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2021-June-Tippler June 2021 Volume 57, No. 6 The Tippler Wikipedia Article 1 AA was founded in 1935 in Akron, Ohio, when one alcoholic, Bill Wilson, talked to another alcoholic, Bob Smith, about the nature of alcoholism and a possible Office Activities 2 solution. With the help of other early members, the book Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism was Akron Founder’s Day 3 written in 1939. Its title became the name of the organization and is today commonly referred to as "The Big Book". AA's initial Twelve Traditions were introduced in 1946 to help the fellowship be stable and unified while disengaged from "outside issues" Group Contributions 4 and influences. The Traditions recommend that members remain anonymous in public media, Contributions, Cont’d 5 altruistically help other alcoholics, and that AA groups avoid official affiliations with other organizations. They also advise against dogma and coercive hierarchies. Sub- Birthdays 6 sequent fellowships such as Narcotics Anonymous have adapted the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions to their respective primary purposes. AA membership has since spread internationally "across diverse cul- Calendar 7 tures holding different beliefs and values", including geopolitical areas resistant to grassroots movements. As of 2016, close to two million people worldwide are esti- Daily Reflections 8 mated to be members of AA. AA sprang from The Oxford Group, a non-denominational, altruistic move- ment modeled after first-century Christianity. Some members founded the Group to help in maintaining sobri- ety. "Grouper" Ebby Thacher was Wilson's former drinking buddy who approached Wilson saying that he had "got religion", was sober, and that Wilson could do the same if he set aside objections to religion and instead formed a personal idea of God, "another power" or "higher power". Feeling a "kinship of common suffering" and, though drunk, Wilson attended his first Group gathering. Within days, Wilson admitted himself to the Charles B. Towns Hospital after drinking four beers on the way— the last alcohol he ever drank. Under the care of William Duncan Silkworth (an early benefactor of AA), Wil- son's detox included the deliriant belladonna. At the hospital, a de- spairing Wilson experienced a bright flash of light, which he felt to be God revealing himself. Following his hospital discharge, Wilson joined the Oxford Group and recruited other alcoholics to the Group. Wilson's early efforts to help others become sober were in- effective, prompting Silkworth to suggest that Wilson place less stress on religion and more on "the science" of treating alcoholism. Wilson's first success came during a business trip to Akron, Ohio, where he was introduced to Robert Smith, a surgeon and Oxford Group member who was unable to stay sober. After thirty days of working with Wilson, Smith drank his last drink on 10 June 1935, the date marked by AA for its anniversaries. The first female member Florence Rankin joined AA in March 1937, and the first non-Protestant member, a Roman Catho- lic, joined in 1939. The first Black AA group was established in 1945 in Washington, D.C. by Jim S., an African-American physician from Virginia. Reprinted from Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia Page 2 The Intergroup Office is asking for volunteers! Available shifts are: IG Rep Meeting will be on June 13 @ 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Monday 9am—1pm Zoom ID# 604 292 8975 Also at: Tuesday 3pm—6pm Leawood Baptist Church 3638 Macon Rd, Memphis 38122 Friday 9am—1pm Also, if you (or your sponsee) would like to help with the Tippler newsletter, we would appre- ciate that! Call the office at: 901-454- 1414 “Hope is not a strategy” Doug K., 5/26/2021 Is your homegroup online at this point? Brick-and-mortar? Hybrid? Please check the information on our website: memphis-aa.org, and call the office if an update is necessary. Office Activities: 12 Step Calls…………...…………………………...14 AA Meeting Requests……………………………...111 General Information…………………………..…...79 Walk-Ins…………………………………………….81 Tipplers Mailed………………………………….….45 Tipplers Emailed……………………………………674 Page 3 The 86th annual Akron Founder’s Day celebration will be held on June 12th & 13th as a virtual event. For registration and details, please refer to Foundersday.org The History of Founders' Day Founders’ Day has been an important part of the history of Alcoholics Anonymous. Our current celebration has its roots from our humble beginnings. Here are a few events which have helped shape our annual Founders’ Day celebra- tion. 1941 Bill W. and Dr. Bob were the featured speakers. 1942 Dr. Bob traced the early history of our movement, introduced early members, followed by a buffet supper served by wives of Akron Group #1. 1945 Dr. Bob and Bill W. spoke at a dinner at the Mayflower Ballroom. 1945 A modest celebration was held at the M. O’Neil Auditorium with the co-founders present. 1947 Dr. Bob and A.A. #3 Bill D. were the speakers. 1948 The Akron Armory was used and talks were given by Dr. Walter Tunks, Bill W. and Dr. Bob. 1951 Dr. Bob had died. An open house was held at 855 Ardmore. (Dr. Bob’s Home) Bill spoke at the Good- year Theater. 1953 Bill W. attended an open house at St. Thomas Hospital. 1957 The first “Play” was introduced and a Sunday morning breakfast was held at The University of Akron’s Memorial Hall. 1958 Bill W. his wife Lois W. and Ethel M. were speakers at The University of Akron’s Memorial Hall. 1961 This was the start of the memorial for Dr. Bob at 9:00 am. 1965 The “Modern” Era of Founders’ Day begins with the first Friday-Sunday Weekend. Founders’ Day is an integral piece the legacy our co-founders have left for us. Founders’ Day has grown to where 10,000 visitors from around the world come each year. Please come to Akron to see, to feel, and to be part of The Fellow- ship of the Spirit. Page 4 GROUP CONTRIBUTIONS for May 2021 May 21 May 20 Jan - May 21 Any Length Group 0.00 0.00 124.28 Bluff City Fellowship 0.00 0.00 500.00 Bullfrog Corner Group 0.00 0.00 488.70 Came to Believe Group 100.00 50.00 500.00 Central Gardens Group 50.00 50.00 250.00 Central Group 0.00 0.00 225.00 Collierville Group 0.00 0.00 612.09 Collierville Hopefuls 0.00 0.00 305.27 Cordova Hope Group 0.00 80.00 93.87 Design For Living 0.00 0.00 567.37 Downtown Nooners N/S 50.00 0.00 100.00 Earlybird 0.00 0.00 1,400.00 Freedom Road Recovery 0.00 0.00 20.00 Friends of Bill W 0.00 0.00 250.00 Germantown Noon 553.37 397.05 1,064.42 Grace in the Grove 0.00 0.00 198.60 Great Reality 0.00 0.00 5.81 Happy Destiny 50.00 0.00 150.00 Heavy Hitters 0.00 0.00 40.00 Hickory Hill 20.00 0.00 20.00 Horn Lake 10.00 10.00 45.00 Jaywalkers 0.00 0.00 0.48 Lakeland 0.00 0.00 540.56 Love and Tolerance 0.00 0.00 100.00 Midtown Group 0.00 97.50 217.24 Millington 200.00 0.00 200.00 Neshoba Awakening 10.00 10.00 50.00 Out-of-Towners Fellowship 0.00 0.00 135.00 Pleasant Hill 0.00 81.90 96.12 S.O.S. 0.00 0.00 97.50 Second Chance 0.00 75.00 0.00 Serenity Group 0.00 0.00 225.00 Seriously Sober 99.47 125.00 690.29 Shady Ladies 100.00 200.00 700.00 Sober Journey 0.00 0.00 200.00 Solutions Group 0.00 140.00 420.00 Stateline 0.00 96.80 0.00 Straight out of Bondage 0.00 0.00 454.00 The Nooner 91.00 0.00 316.00 Three Legged Stool 100.00 0.00 201.83 Traditions 0.00 0.00 0.17 Two Doors Down 200.00 600.00 1,000.05 Unity Group 0.00 421.57 327.20 WAAGL 0.00 25.00 395.00 Whitehaven Morning Sunris- ers- 0.00 0.00 75.00 Winchester 0.00 49.52 0.00 Worldly Indeed 0.00 0.00 182.00 TOTAL 1,633.84 2,509.34 13,583.85 Page 5 Straight out of Bondage 0.00 0.00 454.00 The Nooner 91.00 0.00 316.00 Three Legged Stool 100.00 0.00 201.83 Traditions 0.00 0.00 0.17 Two Doors Down 200.00 600.00 1,000.05 Unity Group 0.00 421.57 327.20 WAAGL 0.00 25.00 395.00 Whitehaven Morning Sunrisers 0.00 0.00 75.00 Winchester 0.00 49.52 0.00 Worldly Indeed 0.00 0.00 182.00 TOTAL 1,633.84 2,509.34 13,583.85 TWELVE STEPS: Step 6 Were entirely ready to have God remove all these de- fects of character. TWELVE TRADITIONS: Tradition 6 An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest money property or pres- tige divert us from our primary purpose. TWELVE CONCEPTS FOR WORLD SERVICE: CONCEPT: Concept 6 On behalf of A.A. as a whole, our General Service Conference has the principal responsibility for the maintenance of our world services, and it traditionally has the final decision respecting large matters of general policy and finance.
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