Jim, this is amazing. Ooh. I’d like to say good afternoon to each and every one. My name is Elizabeth Bailey. My anonymity’s been shot to hell for quite a while. Um, but I do stand before you the most definite and grateful alcoholic that you ever laid your eyes on. Hi. Hi, everyone. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the committee, all of the committee, for all those who have voted for me to be here today. It’s such a honor and privilege when I’m asked to share my strength, my hope, and my experience with you. I’m highly emotional at this point for the fact that so many of my friends that I haven’t seen in 20 years or 30 years are sitting in this auditorium today, and if you don’t call that mind-blowing, what is? And, um, I wanna thank Rose Marie from out in Long Island. She has been a living doll in my life, and, uh, she ought to be sick of hearing me. And if I ever get caught that I can’t speak, I’m sure she can do my story very well for you. But she is a living doll.

Um, Tom and all of you, I can’t start to name names because I would be running into trouble. Uh, I wanna thank Bill for his phone calls, and I thank him for picking me up at the airport. And any convention that I go to, and anybody picks me up at the airport, like I just finished Georgia last week, I said, “I’m ready for Georgia.” Now, I gotta tell you, I’m ready for Florida too. Oh, yeah, I stay ready. The motor stays running, thank God. Um, I don’t think I’ve left anybody out, but I thank Brooklyn for being here. I thank Jersey for being here. I thank Manhattan for being here. Uh, who? I’ve got three or four of the boroughs, and Staten Island, I don’t know if you’re here, but Staten I- oh, we got one from Staten Island. Mm-hmm. Elmont, Belmont. Uh, where is that? Elmont, Belmont. Oh, Elmont, Belmont. That’s only up the street from me, down the road a piece. I wouldn’t wanna walk it, though. From where I live, but it’s nice to be with you. Mm-hmm.

Oh, and I think I’ve covered most of the boroughs. Um- The Bronx. Oh, the Bronx. Is the Bronx here too? Great. There is five boroughs, and I think I’ve, we got them all. I wanna thank Sonny for last night. Uh, he had such a- And it was a pleasure meeting his beautiful wife, and, uh, he doesn’t know how lucky he is, do he? Well, you, you better pinch yourself a couple of times. But that is so– much happiness to both of you, really. And it was a pleasure meeting her again. She remembers me from Buffalo. See, I don’t remember half the people ’cause I’m on the go so much, but I thank you for remembering me from Buffalo. Um, there was a minister preaching, and he says, “If you drink alcohol, you’re doomed to die.” And a little old lady down front, she said, “Amen.” He said, “Now, if you smoke those cigarettes, you’re doomed to die.” And the little old lady, she said, “Amen.” He said, “Now, if you chew tobacco…” She said, “Look at that.