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News and Notes From the General Service Office of A.A.

A.A. Message Reaches Out Into 114 Countries Around the World

VOL. 29, NO. 4/ AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 1984

During the five-day Meeting, committees and workshops will cover ongoing internal matters pertaining to communications, service structure, and literature translation and distribution; and A.A. services to reach the alcoholic through public information, cooperation with the professional community, and institutions work. All general sessions will be translated simultaneously into English and Spanish. Gordon Patrick, nonalcoholic chairperson of the U.S./ Canada General Service Board, will chair the W.S.M.; attendance will be limited to elected delegates and staff only. This is the Eighth World Service Meeting. A Meeting has been held every other year since 1989. It is the fifth to be held in New York; others have been hosted by London, England (1974); Helsinki, Finland (1978); and San Juan del Rio, Mexico (1982).

How A.A. Grows Across the Seas World Service Meeting Plans a Tenth Step The 1984 World Service Meeting will focus on candid self-appraisal when some 38 delegates representing A.A. in 25 countries gather October 21-25 at the Hotel Roosevelt in New York City. The theme, “The World Service Meeting Takes Its Inventory,” is expected to open channels of communication and insight through sharing for delegates from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, El Salvador, England, Finland, France, Germany (West), Guatemala, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad/Tobago, the United States, and Uruguay. In taking stock of its own effectiveness, the international Meeting will discuss, among other things, ways to help isolated A.A1s in underdeveloped countries start groups and central service offices and obtain an adequate supply of literature. The Meeting will also consider special funding for countries that are beginning an A.A. service structure, yet still can’t afford to send the usual two delegates to the W.S.M.; some such countries manage to send one or none at all. –

An A.A. member, a professional musician from Bogota, Colombia, attends a weekend convention of Canadian A.A.’s in Winnipeg, Man., and shares his experiences in recovery with a fellow member, a business executive from London. A woman member from Auckland, New Zealand, on a round-the-world trip, stops off in Nairobi, Kenya, to be with a young A.A. friend who is celebrating her first year of continuous sobriety. An American tourist in Iceland sits in the meeting of the Akureyrarowilo Group of A.A.,just below the Arctic Circle. While he fathoms not a word of the Icelandic language, he feels the same warmth and identification with his fellow alcoholics here that he feels back home. Those are actual, indeed commonplace, happenings that keep repeating themselves as the Fellowship ofA.A., mushrooming out from the United States, now crisscrosses the world. To date, the entire A.A. membership has doubled every seven years, not through any organized promotional effort, but spontaneously, through one alcoholic’s sharing with another. The problems of alcoholism know no boundaries, and the principles of recovery found in the A.A. program seem to work equally well in all cultures, all tongues, all nations. There are now more than 58,500 A.A. groups; of these,

approximately 22,000 are overseas. There is A.A. activity in 114 countries (including the U.S. and Canada). Here are reports from just a few of the newer countries in the A.A. family, where a handful of members are working to widen their circles of A.A. sharing: Cuba: Two A.A. members from Mexico recently carried the message to Cuba, where the Fellowship mainly comprises a group in Guantanamo Bay and several Loners in Havana and elsewhere. India: The Bombay Intergroup Office is considering the need for a general service office in India. In Calcutta, where A.A. has been confined until recently to a few Loners, since the breakup of the only group in the 1970’s, two A.A. groups and an Al-Anon group are flourishing, thanks largely to the efforts of two New York A.A.’s who came, saw the need, and pitched in to help (see the whole story, at right). Italy: Two A.A. members recently flew to New York from Italy to bring Italian translations of most of our literature. All the books are being checked b y Italian translators here; the pamphlets have been approved by the A.A. World Services, Inc., Board of Directors. As a result of A.A.’s rapid growth in Italy, there is a great demand for the literature. Japan: According to A.A. Peter DeG. of Doylestown, Pa., who has spent much time in Japan, there is a General Service Office and anywhere from 160 to 200 meetings (not all of them groups). Peter reports that, since Japan is a tribal society, much emphasis is placed on group rules and regulations. Many of the English-speaking groups use the Twelve Steps but are not so familiar with the Traditions. “I was pleasantly surprised,” he said, “when Ijoined the Azabu Group in Tokyo, to find that this Japanese-speaking group stuck more to the Traditions than any of the other groups.” Netherlands: The General Service Office in Amsterdam has published the Big Book in Dutch. Poland: Three new groups have been added to the existent 13. Members are working to set up an intergroup office in Warsaw, as well as a translations committee to work on Polish translations of “Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,” “Living Sober,” the Big Book, and other A.A. literature. From a G.S.O. staff member who attended the Second European Service Meeting in Frankfurt, West Germany, last year, and from another who was on hand for the Third Ibero-American Service Meeting in Brasilia, Brazil, comes word that “A.A. growth is phenomenal in Europe and Latin America. We are seeing beyond doubt that countries can sponsor countries into service and that the World Service Meetings and interim zonal meetings are extremely effective in contributing to the growth of A.A. worldwide where there is a service structure, there is growth.”

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Americans Help Revive Calcutta A.A. Several months ago, two A.A.’s from New York’s Midtown West Group traveled to India to visit Mother Theresa’s Missionaries of Charity, and found themselves midwifing the rebirth of A.A. in Calcutta. They were instrumental in the formation of two new groups, a Step meeting, an open meeting, a closed discussion meeting, and an Al-Anon meeting. When Lorna K. and Nola S. arrived, there was but one A.A. group, a three-month-old fledgling formed by John P., himself sober only eight months and “holding A.A. on his shoulders, together with John V.,” Lorna recalls. “There had been an A.A. group back in the 1970’s, but all they talked about was cricket, and after a while the whole thing fell apart.” In attendance at the “new” meeting were six men, several of them named John. They talked about God but not about alcohol, says Lorna, “and they had no idea of the A.A. Preamble or what it was about.” Sharing the experience of their combined 11 years of sobriety in New York A.A., Nola and Lorna talked about the basics from holding a business meeting to reading the Preamble to understanding anonymity and the differences among open, closed, and Step meetings. “We put our own opinions aside and offered clean principles of the program,” Nola explains. “At first, they were like a kid with a new toy, wanting to show it off to everyone willy-nill ; but they wanted desperately to stay sober, and they listened and were open to suggestions, because they knew that otherwise they were doomed to fail.” WritesJohn P.: “Lorna and Nola were God-sent. They helped us immensely. We have a new format for our meetings, and great enthusiasm has been generated. As I send this letter, another six ’hopeless’ drunks arejoining our fold, and I thank God.” Not least affected is Mother Theresa, who, according to Lorna, “is the Missionaries of Charity. She told us she had been successful in helping to alleviate every aspect of human suffering – except alcoholism. She has attended some of the open meetings and has come to perceive the power of our kinship in suffering. She understands now that we who want to be sober have to share; after all, our very lives are at stake.”

Box 4..-9 is published bimonthly by the General Service 0111cc of Alcoholics Anonymous, 468 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. ‘ Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1964. Mail Address: P.O. Box 459, Grand Central Station New York, NY 10163 Subscription: Individual, $1.50 per year; group, $3.50 for each unit of 10 per year. Check – made payable to A.A.W.S., Inc. – should accompany order.

When Nola and Lorna prepared to head home to the U.S.A. after a five-week stay, the original six A.A.’s in Calcutta had jumped to 30. The city’s first Al-Anon group had seven members, all of them women. One was headmistress of a school, and most of the others were married to men sobering up in A.A. “We helped the women talk about their problems,” Nola says. “They mostly knew each other but had not shared freely until now. They were so relieved and grateful.” Alcoholism is a “monstrous, continuing problem in India,” Lorna reports, despite the growth of A.A. groups in Bombay and elsewhere in India. “You’ve heard about all those people who live on the streets, filthy and hungry and alone? Well, what you don’t hear is that so many of them are drunk. They drink a terrible, illegal brew that they hide in sewers contaminated by rats. A few doses, and they’re dead in a week. “For Nola and me, to be able to help just a few of these people find A.A. and hope for life itself absolutely put a shining touch on our sobriety.”

A.A. Globe-Trotters Stay in Touch For travelers who would like to make contact with A.A. in countries outside the United States and Canada, the 1984 International A.A. Directoi is now available – to A.A. members only, like all our directories – and may be ordered through your group or directly from: A.A. World Services, Inc., P.O. Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163. Price: 750 per copy. Please be sure to identifV yourself as an A.A. member. The confidential, 56-page pamphlet acts as a guide to groups and individuals in 55 countries, and also lists special international contacts for the deaf, doctors, pilots, lawyers, gays, and more. Where countries have their own general service offices, only English-speaking groups and contacts, intergroups/central offices, and Loners are listed. Travelers are encouraged to touch base with these offices before their trips, for up-to-date meeting information. The U.S./Canada G.S.O. is eager for news of A.A.’s abroad, and asks all traveling members to share their experiences with the Fellowship overseas. A brief Traveler’s Report form, addressed to G.S.O., is inserted in the directory for this purpose;just fill in the few lines and mail it off.

duction. Both are now available from G.S.O. “The A.A. Member Medications and Other Drugs” (replacing “The A.A. Member and Drug Abuse”) is priced at 150 per copy. “Your G.S.O. Today” (replacing “P.O. Box 459”) runs 13 minutes and is available for use only within A.A. It may be ordered in either of two forms: filmstrip and cassette, for $7.50; 35 mm slides and cassette, for $30.

New Roles for Three Already Experienced As Trusted Servants Three new trustees – Robert P. Morse, Class A (nonalcoholic) trustee; Dan B., West CentralU.S. regional trustee; and Jack F., Western Canada regional trustee all have served the Fellowship well in other capacities. Robert P. Morse, of New York, N.Y., follows in the footsteps of his father, Robert W. P. Morse, who served as Class A trustee and board treasurer from 1965 to 1970 and “was instrumental in setting up a retirement program for G.S.O. staff members,” the son remembers. The second-generation trustee and treasurer has more than 15 years’ experience in the investment field; he has been a member of the Finance Committee these past two years. “I’m serving the best way I can,” he says, “in the area of finance and investments. I’ve seen the devas-

it Jit

Quick Action! New Pamphlet and Filmstrip As soon as the 1984 Conference granted its approval, a new pamphlet and a new filmstrip went into final pro-

Though new trustee Robert P. Morse is a nonalcoholic, service to A.A. seems to be a tradition that runs in the Morse familv.

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tation caused by alcohol in people close to me, and this is my way of doing something to help.” Dan B., of Marion, Ohio, is part owner of a large farm operation and associated with a national cereal company. Formerly a Conference delegate on Panel 29 and chairperson of the Conference Literature Committee, he has served “at just about every level of A.A. since I sobered up in 1972.” Dan is especially interested in “communicating with area delegates, learning of their needs and responding to them.” The Third Legacy of Service is grass-roots affair, he maintains: “That’s what A.A. is all about, where it belongs.” Jack F., of Vancouver, B.C., is director of a coal company and owns his own auto dealership and auto-repair service station. Sober 19 years, he has a 20-year-old son “who’s been clean and sober since January, a wonderful thing.” Like Dan, with whom he served on Panel 29, Jack has held “just about every A.A. office” from the group level on. “I wanted to stay sober, and that’s what my sponsor said I had to do, so I did it,” he recalls. Jack has chaired the Conference Finance Committee and has a warm interest in cooperation with the professional community, A.A. archives, and especially public information. “I don’t know where I heard the A.A. message, or how the seed was planted,” he says. “All I remember is, when I hit bottom, I knew where to call – and I suspect the work of a P.I. committee may have had something to do with it.”

she recalls, “I was working days and nights, what with studying and working at a beach club.” At the suggestion of a group member, Cheryl, now an intergroup representative, wrote to G.S.O. about the possibility of becoming a staff member. The application took a couple of years to process, but here she is at G.S.O. – assigned to treatment facilities and two correspondence regions: Northeast United States and Western Canada. “What really gets to me,” she says, “are the letters from teenagers. One 14-year-old from Connecticut wrote, ’I have a problem with alcohol and want to run away but won’t, because then nobody will care for my dog.’ We receive such letters every week.”

TI. . Gift shops and good food invite visitors to the Old Montreal section. (Never mind those other “attractions”New Orleans had plenty, too.)

Letters to G.S.O. Touch Cheryl Ann B., New on the Staff If Cheryl Ann B. powders her nose to keep from shining, she won’t succeed. A thoughtful lady, attractive and direct, she brings seven years of sobriety and an interesting background to her post as a member of the G.S.O. staff, which she joined on February 13. Born and raised in Lowell, Mass., Cheryl “left college at age 19 and took a geographic to Boston,” where she worked for Eastern Airlines, then for Air New England. Later, she would work in radio and television for a retail resort-clothes chain, where she was responsible for opening a new mail-order division. “After 13 years of drinking,” Cheryl says, “I sobered up in the Central House Group at Delray Beach, Fla., and later joined the Pompano Beach Workshop Group.” Sober one year, she returned to college in Florida and earned the B.A. she had long postponed. “At the time,”

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Less Than a Year to Go! Plan Now for Your 1985 Convention Trip If you’re planning to join in the celebration of A.A.’s 50th anniversary, July 4-7, 1985, at the Eighth International Convention, in Montreal, Que., Canada – as thousands of other A.A.’s are – then the time to make your travel plans is now. The logistics of such a huge gathering are complex. About 13,000 hotel rooms are under contract, at reduced rates, for attendees from around the world. In order to obtain these lower rates, all requests for housing must be processed by G.S.O., together with registration forms; these, in turn, will be forwarded to the Greater Montreal Convention and Tourism Housing Bureau. Each conventioneer must register and pay the $30 fee before the housing request can be processed. Registration forms, listing available hotel accommodations and requesting first through fifth choices, will be sent to A.A. groups worldwide in September 1984. Regis-

trants will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, so it is wise to mail your completed forms early. For further information, or to obtain your form directly, write to: International Convention Coordinator, Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163. Should you use the services of a travel agent, please be aware that you must register and request housing for the Convention directly from G.S.O., even though your agent handles your transportation, stops en route, etc. If a travel agent’s check, rather than a personal check, is received, the entire package and check will be returned unprocessed. Similarly, receipts for registration fees, as well as housing information, and bill for one night’s lodging will be sent directly to you, not to your travel agent. (In the event that you have to cancel arrangements you’ve made, you can furnish your agent with the receipts and let him or her handle the rest.) Some additional information: All hotels require an advance deposit for one night’s lodging. If members of a group wish to stay at the same hotel, every effort will be made to accommodate them. However, registration/housing forms for the entire party must be submitted in a single package, not piecemeal. If a person wishes to share a room, the names of both occupants should be indicated and bracketed. Children under age 12 will be admitted to the Convention at no charge and therefore need not be registered. However, their names should appear on the housing portion of the registration form. Despite the need for registration procedures amount ing to “rules” in smoothing the way for this enormous Convention, we are ready and eager to cooperate with everyone in any way we can.

Manual and Concepts Come Alive in Walking, Talking Seminars It’s a great reference work, like the dictionary, but who’d want to read “The A.A. Service Manual”/”Twelve Concepts for World Service” aloud? Chico C., of West Palm Beach, Fla., that’s who and many of the G.S.R.’s and D.C.M’s who have attended his series of walking, talking, sharing seminars devoted exclusively to the manual and the Concepts. It all started in 1981, when Chico was asked by his area chairperson to develop a program designed to

stimulate interest in the manual. Says Chico: “After racking my brain and spinning my wheels, I tried God. I did such a good job of turning it over that, at the first seminar, I forgot to bring my manual – which, of course, was underlined in all the important places.” The result: Instead of reading the manual, he shared it, interspersing information with bits and pieces of his own experience and often poking gentle fun at himself. And all the time he talked, using a mike attached to a 40-foot cord, he walked up and down, using his hands as well as his voice to hold the listeners’ attention to an “impossible” subject like the manual for 90 minutes. Not only did they stay awake, they were fascinated. And they came back for more, 60 to 100 oft hem at a clip. Now in its third year, the program consists of seven or eight seminars, held over a two-year period that coincides with the term of service of the area’s G.S.R.’s. So successful has it been, says Chico, that the Tennessee State Assembly plans to start seminars of its own in July; South Carolina has also expressed interest. As for Chico, he’s planning to “rotate” off the podium. But he’ll be around to help out, in the spirit of the Third Legacy he not only preaches but practices so well.

Grapevine Art Editor Leaves a Rich Legacy Tom N., art editor of the A.A. Grapevine since 1978, died suddenly in March after a three-day illness. “Tom’s influence on the Grapevine was enormous,” says editor Ann W. “His cover designs were particularly striking because of the way he combined type with art, as he did with the last cover he designed for thcJune 1984 issue, celebrating the Grapevine’s 40th anniversary.” As a free lance, Tom also left a strong impression on the appearance of A.A. World Services literature; he designed leaflets, pamphlet covers, and the cover of the Big Book (third edition). Born in Wilmington, Del., on May 28, 1910, Tom spent his formative years in Princeton, NJ. He drew pictures all through school, even when he wasn’t supposed to. Says his daughter, Gail N. Herman, “He was often reprimanded for drawing in class; one time, the teacher punished him by making him kill wasps that had nested at the school. That didn’t cure him.” While his brothers John and Philip went off to law school, Tom studied at the Art Students League of New York and happily sculpted humans and horses in a Greenwich Village studio. After graduating, he worked first for the newspaper PM, then for the J. Walter

Thompson Advertising Agency, where he was art director for 14 years. In 1939, he married Constance Machacek of Nutley, NJ., and they had one child, Gail. “Mother died in 1955, and that’s when Dad started to drink heavily,” Gail remembers. “He was a quiet, gentle drunk who would just fall asleep. But, in time, he ran out of a job and money, and I married and left home. That’s when he hit his personal bottom, in 1962, and joined A.A.” Once Tom had some sobriety under his belt, he carried the message and a melody at the same time. He and fellow A.A.’s Debby M. and Terry L. formed a singing guitar trio they called “The D.T.’s.” Oldtimers will recall the group, which played gigs at many an A.A. function. “Dad loved to sing,” Gail says. “He used to bring down the house with his rendition of ’Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette.’ He had a marvelous, dry sense of humor.” Tom had his serious moments, too. “Whenever I stressed out,” Gail remembers, “he’d tell me, ’Just look at what you have to do now; that way, you’ll get done what you have to.’ He really did believe in living one day at a time.” As those who miss him know, he did just that, superbly.

on Saturday, September 29, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. It’s a wonderful opportunity to know the staff members and to let them know you and tell you of the pleasures and problems they encounter in giving service to over 58,500 listed A.A. groups around the world. Non-A.A. personnel, as well as staff, will be on hand; refreshments will be served; and orders for literature will be filled on the spot. A.A. films will be shown, with a choice of Spanish or English narration available. In 1983, upward of 750 visitors came to the Open House a good 80 percent of them for the first time. Even more are expected this year. Because ample room is needed, registration will take place at Norman Thomas High School, 111 East 33rd Street (just east of Park Avenue), where coffee and doughnuts will be served. Please go to the high school first; then walk one short block down Park to 468 Park Avenue South (between 31st and 32nd Streets) and go up to the eighth floor to G.S.O., to start your tour. We’re looking forward to seeing you!

From the Mailbag

Open House at G.S.O. Set for September 29 If home is where the heart is, hundreds of A.A.’s will feel right at home at the annual Open House to be hosted by G.S.O. and the Grapevine in New York City

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“There is a rock sticking up in the middle of the bay in front of Joe’s cabin,” writes Cecil R., G.S.R. from Kodiak, Alsk. “This rock looks like a thumb, which helps explain why both the bay and our new group are named Thumbs Up, for the positive signal it implies. “We’re isolated no electricity, phone, running water, or jobs, either. But we hunt and dig clams and gather firewood together, and some of our A.A. talks last far into the night. It’s great to be sober, and we really appreciate what we have.” Taking a stand in the endless debate over quality vs. quantity of sobriety, Harriet R., of Miami, Fla., writes: “Quality counts, but over time, does this ’quality’ endure? I want to know how long people are sober in A.A. How have they handled job loss, success, a child’s drug problem? How have they dealt with lingering death, the storms and joys of life? As Bill W. wrote in discussing Step One, ’The principle that we shall find no enduring strength until we first admit complete defeat is the main taproot from which our whole Society has sprung and flowered.’” For Harriet herself a past Conference delegate, Panel 27 – service in the Fellowship is the key to “enduring strength” and a happy sobriety: “Those dedicated trusted servants who stick to service and give of themselves are the ones with the kind of sobriety I want” (the kind that she has, we suspect, after her 28 years in the Fellowship).

BULLETIN BOARD Items and Ideas on Area Gatherings for AA.’s-Via G.S.O.

Calendar of Events August 2-9 – Hot Springs, Arkansas. 44th Annual State Cony. Write: Treas., Box 27, Maysville, AR 72747 3-5 Rochester, New York. Fiflh Annual State P.1., C.P.C., Inst. Workshop. Write: Area Corn., Box 184, Elmira, NY 14902 3-5–Sparks, Nevada. Seventh Annual Sierra Nevada Roundup. Write: Reg. Ch., Box 3529, Sparks, NV 89432 3-5 – Clyde, Alberta, Canada. Ninth Annual Dist, 9 Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 1264, Westlock, Alta. TOG 2L0 3-5 – Hull, Quebec, Canada. 11th Cong. Vallee de l’Outaouais (French-speaking). Write: Corn. de Pub., C.P. 24, Hull, Que. J8Y 6M7 3-5 – Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada. Tenth Annual Rally. Write: Ch., Box 652. Campbell River, B.C. V9W 6J3 3-5 Aylmer, Quebec, Canada. Fourth Annual Young People’s Conf. Write: Reg. Ch., 600 Laurier Ave. W., Apt. 14, Ottawa, Ont. K1R 6L1 3-5 -Mackenzie, British Columbia, Canada. 11th Annual Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 1011, Mackenzie, B.C. V0J 2C0 3-5 – Lake Whitney, Texas. 32nd Conf. of Young People. Write: See)’., Box 4, Fort Worth, TX 76101 3-6 – Keremeos, British Columbia, Canada. First Annual Roundup. Write: See)’., Box 405, Keremeos, B.C. VOX 1NO 4-5 – Lac LaRonge, Saskatchewan, Canada. Ninth Annual Camp-Out Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 1024, LaRonge, Sask. SOJ 1LO 4-5 – Bryan/College Station, Texas. Annual Conf. Write: Reg., Box 2652, Bryan, TX 77805 5 – Bondville, Vermont. Dist. 8 Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 95, Bondville, VT 05340 8-11 – Atlanta, Georgia. 40th S.E. Conf. & 31st State Cony. Write: Conf., Box 90306, Atlanta, GA 30364 9-12 – Minneapolis, Minnesota. Intl. Doctors in A.A. – Annual Mtg. Write: Secy., 1950 Volney Rd., Youngstown, OH 44511 10-12 – Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Cent. W. Ont. 15th Annual Cony. Write: Reg. Ch., 42 Blueridge Dr., Kitchener, Ont. N2M 4E1 10-12 – Hartford, Connecticut. First Annual Young People’s Conf. Write: Ch., Box 10547, West Hartford, CT 06110 10-12 – Rosemont, Illinois. Ninth E. Cent. Reg. Conf. Write: Conf. Corn., 205 W. Wacker Dr., Suite 408, Chicago, IL 60606 10-12 India, California. Tenth Annual 9th Dist. Cony. Write: Ch., 42-940 Delaware, Palm Desert, CA 92260 10-12 – Dallas, Texas. Lone Star Roundup. Write: Reg. Ch., Box 835112, Richardson, TX 75083

10-12 – Coma nsville, Quebec, Canada. Third Bilingual Cony. Write: Ch., Box 222, Granby, Que. J2G 8E4 10-12 -Moorhead, Minnesota. 11th Annual Red R. Valley Roundup. Write: Conf. Ch., Box 558, Moorhead, MN 56560 10-12 – Tulameen, British Colombia, Canada. Third Annual Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 1396,_ Princeton, B.C. VOX iWO 10-12 – Havre, Montana. Mini-Conference. Write: Ch., HillviewApts., Bldg. 1245,Apt. 204, Havre, MT 59501 10-12 – Bowling Green, Ohio. Sixth Annual Young People’s Conf. Write: Ch., Box 6068, Toledo, OH 43614 10-12 – Squamish, British Columbia, Canada. 11th Annual Roundup. Write: Corn., Box 1400, Squamish, B.C. VON 3G0 16-19 – Omaha, Nebraska. Cornhusker Roundup VII. Write: Ch., Box 425, Bellevue, NE 68005 17-19 – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Area Cony. Write: Ch., Box 38, Sta. A, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 2L8 17-19 – St. Peter, Minnesota. 36th Area Conf. Write: Tkt. Ch., 105Jaybee La., Box #56, Mankato, MN 56001 17-19 – Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada. Annual Roundup. Write: Ch., #35 1916-8th St. N., Cranbrook, B.C. V1C 3N3 17-19 – Meeker, Colorado. White R. Roundup. Write: Ch., Box J, Meeker, CO 81641 17-19 -Roanoke, Virginia. 35th State Cony. Write: Ch., Box 8532, Roanoke, VA 24014 17-19 – Cartersville, Georgia. Seventh Annual Allatoona Roundup. Write: Roundup, Box 856, Cartersville, GA 30120 17-19 – Lambert, Montana. Lower Yellowstone Soberfest. Write: Ch., Box 1330, Sidney, MT 59270 18-19 – Grenfell, Saskatchewan, Canada. Annual Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 68, Grenfell, Sask. SOG 250

Planning an October, November or December Event? Please be sure to send your information on October, November, or December events for A.A.’s in time to reach G.S.O. by August 15. This is the calendar deadline for the October-November issue of Box 4-5-9 (to be mailed September 15). Naturally, G.S.O. cannot check on all the information submitted. We must rely on local A.A.’s to describe the events accurately.

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 1984

18-19 – Usona,Alberta, Canada. Fourth Annual Dist. 12 Camp-Out. Write: Ch., Box 6896, Wetaskiwin, Alta. T9A 2G5 24-26 – Chautauqua, New York. 31st TriState Assy. Write: Ch., 231 Butler St., Mercer, PA 16137 24-26 – Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 37th State Cony. Write: Ch., Box 15412, Raleigh, NC 27619 24-26 – Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada. Mini-Roundup. Write: Roundup, Box 2047, Windsor, N.S. BON 2T0 24-26 -Mammoth Lakes, California. Eighth Annual Camp-Out. Write: Secy., Box 1331, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546 24-26 – Port Hardy, British Columbia, Canada. Eighth Annual Rally. Write: Rally Corn. Ch., Box 2058, Port Hardy, B.C. VON 2P0 25-Milton, Ontario, Canada. Fifth Annual Roundup. Write: Prog. Ch., 434 Mountainview Dr., Milton, Ont., L9T 1W2 25-26 – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Fifth Annual Young People’s Roundup. Write: Ch., 11715-94 St., Edmonton, Alta. T5G iji 25-26 – Fort Morgan, Colorado. Sec. Annual Brush-Fort Morgan Mini-Weekend. Write: Ch., Box 1063, Fort Morgan, CO 80701 25-26 – Delisle, Saskatchewan, Canada. Third Annual Triple A Cookout. Write: Ch., Box 452, Delisle, Sask. SQL OPO 25-27 – Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. Sec. Annual Young People’s Rally. Write: Ch., 649 Lilac Ave., Kamloops, B.C. V2B 3S1 30-Sept. 2 – Baton Rouge, Louisiana. FourState Young People’s Conf. Write: Ch., Box 45862, Baton Rouge, LA 70895 31-Sept. 2 – Portland, Oregon. Area Conf. Write: Conf. Corn., 4470 S.W. Hall Blvd., Box 204, Beaverton, OR 97005 31-Sept. 2 – San Francisco, California. XII Spanish Cony. U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico (Spanish-speaking). Write: Secy., 100 Valencia St., Suite 252, San Francisco, CA 94103 31-Sept. 2 – Chapleau, Ontario, Canada. 17th Annual Roundup. Write: Ch., Golden Route Group, 93 Elgin St., Chapleau, Ont. POM 1KO 31-Sept. 2 – Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada. Area Cony. Write: Ch., 35 Tudor St., Corner Brook, Nfld. A2H 6R9 31-Sept. 2 – Poison, Montana. Sec. Ray of Hope Camporee. Write: Ch., Box 643, Polson, MT 59860 31-Sept. 2 – Dryden, Ontario, Canada. Seventh Annual Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 363, Dryden, Ont. P8N 2Z1 31-Sept. 2 – Abilene, Texas. Fourth Annual Big Country Conf. Write: Ch., 2850 Southwest Dr., Abilene, TX 79605 31-Sept. 2- Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada. Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 1894, Hay River, N.W.T. XOE ORO

Flip up this end of page-many more events listed on reverse side

August continued 31-Sept. 2 – Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. 19th Annual South Okanagan Labor Day Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 524, Penticton, B.C. V2A 6K9 31-Sept. 2 – Stettler, Alberta, Canada. Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 473, Stettler, Alta. T0C 2L0 31-Sept. 2 – South Bend, Indiana. Fourth Annual Conf. of Young People. Write: I.C.Y.P.A.A., Box 313, Griffith, IN 46319 31-Sept. 2-Green Bay, Wisconsin. 43rd Area ConS. Write: ConS. Ch., 2012 Mary Queen Rd., Green Bay, WI 54302 31-Sept. 2 – Juneau, Alaska. Sec. Annual Frontier Rally. Write: Ch., Box 3069, Juneau, AK 99603 31-Sept. 2- Houma, Louisiana. Fourth Annual Bayouland Jamboree. Write: Ch., Box 1902, Houma, LA 70361 31-Sept. 3 – Broken Bow, Nebraska. Tenth Annual Pressey Pk. Camp-Out. Write: Ch., 316 S. 11 Ave., Broken Bow, NE 68222 31-Sept. 3 — Palm Beach, Florida. Fourth Annual Area Roundup. Write: Ch., 1728 Latham Rd., West Palm Beach, FL 33409 31-Sept. 3 – Hilo, Hawaii. Big Isle Roundup. Write: Roundup, 455 Nohea St., Hilo, HI 96720

September 1-3 – San Antonio, Texas. San AntonioAustin Roundup (presented b y gay A.A. ’s). Write: Ch., Box 15631, San Antonio, TX 78212 1-3 – Powell River, British Columbia, Canada. 37th Annual Labor Day Rally. Write: Ch., 6320 Cedar St., Powell River, B.C. VIA 4M1 4-9 – Ocean City, Maryland. 27th Annual Session-by-the-Sea. Write: Com., Box 23, Denton, MD 21629 6-9 – Lake Texoma, Oklahoma, First Annual Singles in Sobriety Conf. Write: Ch., Box 795431, Dallas, TX 75379 7-9 – Warwick, New York. Annual Orange Co. Conf. Write: Ch., Box 705, Middletown, NY 10940 7-9 – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. First Annual Campus Group Roundup. Write: Ch., #190, 10235-101 St., Edmonton, Alta. T5J 3E9 7-9 – Moodus, Connecticut. 26th Annual Get-Together. Write: Ch., Box 388, Ansonia, CT 06401 7-9 – Huntsville, Ontario, Canada. Sec. Annual Hope Se Harmony Weekend. Write: Ch., Box 1767, Huntsville, Ont. POA 1KO 7-9 – Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. E. Canada Reg. Forum. Write: Keg. Forum Coord., Box 459, Grand Cent. Sta., New York, NY 10163 7-9 – Bynf Island, Ontario, Canada. 18th Annual Dunnville Cent. Write: Secy., Box 163, Dunnville, Ont. N1A 2W9 7-9 – Many, Louisiana. Torn Hills 17th Annual Cony. Write: Ch., 930 E. Main, Many, LA 71449 14-16 – Newcastle, County Down, Northern Ireland. Eighth Cony. Write: Secy., 15 Beverley Cres., Newtownards, Co. Down, Northern Ireland

14-16 – Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. 16th Annual Hamilton Se Dist. Autumn Leaf Roundup. Write: Roundup, Box 522, Hamilton, Ont. L8N 3H8 14-16 – Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada. Fifth Annual Rally. Write: Ch., Box 475, Port Alberni, B.C. V9Y 7M7 14-16 -Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. 11th Annual Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 165, Medicine Hat, Alta. T1A 7168 14-16–Evanston, Wyoming. Wyo. Fall Conf, Write: Conf. Ch., Box 483, Evanston, WY 92930 14-16 – Lake Whitney, Texas. Young Minds Conf. Write: Ch., 2020 Sunset Ct. N., League City, TX 77573 14-16 – Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada. Roundup. Write: Ch., 11004 96 A St., Grande Prairie, Alta. T8V 2A8 14-16 – Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 33rd Annual Area Conf. Write: Conf. Ch., Box 4342, Sta. E, Ottawa, Ont. K1S 5133 15-16 – Ste. Rose Du Lac, Manitoba, Canada. Third Annual Reunion Roundup. Write: Ch., 24 Argyle Cts., Brandon, Man. R7B 2C7 16-St. Louts, Missouri. Women’s Luncheon. Write: Luncheon, 2683 Big Bend Blvd., Rm. R, St. Louis, MO 63143 20-24 – Gulf Shores, Alabama. 29th Annual State Cony. Write: Cony., Box 33320, NAS Pensacola, FL 32508 21-23 – Thompson, Manitoba, Canada. Nickel Gp. Annual Fall Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 854, Thompson, Man. R8N 1N6 21-23 – Colorado Springs, Colorado. Area Cony. Write: Cony. Com ., Box 8001, Colorado Springs, CO 80933 21-23 – Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Tenth Annual Intl. Lawyers in A.A. Cony. Write: Ch., 1872 Fairmeadow Cres.,Ottawa, Ont. K1H 7139 21-23 – Lake Tahoe, California. Ninth Annual Fall Fest. Write: Ch., Box 19412, South Lake Tahoe, CA 95706 21-23 – Bull Shoals, Arkansas. Fourth Annual Autumn in Ozarks Conf. Write: Ch., Rte. 1, Box 1055, Lakeview, AR 72642 21-23-Lake Yale, Florida. 17th Annual Autumn Mtgs. Write: Autumn Mtgs., Rte. 2, Box 263 C, Leesburg, FL 32788 21-23 – Big Sky, Montana. Ninth Annual Serenity Celebration. Write: Ch., Box 200, Big Sky, MT 59716 23 – White Plains, New York. Roundup. Write: Ch., R.R. 4, Box 158 Westchester Ave., Pound Ridge, NY 10576 28-30 – Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. Fall Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 2005, Sta. A, Moncton, N.B. E1C 81-17 28-30 – San Diego, California. 33rd Annual Area Cony. Write: Ch., Box 6194, Fullerton, CA 92634 28-30 – Barry’s Bay, Ontario, Canada. Fifth Annual Madawaska Valley Dist. Conf. Write: Conf. Ch., Box 91, Barry’s Bay, Ont. KOJ 1130 28-30 – Winchester, Virginia. 30th Annual Four-State Se D.C. Get-Together. Write: Secy., 315 E. Cork St., Winchester, VA 22601 29-30 – Spree/eels, California. Sec. Annual Coastal Rally. Write: Ch., Box 5043, Salinas, CA 93915

October 4-7 – Pompano Beach, Florida. Fall Big Book Seminar. Write: Ch., Box 333, Pompano Beach, FL 33061 5-7 – St. Louis, Missouri. First Annual Fall Classic Cony. Write: Ch., Box 904, St. Louis, MO 63017 5-7 – Amarillo, Texas. Top o’ Texas Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 412, Amarillo, TX 79105 5-7 – Clarksburg, West Virginia. Jackson’s Mill Roundup. Write: Roundup, Box 825, Clarksburg, WV 26301 5-7 – Rochester, New York. Fourth Annual Cony. Write: Cony., 183 E. Main St., Suite 1035, Rochester, NY 14604 5-7 – Mentor, Ohio. 35th Punderson Pk. Conf. Write: Conf, Box 1032, Mentor, OH 44061 5-7 – Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Fourth Annual Lesbian Se Gay Conf. Write: Ch., 45 Dunfield Ave., Suite 2220, Toronto, Ont. M4S 2H4 5-7 – Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. 28th Annual Northern Lites Roundup. Write: Ch., 2707 Lillooet St., Prince George, B.C. V2L 1S9 5-7 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Third Freedom Roundup (sponsored by lesbians Se gay men in A.A.). Write: Reg., Box 15978, Philadelphia, PA 19103 6-8 – Columbus, Indiana. Sec. Annual Men’s Workshop. Write: Ch., Box 644, Columbus, IN 47202 12-14 – Brainerd, Minnesota. First Minn. Big Book Seminar. Write: Ch., Box 103, Wayzata, MN 55391 12-14 – Kalispell, Montana. Fall Roundup. Write: Dist. 91 Intergroup, Box 1728, Whitefish, MT 59937 12-14 – Montego Bay, Jamaica. Discovery. Weekend. Write: Ch., Box 138, Reading Montego Bay, Jamaica, West Indies 12-14 – Wichita, Kansas. State ConS. Write: Ch., Box 1895, Wichita, KS 67201 12-14 – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 34th Annual Prov. Conf. Write: Cent. Off., #1103, 10235-124 St., Edmonton, Alta. T5N 1P9 19-21 – Lafayette, Louisiana. Cajun Country Conf. Write: Conf., 136 River Rd., Lafayette, LA 70501 20-21 – Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada. Roundup. Write: Ch., 544 3rd St. W., Fort Frances, Ont. POW 1CO 20-21 – Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. Fellowship Gp. Anniv. Write: Ch., 24 Argyle Cts., Brandon, Man. 1(78 2C7 25-28 – Honolulu, Hawaii. 23rd Annual Area Conf. Write: Ch., Box 23434, Honolulu, HI 96822 26-28 – London, Ontario, Canada. Area Cony. Write: Ch., Box 725, London, Ont. N6A 4Y8 26-28 – Casa Grande, Arizona. 25th Sahuaro Agape Weekend. Write: Secy., Box 40214, Tucson, AZ 85717 26-28 – Hays, Kansas. Third Annual N.W. Kans. Conf. Write: Ch., Box 326, Hays, KS 67601 27- New York, New York. Intergroup Dinner-Meeting and Dance in Honor of Bill W. Write: Dinner Corn., 175 5th Ave., Em. 219, New York, NY 10010