ken for more info at kcb00799@gmail.com.