Dave B. Founder of AA in Quebec. Issue L Cetebrating Fifty Years of AA in Qurbec April,1994

A Brief History Of During one af Dave’s trips to ‘Tdemmlmid $ g$ in,tauch AA ln Montreal. the psychiatric ward, his sister rnrith thwe,Aleshslic Anory- Je*tt wha lived in Corrn-g.ticul mor$ pqple. I can remember, Dave B. was born in Toronto wrote tu the Ahholic Fourda- after agreat depl,CI,f diffi*xlry.bein 190& He eveg the wc$ndof tion after reading the Jack Alex- cause AA wasn’t as well known, three eh’ildr.En fi’om n,prarnilent .arider article md,brou$t a sCIpy phering d*wnto a girl inN*w Quebee, ftmily. D*vels mothm ofthe Big.Boole to the hmpital York at the office of the Alcodied when he was fuur years old where Dr. Tra:rie Dancy”. tr young holic Foundation. Her name was and he spent his adoleecence in intern enoolrrfigsd Dave to t$sd Bshb-aB. *nd :Scbbe said the Knowlton. it Oave,related” rvo.rds,I hope I11alwalrs reryIem- ‘lAt that trmo,I would ha.ve ber to ssy to any drunk that ever Dave had his first drink at nothing to do with it. But even- talks. to me, she,s,rido sixtesn and he sai4 *I’rn an alcoholic too. Wdve tually I read it” “It changed me into all the things I wanted to be.” f-ound s $ely to, sCIbsr *nd if Good Friday, April 7th, 1944 vou waflt help, we’ll help you.” finds Dave in the bull pen of the Dave started to work in the . Iv{onreal Cffi}, Jsil. His rffanali- Ske s.*id tttar there were lots hamk *t seventeen yef,f$ sf:ag$ irt sations bumed out of him by al- of drunks down there who had a salary of $3.00 penmouth. .eohol he reali +s:he is hsaded for f,ound away. insanit_v or death. In his despair “

Tr-*ns&rred to tVinni1ry, he he rcm*embers’the buolq Aleo- The next day and everydal’ marries. FIis drinking in that eity holics Anonymous. Deve relatss- fur,*trmmt * ylp;rir, Dav,e rgpeived results in,his dismissal b,y t& i ‘iI remerntrffi d thrat,b-osk” a no.t$, a letter *nd, or piimphl$s branch and he subsequently had spoken of drunks just like fromBobbe orBill. movts to Vancouver 0n tempome. drunks just as hopeless, rary staff Blind to this setback drunks who had found a way to Dave wanted to go back to he Eontinuwtn drink sta.y- sober, drunl$ who had work at once but his wife Dorrie

The]isxt y.,$iar.s ert *agic” as. fuund {rway ts live, d ks just told him, like other people, who could get “0h, no Dave, it’s not going Dave loses the toes of one foot upitr the msming” go to work, to be trilre thnt,I?n goirgto,keop and sufflers a fractured sxull in j ‘for oney.ear and you:rc come home at night, and who my an elevator accident. Then he didnt have to start offiu the going to keep on working with had a stroke and his Ieft arm is morning with tk*t terrible- deter-‘ dr*fu. It’seefrrs.to do you so semi4*rmffied, mination that you weren’t going mu6fu gocd.” Dave returned to Montreal in to.drink” God knows I did not 1940 and over the next four want to drink – but before,vou In a lcaer dated Octohsr years wf,s dsoehorggdby tke know it- [‘ve started again The lgth, 1944, the New York office eourts the,,tirnos andlreld itt wrote to Dave advising him that helplessness, that merry-gothe Verdm Frutestant FlosPitat. they felt th*the rras the mer to round brings.”

grtAA gsi4 in Que-M and:,mt* theseeond seetion and resultod him the names and addresses of ina flosd of calls, In 1952, an anniversary ban- 400 persons who had cofiacted qu€t w6s hld in:Quebsc C.ity. In the. Alcoh*lie Foundst*6rr” Save tsy May, 194$” ?6 rnernbers 1955 tlti* w.em became. athl&===========e

started to do “ffieractive” 12 snd their wivee were men*ing nt day Bilingual Convention. The S,tep work Dave’s flat on Victoria Street in fr rsi kvinux*I tsilingu*I,Con. W.e.stmount. Thd mernliers rnet vention was held in 1959 at the By Jonuary, 1945,Dave had turice a week. The frrst meeting Que.ea Etrieaheth Ffstel, not ;had mugtrr $uccsgs in,ffiber- room wa$ rslrt&el in May’ 1945, ing up ottrer alcoholics. Two at the Montreal Forum for fa 1P6CI Fpve w,ns elepted rnen he hd,lcttswneo *i ed $10.00 a month. Tn for C.anada and’sewed suicids, psgls hrd mI fi’or,n uxttil 1’9Sd[. his house, ate everything in his In 194?,’ttre* tir.st Freqch hciuse” drank his wifels . speakirg Sroup $tarted at Prnston Dave 8., a tireless twelfth- Thehouse was alway-s firtrl of Hall, on Sherbrooke Street. Total stepper, was beloved throughout drunl$. But Dave stayed sober membership in Montreal was 40. his lifgime..,snd stili is by working with other Thirty-five English and five today.”.asthe &tmdiug father of alepllulias. French. AA in the Province of Quebec.

On January,1945, N{affy M., In 1949, there are twelve Dave B. pessed from this the first worrran alcoholic in AA groups registered. Ten English worl*an EEs$rilb€r $th, 1$E4 in to get sobet ia Nerv Y’or’k was to atrd,Enra French” ffn May ?1.X2, Montrml# e mefilorial scrvice visit Montreal to speak on behalf the first North East Regional was held anFebruary 24th, 1,984 of the National Committee For CCIfif:sr€rxee is hqld ilr Mott .eal atNotro&,, meChur,oh. Education On Alcoholism. The to e.b,rate Dave’s fifth *urivsr* Quebec Temper-mce League had sary. Bill and Lois W. attend the When Dave feit he was in plbtished I p*pffwhieh nssoci” event hfi*yor Cmrillien Hode ovgr his hed he w.o:uld t$rn to ated,{A with them. Mart-v gave held a recepion at the’Chalet de *re following parargraph in the a str*ight AA tatk and made La Ivf ont*gne’ f+r the’ nrcmbers BigBaok. t?*.Se 163″‘Ii*es 3 to clear AA’s position. and their familie* F:orthe fiffi e) time Bill W. hears the Lords Ifl}Iffii Davs \Hsitt to’the ttaih Pray.,ei iu frerch *nd realises AA nWe lena+v wh*t y.*u are ststiont0 pick uF lvtra$r tB hsd can work in any language. rhinkixg Yuu ara iq;’tirr:g:tCI left a group olfive “prospectr” in yourseff: Itwr Jiitn,ry drrd his liviqg.room. Theuain rl€{s, By end of I.949, Mortreal late and when he got back to the groups held Public Meetings in alone. I couldn’t do that.” hosse with Mart), tfue- “prospe*ts” order to explain alcoholism and But you can. Yauforget that were havi4g *1rrrty with ab.ottle the rmvery pro$am to the y,aw hfrveju*t nffi tilWsd & of scotch on the table. Dave public. source af power much related, gFeater than yourself. To “Mary tooktfver and ssrted In l9i0, the fi fenttal ,dwlicate, with w€h hachout those who were serious and Committee is set up wrth Dave then threw the rest oul” as the Chairman. The groups op ing, what we have flccomerated a club room and a tele- plishsd rs oaJy a mattcr at Dnv.e had a ftrffid *t theGr phone,answerirrg servieg. In w ifii,rtgrie s., Ilgtienc€ wd zette andMarty M’s “talks’were 1.95,:, DsvB, :ssrved s$ the Quebe”s labor.” publinhed cn the froat p*SE.of delegate to the General Service foffirence.