This evening, I had the pleasure of meeting our speaker, and I asked him just, “How should I introduce you?” And he told me, he says, “Well, John,” he says, “you might just say that just another recovering drunk.” And so with that, this is the time that all of us have been waiting for. I’d like to introduce to you Dave C. of Raleigh, North Carolina. Dave? Uh, thank you, John. But before I forget it, I’d like to thank the committee for inviting me out here this weekend, uh, for the hospitality that’s been extended to me, and for the good weekend that I’ve had so far. And it’s just good to be here, and it’s good to meet some old friends, and it’s good to make new friends, I hope. Uh, it’s good to be here. Every time.. Oh, by the way, I like your idea of passing that hat before the speaker gets up here. Um- It makes you wonder, though, uh, and maybe we ought to do that in my part of the country. We’ve got some that we should’ve put the hat up before they got there, I’ll tell you that.

Uh, and by the way, uh, if any of you hockey fans are here in the wrong building, uh, you’re probably at the right place. As I stand here tonight, I’m, I’m, I’m often reminded of a story that I’ve told many times, and this is no reflection on the committee of what’s been going on up here tonight. But it kinds of, it, it makes me feel good to stand up here and be the only speaker because you get f- involved in so many of these things that, uh, you know, you get ready to go and like a bow and arrow and, uh, and you get all propped up to get up here, and then something delays you. And then you finally get up, and there you are, all those eyeballs. And, and it reminds me of a story that was told many years ago back in my part of the country. It seems that they had one of these conventions many years ago, and they had one of these long-winded speakers. And he got up there, and he started talking. And the first hour, he devoted to the 12 Steps. The second hour, he got into the 12 Traditions.

And then the third hour, he got into the Three Leggies. And gradually, people began to leave. And they will leave. I found that out one night. And, uh, lo and behold, everybody left but one man. He kept sitting on the front row. And naturally, the speaker began to get concerned, so he wound up his talk, ran down from the podium, grabbed the man by the hand, and says, “I want to ask you one question. Everybody left but you. Why did you stay?” And he says, “Hell, I’m the next speaker.” Well, you can kind of feel like, uh, you know what I’m talking about now. I’m an alcoholic. My name’s Dave C. Hi, everybody. Hi, Dave. I’m a member of the Big Book group from Raleigh, North Carolina, which I think is the finest group in the world. And if you don’t think the same of your group, then I suggest maybe you need to find another group.