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

VOL. 41, No.4/ AUGUST- SEPTEMBER 1995

56,000 Celebrate A.A.’s 60th Anniversary SAN DIEGO, CA,June 29-July 2, 1995-“There is no way to make yomself sober. You’ve got to turn around and join those next to you,” said longtime A.A. member Earl M. And turn toward each other they did, as nearly 56,000 sober alcoholics, along v.rith Al-Anon partners and fHends,joined together to celebrate 60 years offreedom fi·om the bondage of alcohol through the miracle known as Alcoholics Anonymous. They came to sunny San Diego by every conceivable mode of transportation-on foot, by plane, bus, motorcycle. They came from all 50 states and the far reaches of Canada, from Central and South America, Western and Eastern Europe, South Africa,

Australia, New Zealand and all of Asia–87 countJ.ies in all. They represented a wide age range- from 14 year olds to octogenarians, fi·om shaky and grateful newcomers to oldtimers with over 50 years of l:lobriety. Michele A and John C., of New York City, married just fiw days, came for their honeymoon-as did another couple from Oklahoma, and probably other new1yweds we didn’t hear about. The Convention theme, “A.A. EverywhereAnywhere” was borne out the entire weekend as A.A. members literally took over the whole city, fillmg every hotel and dorm space, spilling over at the beautiful and enormous Convention Center, filling the shuttle buses to the huge Jack Murphy Stadium, crowding the restaurants, coffee shops, beaches and waterways, and generally bursting at the seams with gratitude and the language of the heart- which overcome all other language baniers! Throughout the city-at the airport, in shop windows, hanging from lampposts-were signs and banners welcoming t he 1995 International Convention to San Diego. And everywhere you looked you could spot members of the 5,000-strong, hardworking, incredible San Diego Host Committee. In their purple and turquoise vests and bright yellow visors (the Convention colors) these tireless volunteers greeted conventioneers at the airport (in their own language), drove vans, gave directions and mformation and did anythmg else that was necessary to make all feel welcome.

This was the largest convention A.A. has ever had and San Diego has ever hosted and, although as individual A.A.s we try to work on our humility on a daily basis, it is probably okay-this once-to say that San Diego fell in love with Alcoholics Anonymous and 57,000 sober drunks. Everywhere we heard what an orderly, courteous group we were-from Convention Center management, shopkeepers, restaurant employees and police and fire personnel. Two weeks after the Convention a “reliable source” (a native San Diegoan and non-A.A.) reported, “They’re still talking about you all being the best behaved group of people San Diego ever had.” Thursday evening the San Diego Bay and waterfront area was crowded with hundreds of A.A.s-listening and dancing to the music, greeting old friends and making new ones, and enjoying the fireworks exploding across the bay. Many night owls attended the Marathon meetings-

Language, with the addition of open captions added to the huge video walls. A sobriety countdown elicited cheers to raise the rafters as the years of sobriety went up, up, up. Saturday night at the stadium it was the oldtimers’ turn at their Forty Years or More Sober Big Meeting. To give an equal chance to the considerable number of oldtimers with forty or more years in A.A., 129 of them had dropped their names into a huge top hat, and from the stage, fifteen names were drawn. These fifteen A.A.s were then escorted to the stage to share for five minutes each; an enormous gong helped to keep things moving along! VVhat a privilege to hear the sharing and the reminiscing-we went from laughter to tears and back again to laughter with these wonderful early members.

one in English and one in Spanish-which began midnight Thursday with the lighting of the Marathon candles, and ran until Sunday morning when the remains of the candles were brought into the Closing Big Meeting at the stadium. At the opening meeting Friday night jack Murphy Stadium was filled to capacity with cheering, stomping, joyful A.A.s and Al-Anons. A highlight of any A.A. International is the extremely moving flag ceremony where representatives from all attending countries march in cmTying their nations’ flags. This three-speaker meeting-an A.A. from Canada, one from South Africa, and one hom the United States-like many others during the weekend, was simultaneously interpreted into six other languages and signed in American Sign

We cheered and clapped, and thanked them for our lives! A good time was had by all, and as we gathered for the wonderful Sunday morning Closing Meeting, which concluded with the release of 10,000 balloons and dancing in the aisles, every heart was fL!led with overwhelming gratitude for our co-founders and all who came before us to make each new life possible. Friday evening, seated on the front row of the podium behind the flags of 87 countries were Dr. Bob’s children, Bob and Sue. Watching them one could not help but wonder what their thoughts were-that from a single meeting 60 years ago between their father and another drunk, Bill W., had grown this vast life-saving, life-giving society.

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Laurie L., the daughter of Ruth Hock, Bill W.’s nonalcoholic flrst secretaryr, perhaps summed it up best at a meetmg Fliday morning. “They are all here. Mom’s here, Bill is here, Bob is here. And when you walk around the streets and look into the eyes of everyone out there, and you wat~h the1r smiles and their hugs, and you listen to what they have to say, their spirit and love is coming through-and for that I am ever grateful.”

Giving the Homebonnd a Dose ofA.A. Love Its formal monicker is the Special Needs/Accessibilities Conunittee of Northwest Pe1msylvania, but the mem bers thmk of themselves simply as Friends of Rita. ‘That,” says chairman Charlie B., “is because the Twelfth Step work we do-taking meetings to homebound member sstarted with her.” Rita was an A.A. friend Charlie says he and others “had come to love.” Several years ago she b ecame ill, and when she was too weak to go t o meetings in the new car she had determinedly bought but couldn’t dnve, Charlie and two A.A. fnends-Joan S. and Joan.ie G. -took meetings to her, first a t home and then in the hospital before she died. “Even though Rita was in considerable pain,” Charlie recalls, “a calm seemed to come over her after we held our meetmg&-short ones, so as not to tire her-and read aloud from the Big Book.” Meanwhile, Charlie learned from friends in the Loners correspondence service and from spectal-n eeds conunittees around the country, that there was no homebound visiting service in the northeast, “so our committee, which is two years old, just went ahead and set up our own, with some help from G.S.O.,” he says. “One of the ftrst tasks we set for ourselves w as to identify all the handicapped-acces&ble meetmgs in our area. “We did this,” he explains, “by assigning a meeting a week to each committee member, who usually investigated the premises in person. The information was

Box 4-5·9 is published bimonthly by the General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115, ©Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 199.~ Mail address: P.O. Box 459, Grand C’,entral Station New York, NY 10163

Subscriptions: Ind.IVldual, $3.50 per year; group, $6.00 for each unit of10 per year. Check- made payable to A.A.W.S., Inc.-should accompany order.

incorporated into our regular meeting schedule, which lists approximately 120 meeting11. In the front of the schedules we enclose a notice headed, You Are Not Alone Anymore Group. It reads, ‘This group is for homebound members. We would like to bring a meeting to you. There are no special A.A. groups, only individuals with special n eeds. T he We Are Not Alone Anymore Group believes that when anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, the hand of A.A. will be there.’ We list our phone number and encourage homebound members to call for help. We also ask able-bodied A.A.s to call and volunteer their Twelfth Step services.” C’.harlie notes that when a call comes in, “we always assign at least two people to the house call. The reasons range from concerns of liability to lifting persons who can’t do it themselves. “When we started,” h e says, ”Polly, one of my A.A. correspondents, told me, ‘If you raise expectations, just be sure you deliver.’ That’s something I keep in mind always.” Some people have asked, “With so many meetings online, why take a meeting at all?” Replies Charlie: “First of all, most of our callers tend to b e older people who don’t have computers, don’t want them and can’t afford them anyway. But they do look f01ward to seemg us in person, and often a live meeting at home gives them a new lease on life, even if temporarily. But don’t get the idea we give some kmd of Pity Party, because we don’t. There’s no talk about aches and pains or how to get to the doctor. We simply have a meeting; other issues are not for us. In the beginning we made our mistakes running a nd toting and personalizing-before learning to hang with just the program. We really practiced on Rita; we call her our guardian angel.” Here he pauses, then says thoughtfully, “Our oldtuners are as tmportant at home as at meetings, and we’re not going to let them disappear . We’re just giving back to them some of what they’ve given to us.”

Help Is a

Meeting Away “Is anyone new or here for the first time?” The leader of the closed A.A. meeting held in tandem with the annual conference for health-care professionals in Seattle, Washington, paused and, when no one responded, continued on. But later, District of Columbia delegate Sandy C., an A.A. member who also is a health oflker, chanced to talk with a colleague who had traveled to the conference ti·om a small island in the far Pacific. ‘1ohn [whose name is changed to ensure anonymity] said that he had been at the meetmg, which was his first one,” Sandy recalls. “Realizing that he had a problem with alcohol,

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he stopped drinking in 1985 and stayed dry on willpower alone. Now, at the meeting, he felt a whole new world of recovery had opened up to h im, and he returned home elect.Iified by the experience.” Several months later, john faxed another colleague and A.A. member he had met in Seattle. “Hi, again!” he said. “Since our meeting in the States, I have been given the responsibility [as part of his work in public health] of starting an A.A. program here for our many alcoholics who want to stop drinking. I am currently in the process of setting up a meeting in the prison, and the inmates are responsive to the idea. So could you please advise me on .how to set up a program … handle the meeting process … and, if you have some materials, I’d appreciate those too.” Comments Sandy: “It can be difficult trying to sponsor newcomers into A.A. when you’re new yourself But with help fi·om some A.A. friends and G.S.O.-where Jolm’s fax was redirected-! am hopeful that in time he will attain a comfortable sobriety and ‘pass it on’ toothers in his community.” Writing to j ohn, G.S.O. staff member Susan U. noted that there is one A.A. group in his far-flung area, as well as a Loner on a neighboring island, and offered to put hun in touch with these members. She enclosed service material about starting an A.A. group in an overseas counny and, specifically, in correctional facilities, along w1th mfmmation concerning the Loners InternatwnalLsts Meeting by Mail (LIM).

Tenth Annual Intergroup Seminar TI1e Central Office in Atlanta, Georgia, will host the 10th ammal Interg1·oup Seminar, October 6-8, at the Atlanta Renaissance Hotel. Intergroup/central office managers and employees from across the U.S. and Canada will meet for a weekend of sharing and learmng tluough workshops, panel presentations, and fellowship, according to Helen R.., the ofike manager. Joined by a handful of general service delegates, bustees of the General Service Board, A.A.W.S. dtrectors, and G.S.O. and Grapevine employee..<;, they vvill focus on the seminar’s theme, “Sharing Our Unity in Our Common Differences.” The registration fee is $20. To guarantee a room at tl1e special event rate, reservations should be made by September 6. For more information or to register, write: Helen R., Central Office, P .O. Box 1215, Atlanta, GA 30301; or call (404) 525-3178. 4

A.A.’s New Board Members Robert Oran Miller, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, in Birmingham, was one of two new Class A (nonalcoholic) trustees approved at the General Service Board meeting followmg the 45th Conference in May. The other Class A tmstee is Arthur L. Knight, jr., of Lake Forest, Illinois, who until his retirement last year was president and CEO of Morgan Products, Ltd., manufactttrers and distlibutors of specialty buildmg products. Each new trtL<>tee has had a long personal connection with the Fellowship. Bob Miller’s inn·oduction to the Fellowship goes back to 1963. A recent graduate of the semlllruy and associate minister of his ftrsl church, he was asked by a parishioner who was a recovering alcoholic, to speak at an open meeting. “They were the most honest people I’d run into,” Bob recalls. Over the years, Bob says, he has maintained close contact with members of the Fellowship, always opening up his parish house and rectmy for A.A. meetings wherever he was assigned. A 1960 graduate of Bimungham-Southern College, Bob received a Bachelor of Divinity (B .D. ) degree from Candler School of Theology, Emory University in 1963, and was ordained Deacon in the Umted Methodist Church. In 1968, he completed a yeru· of special studies at the School of Rev. Robert 0. Miller Theology, University of the South, and was ordained Deacon and Priest in the Episcopal Church, Diocese of Alabama. He was a deputy to four General Conventions of the Episcopal Church and has served on the staff of Cursillo, (Spanish for ‘short course’), where he taught a spirih1al course at a diocesan camp in Alabama, and has given a sinlilar course to inmates in prisons, including one exclusively for inmates with ArDS. He is a member of the board of tmstees of the Umversity of the South, which awarded him an honorary Doctorate ofDivinity in 1991. It was a ‘fellow Episcopal seminartan, Bob says, who, after tellmg him he was a recovering alcoholic, urged all of the seminary’s graduating class to open up their parish houses and facilities to A.A. “So I became good friends with a lot of A.A.s, particularly in my parish in Montgomery,” where he often called on his A.A. fhends to talk to a parishioner who needed help . “I never met a man or a woman in the

Fellowship who didn’t come through immediately,” he says. As trustee he hopes to reach out to members of the professional community, particularly the clergy, who frequently “have an intellectual understanding that we’re talking about an illness, but don’t understand it emotionally at all,” Bob says. In helping his fellow clergymen to gain a better understanding of alcoholics, he says he’d “lil<..e to t1y to reach them through the A.A. program, let them see how it works. They can help people in their congregation understand that this is an illness. There’s an awful lot in those Twelve Steps that are helpful to people, whether they’re alcoholic or not,” he says. Arthur L. Knight, Jr. brings a strong business background to the General Service Board. A graduate of Dartmouth College, he earned an MBA from the University of New York. Prior to joining Morgan Products, Ltd., Art spent the majority of his career Arthur L. Knight,]r. with Houdaille Industries, a diversified manufacturing firm, in a variety of capacities including president of two subsidiary companies. Now retired, Art serves on a variety of professional and civic boards. Art’s personal connection with the Fellowship goes back to childhood. As a boy of thirteen, he went to his first A.A. meeting with an uncle who was a recovering alcoholic. Although there was no protracted connection with A.A. for many years afterward, the incident made a memorable impression on him. “I didn’t know him as a child-he was the dmnk Ln the family, a bum, nobody talked about Uncle Herb.” But his uncle, who lived on the West Coast, made a trip back to the East Coast, “to make amends to my father,” he explains. “From then on, I found a very wonderfultmcle. We had a very fine relationship until he died.” Perhaps even closer to home was the experience of a close family member who went to A.A. nearly ten years ago, “but who I’m not sure would be around today if he hadn’t gone to A.A.” Because of this relative’s recovery in the Fellowship, he says, “I took time to read the Big Book and the Twelve and Twelve, and tried to understand the whole program.” Several years ago Ali was asked if he might consider serving as Class A trustee, but he knew he would not have the time to make the necessary commitment. Last October, however, after his retirement, he was invited to

attend a weekend board meeting, which “really influenced me, in terms of saying ‘yes, I’d like to serve if asked.’ I sat, literally, fi’om 8 in the morning until 10 at night, in every single committee meeting there was, to get a feel for the organization,” A1i says. “And I came away with a real sense of the intensity and the dedication of the people in the Fellowship to the Fellowship and to what they were doing. It was a moving experience.”

… And Three New (Alcoholic) Trustees Interestingly, all three Class B trustees, who are e1ected by their areas, “came out of the hat.” According to the Third Legacy procedure, after a two-thirds m~jority is not reached in several preceding votes, the names of the two remaining candidates are placed “in the hat” for drawing. Mary]ane R., ofWakefield, Rhode Island, a past delegate (Panel 42), was elected Northeast regional trustee. “I was really in shock at first,” MarxTane says, describing how she felt when she heard of her election. “If I look all the way down the line, it’s overwhelming, but ifi stay in the present I can see I just need to do the next thing-whatever is next on the calendar. During my years of service,” she says, “the only thing I ever asked myself was: ‘Am I available?’ The answer was always ‘yes.'” Raul M., of San Antonio, Texas, who served on the Bilingual/Hispanic Area Service Committee fi’Om 1976~· 1977, and who was involved in starting the Hispanic Intergroup in San Antonio, and the Texas State Hispanic Convention/Assemblies in 1980, was elected Southwest regional trustee. “I was just elated- speechless,” says Raul, of his election. “It’s a great honor; 1 felt vay humble and grateful to my Higher Power. Later, when I heard my election was ‘by the hat,’ I felt that the hand of God had been in it,” he adds. Raul, also a former dele-· gate, says he hopes to serve on the International Committee, where he feels his bilingual abilities could be most useful for the Fellowship in exchanges with other A.A.s in Spanish-speaking countries. Michel G., ofRepentigny, PQ, Canada, a past delegate (Panel 42), and former chaiiperson of the board of the French Literature Committee, as well as member of the board of La Visne (Canada’s French··language magazine), was elected trustee-at-large/Canada. Michel was elated at first to hear of his election, “But when I felt the full extent of all of this-such a huge responsibility-·I got scared. I asked myself~ ‘Am I up to it?'” Michel relates. “I’m sure I’ll learn a lot and grow spiritually, as I have in all my other service work.” Michel says he hopes to do more in canying the message to the many Native North Americans and other indigenous people who live in the outreaches of northern Canada, who have no access to A.A. meetings, A.A. members or to Fellowship

literature. “They’re not easy to reach, frequently there are no accessible roads, they have different spiritual beliefs and their own way of life. Many are young and are dymg’fi·om alcohol. I’d like to open the floods of A.A. for them.”

New Grapevine Material Avallable in Spanish

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Things Iirst”) are printed in two colors on heavy paper in a size (9″x11″)suitable for franung. Price: $4.00 per set. The A.A. Preamble and the Serenity Prayer are also printed on heavy paper (5″x7″). Prices for these items vary by quantity: $1.50 each; 5-49, $1.00 each; 50-99, $0.75 each; 100 or more, $0.50 each. An audio cassette tape, Sonidos de Sobriedad, produced several years ago, is still available for $5.50 (two or more, $5.00 each). The tape contalllS a selection of Grapevine articles on a variety of AA topics. Order forms available from the Grapevine, Box :1980, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163-1980.

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~Te gustarfa tener cinco lemas d e A.A. en espaiiol?

Pidelos aJ Grapevine. And the set of Slogans is not the Grapevine’s only new publication en espaiiol; in response to mru1y requests fium the Sparush A.A. com_ mmlity, four other resources were also made available early in 1995.

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The most sigwficant is The I…angtwge ofthe Heart: Bill W. ‘s Grapevine Writings. A.A.s who visited the Grapevme booth at the 60th International Convention in San Diego were the frrst to be introduced to the new Spanish edition a11d it met with an enthusiastic reception. Bill wrote more than 150 ruiicles for the Grapevine, chronicling the development of A.A. and our spiritual principles. The struggles of our fow1dmg members are recounted here, CUld the answers they found through trial and error shed light on crucial issues of the 1990s and beyond. Organized cluonologically, it has three parts: 1944-1950 (hammcling out the Traditions), :1950-1958 (the service structure; relations with non-AA friends), and 19581970 (practicing spiritual princtples “in all our affairs”). There is a Foreword by Lois W. ood a general introduction and brief introductions to each part set the historical conte>..1. The book also includes articles Bill wrote as memorials for stgnificant figures in A.A.’s early history, and ref1ections on the nature and development of the Grapevine itself. Price: $12.00 (5 or more, $11.00 each) . Set ofSlogans, A.A Preamble and Serenity Pr·ayer·: Five farruhar slogans (“Live and Let Live,” “Easy Does It,” “But for the Grace of God,” “Thmk, Think, Thmk,” and “First 6

How We Behave In Public Mirrors A.A. as a \\Thole A.A. is the sum of all its two million parts-us. Which meCUlS that the message of sob!iety we cany is only as

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strong and attractive as we are. If our friends in the community percetve us positively, they will recommend us to the sick alcoholic. Conversely, if we project an unpleasant impression, that same alcoholic may fall through the cracks of public distaste, distrust and outright enmity. For nearly 60 years the Fellowship has enjoyed everdeepening acccpta11ce and confidence at the public level. But lately, in some areas of the U.S/Canada, the egregious conduct of some members threatens to disrupt this essential harmony. Two cases in point: In one state last September, a church pastor wrote a letter statmg that “I have found it necessary to ask the AA. group to leave.” The rea:,ans as set forth by the pastor were: “(1) Church members have been told by members of the A.A. group ‘not to attend the programs offered by the church’; (2) Language used on the premises is unacceptable, and when brought to the attention of members of the A.A. group, the church members were told, ‘We pay rent so we Cal1 do anything we want to’; (3) Members of the group have been asked repeatedly not to park on the grass or in the driveway, and we find they still park where they are not supposed to.” In conclusion the pastor noted, “The work of A.A. is supported by the___ church and me personally, and it is with regret that I must ask you to leave.” Copies of his letter were sent not only to the resident A.A. group Md the General Service Office, but to two officers of the church-possibly setting in motion a negative ripple effect for the whole of A.A. On the West coast, a snnilar situation prevails, but on a broader scale: For about 25 years, area groups have held an annual picnic that was well attended and

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enjoyed by the membership. The event enjoyed smooth sailing into the 1980s. but about ten years ago problems began to surface, and Jast]tme they reached. an impasse, according to j ean P., who for 20 years has served as manager of a local central service office. In an open memorandum headed “How Our Behavior Affects A.A. as a Whole-a Loving Appraisal,” Jean wrote, “Again our behavior is affecting us a t the public level. Our last picnic was so bad, the neighbors around the area petitioned against our using the facilities again.” Jean then listed the more blatant violations of the facility’s rules, mcluding~ trashmg the grounds and restrooms and failure to clean up; lax supervision of children, leading to an incident in which some of them tossed heavy water-filled balloons mto a man’s face; neglectmg to put out smoldering coals left at the base of a tree; violating the “no pets” clause in the contract; rude, raucous behavior; and parkmg a number of motorcycles not in designated parkmg areas but on the picnic grounds. These and other reports raise some pressiug questions: Are A.A.s more unmly and inconsiderate than they us~d to be, or are there Just more of us? Is there anythmg we can do collectively to reverse what appears to be a dismaying trend? If so, what? Says Jean: “There is no question but that part of the difficulties are due to sheer volume. for example, attendance at our annual picnic has more than doubled in size, from about 650 to ~,500 people, mcludmg more young people and children than we had early on.” As A.A. co-fetmder Bill W. wrote (in the Tlurd Legacy Ma nual, p. 136), “To r each more alcoholics, tmderstanding of A.A. and public good w ill towards A.A. must go on growing everywhere … . ” Toward this end and, as Babs G. of East Hampton puts it, “pull up our socks and improve our bad manners,” here are some suggested topics, born of A.A. experience, that lend themselves to a group inventory or sharing session: • Do our group’s officers cormnu.nicate often and openly with the “landlord”? As renters of the premLcses, do we fulfill our fmancial obligations in a timely fash10n? Do we observe the house rules with courtesy and consideration? • vVhen we schedule dances, picnics or other special events, are the rules of the establishment posted and understood by individual members weU beforehand? Is ample security provided for? • Have we connected Tradition Eleven’s principle of ”attraction rather llian promotion” with the willingness of our nonalcoholic friends to refer alcoholics to us? Do we understand that we as members bear responsibility for their impression of A.A.? • finally, do we realize that whenever we function as A.A.s at the public level, we are AA.? Do we see that anonymity does not conceal bad manners?

As active alcoholics, most of us were too sick to think

about our effect on others; all our energy was focused on the now and the next drink. As an A.A. conttibutor to the booklet Came to Believe explains (p. 118-120): “I was spiritually bankmpt long before A.A. entered my life.. .. I got sober in A.A., and… beg<m to have concern for others.. .. I began to feel for others, to be able, for very brief moments, to put myself in thetr shoes…. I was not the center of the universe…. None of us can ever fathom … the uncharted regions of the universe. But we can live on eatih and love one another. We can let in the beginnings of concern, compassion, consider·ation, and watch ourselves grow.” Ifyou have expetience to share on the subject of this ruiicle, your input would be welcome.

Recognizing a Spiritual Gift Is if possible to have a spiritual awakening while still dnnking? Herbert L. of Pembroke, North Carolina, thought it had happened to him, but he wasn’t sw·e. “I’m a 37-year-old American Indian,” he wrote in a letter to G.S.O. “I began drinking at age 16 and all the six or seven times I was arrested were for dnmk driving. One afternoon last May, I was drunk as usual. While my wife went off to get me another bottle, even though I wasn’t rebgious, I cried and prayed to God to get sober. \Nhen she came back, I begged her to have me committed. She refused, so I went to the psychiatric ward ofour local hospital and did it myself. “Somehow I got through the shakes and detox, then went to a treatment center. There I met a counselor who introduced me to A.A. Right away I wanted what these people had. rve been sober since May 16, 1994, the day I opened myself to God, and my whole life changed.” Responding to Herbert’s letter, a G.S.O. staff member suggested that “when and where spiritual awakenings occur would seem to be between the individuals and their Higher Power. In the Big Book there tS the story of ow· co- founder Bill W., in which he described having a spiritual experience before becoming hopelessly alcoholic-one which he carne to appreciate only after he was sober in A.A. Bill also mentioned other spiritual awakenings he’d had in sobriety; so I would not question at all your feeling that you experienced such an awakening before coming to the fellowship.” Bill W. often spoke and wrote about the spiritual experience, which he repeatedly described as a great gift. “Nearly every A.A. has a spiritual experience that quite t:-ansforms his outlook and attitudes,” Bill wrote (AA. Comes ofAge, p. 63). “Ordinarily, such occurrences are gradual and may take place over periods of months or even years.” 7

“I’ve been at G.S.O. for 27 years,” says Madeline Whitlock jordan. “It boggles my mind. Where did the time go?” Madeline, who was the nonalcoholic secretary to A.A. World Services for many years, talked about her decades at the General Service Office before she retired on May 11. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Madeline was living in Queens when her husband died in 1968, leaving her with four small children. As she says, “It was very important for my children not to see me falter. It was hard some-· times but I had to pick myself up and dust myself off and Madeline Whitlock jordan go on.” A month after her husband’s death, Madeline went looking for work–for the first time in her life, since she’d gotten married right out of school. She went to an employment agency who sent her on an interview to G.S.O., which they called only “an international firm,” probably being deliberately vague, since there was less information and more prejudice about alcoholism in those days. The address, on East 45th Street, was close to the United Nations and Madeline was pleased because she thought the job would give her the opportunity to meet UN dignitaries. But when she got to the office and was filling out her application, she saw a copy of a book entitled Alcoholics Anonymous. “F’rankly,” Madeline says “I was horrified. In my family, alcohol was frowned on and drunkenness was beneath contempt. The men might have an occasional highball at Christmas, but the won1en–never! “The idea that an alcoholic can’t help himself-that there’s this compulsion-was completely foreign to me.” Madeline expected to see drunken derelicts crawling toward her at any moment. She was on the verge ofleaving the office when Hazel R., an A.A. staff member, came out and greeted her. Madeline says, “Hazel was so kind that I couldn’t be rude and just walk out, so I let myself be escorted into her office. She started telling me about A.A., and I found myselfbecoming more and more interested. Then Hazel committed this huge faux pas, she told me, ‘I’m an alcoholic.’ I thought she didn’t realize what she’d said; she was so charming and bright, it must have slipped out 8

unintentionally! After all, no one in her right mind would say she was an alcoholic! In my view, a woman couldn’t be an alcoholic! I didn’t want to embarrass her so I pretended I didn’t hear her.” Hazel gave Madeline some pamphlets on A.A. and as she learned about A.A.-especially about how alcoholism affects people from all social backgrounds-she became more interested and decided to take the job. Her first assignment was working on the General Service Conference. Madeline remembers: “Those people, they were so genuine and kind-you had to love them, you had to trust them. They were so happy, it was like a lovefest! Contrary to what, in my ignorance, I thought alcoholics were, I met fascinating, gracious, intelligent, caring people. Over the years I have heard such wonderful stories of miracles in the lives of those who recovered in A.A. And another wonder was the non-A.As. For alcoholics, coming to A.A. is their salvation. But the ‘nons’ have to be very special people, with a great love for their fellow man.” She remembers a woman delegate who attended one of the Conferences she worked on: “When I asked her how she was able to spend a whole week in New York, leaving behind her five children, she said, ‘If it wasn’t for A.A., they wouldn’t have a mother at all.”‘ Madeline has some personal recollections of cofounder Bill W. In her first month or so on the job, when she hadn’t formally met him, she went to his office one day to see Nell Wing (Bill’s nonalcoholic secretary). Bill was expecting a female visitor and not knowing Madeline, thought that she was the visitor. “Bill very quickly stood up and said, ‘Ah, Madame , I’m happy to meet you,’ and in a very courtly rnanner bent to kiss my hand. I thought, oh what a predicament and said, rather timidly, ‘Bill, I’m Madeline Whitlock. I’m new here and I work in the steno department.’ Without missing a beat, he said, ‘Well, Madeline Whitlock, I’m happy to meet you, too,’ and gallantly bent and kissed my hand a second time.” Madeline remembers seeing Bill at the 1970 Convention in Miami Beach: “At the closing meeting, Bill was wheeled in, hooked up to an oxygen tank. It was extremely emotional, and when he got to his feet at the podium to say goodbye, the ovation from the thousands in the audience was deafening. I doubt that there was a dry eye in the place.” Over 27 years, Madeline has seen many changes at G.S.O., including five general managers. “Each one,” she says, in the spirit of principles before personalities, “brought into the job what was needed at the time.” Though the Fellowship has more than tripled in size, there hasn’t been a corresponding increase in the number of G.S.O. employees, partly because of computers and partly because of good management practices. The biggest changes in A.A. that Madeline has observed-in

addition to growth-include dual purpose groups, anonymity-breakmg (“It’s now prestigious to belong to AA.”), and the spread of the Fellowship to such places as Russia and Eastern Europe. What impresses Madeline most about A.A. is its principle of ~If-support. “When I attempt to explam A.A. to friends and family, it is its tradition of self-support that leaves them incredulous. Nobody-no church, synagogue, university- turns down money! And A.A does. I remember w hen we received a bequest of $800,000. When it was explained to the t rust officer why we couldn’t accept the money, he wrote, ‘We were am azed that the glft from Mrs. X’s trust was decllned, although we understand the reasons. In our profession, it’s unheard of for an organization to declme a glft. Frankly, we admire and applaud your philosophy.’ ” Madellne will have plenty to do in retirement, including visiting her nine grandchildren with her second husband, some traveling, improving her tennis and piano and studying music appreciation. She remarried ten years ago, to lavvyer Wayne Jordan, whom she met on the Long Island Rail Road coming home fi·om work one day. Madeline says, “He loves the grandchildren and they love him. He wants to go visiting tl1em all the time!” Her four children are all happily married. Her son is a commercial airllne pilot (which e..”Plains the coffee cup in her office, with the appropriate initials “AA.”); one daughter is a lavvyer; two daughters who were teachers now have children and work at home. One of the convictions Madeline will take away from her work at G.S.O. is this: “vVhatever differences, or even at times clashes of personalities occun·ed throughout the Fellowship, it was always my feellng that everpresent was one common thread: the interest and love for Alcoholics Anonymous.”

Our Friends Are Everywhere The letter to G.S.O. was postmarked Mozambique, a South African country on the Inchan Ocean. “Allow me to introduce myself,” it began. “I am Lourdes Franco. I was born in Mexico, and I have been a missionary in the small and remote province of Gaza for over a year. In my work I see a lot of people, both men and women, who are affected by alcoholism, and I would like to tty to help them.” The writer, a nonalcoholic, requested literature in Portugese, which, she explained, IS ” the official language of this country, <!!though other dialects are spoken as well.” h1 conclusion she said, “With my best wishes I pray God may grant you strength and wisdom in canying the m essage of A.A. that allows you to stay sober, one day at a time.”

The Spanish Services coordinator at G.S.O. sent Lourdes Franco A.A. literature m both Portugese and Spanish, and refened her to the General Senlice Office in Brazil tor additional material. An accompanying letter expressed the gratitude of the Fellowship for her concern, and for her d esire as a professional “to h elp the suffering alcoholic here in Mozambique.”

New from G.S.O. Big Book on Diskette-The third edition of 1

Alcoholics Anonymous is available on two 3 /2″ di~kettes that nm in Microsoft® Windows’M with 4 megabytes hard disc space. fully word searchable and hyperlinked. (M-53); $10.00.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions- Now is a soft-cover, pocket edition as a r esu lt of a 1995 Conference Advisory Action. 3 7/B” x 5 5/s”; (B-17); $3.50.

P.I./C.P.C North Dakota A.A.s Host Luncheon for Professional Friends The article in the Minot Daily News had it right: The bartender at the Sheraton Riverside Inn was indeed “a lonely person” when more than 600 A.A.s, Al-Anons and their professional friends gathered in Minot, in the northwestern quadrant of Nor th Dakota near the Canadian border, for the 1994 State Roundup . But no one was less lonely or more a ctive than members of the joint district committees on Public Information and Cooperat ion With the Professional Community, who hosted a luncheon for professionals in law enforcement, education, treatment facilities, medicine, the clergy and more. Reports inm1ediate past area P .l. chainnan Mike N.: “The two-hour event was a great success. More than 30 professionals, or 21% of those invited, were on hand. And from the newcomer who had helped address the envelopes to our speakers, who included two delegates fi·om AA and Al-Anon respectively and a local clergyman familiar with A.A.s spiritual program, everyone had a wonderful and informative tin1e.” The P.I./C.P.C. committee was p articularly pleased, Mike notes, “because this was our frrst luncheon in three years and, to tell the tmth, we weren’t sure who would

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come. As a result of the positive message delivered that day, the committee has a renewed zest for service and is presently planning a similar luncheon for personnel at the local U.S. Air Force Base in the fall.” Mike emphasizes the importance of coordination and communication. “Holding the Minot luncheon during Roundup seemed to work very well,” he says, ”because the professionals were already here and could readily fit it into their schedules. Knowing that the nwnber of professionals attending Saturday luncheons ha s b een declirung, we held ours on a Friday so they could a ttend as part of their regular work time.” “Importantly,” Mike adds, “we invited the Minot Daily News to send a reporter over during Roundup so that we might share with the public and hopefully reach some suffering alcoholic readers. It was because we took the time to meet, I feel, that the writer gained a real understanding of A.A. Nobody’s identity was made known in the article; and he wrote knowingly about A.A.’s Anonymity Tradition and the fact that alcoholics have an illness ‘for which there’s no cure . . . recovering will always be the word to describe them.”‘

CoJTeCtional F cllities A ‘Leap into Faith’ C.F. Gathering In Southwest Texas the Correctional Facilities Confer-

ence, which has convened three years running, is now an annual event, thanks to the determination of the C,F. committee. It attracts several hundred enthusiastic attendees from around the sprawling tri-state areaColorado, Oklahoma, Texas-pays for itself and generates the purchase oflarge quantities of literature for distribution to alcoholic inmates. “As happens so frequently,” says Southwest Texas delegate Sandy C., “we borrowed from the experience of the Fellowship to make the conference come true.” It all started in 1992, s he explains, “when several Southwest Texas A.A.s in service a ttended the annual C.F. conference in Colorado and thought tha t having a similar one back home would be beneficial, especially since Texas, which already had the largest prison system in the world, was building new facilities at a very rapid pace.” Two C.F. committee members, Arley H. and chairman Tom B., felt so strongly about the project, Sandy says, that initially they plunged into planning on their own with nothmg in their pockets but faith. ccyou can’t 10

put on a conference-you don’t have any money,” someone said. To which they retorted, “Don’t tell alcoholics they can’t do something: We don’ t know how we’re going to do it, but do it we will.” Sure enough, the project gathered steam. ” It :;eemed like eve1yone wanted to show how much they care,” Sandy reports. “Where donation cans were placed, people would literally empty their pockets.” Soon the fliers were printed, announcements w ere posted and, in February 1993, the first Southwest Texas Area Correctional Facilities Conference was held in Temple. ”There was no airport for 60 miles in any direction,” observes Sandy, “but nearly 300 A.A.s showed up, some of them driving for as many as 16 hours m winter conditions.” The speakers included ex-offenders, county and city correcrion officers, a representative fi·om the governor’s office and an out-of-state director of prisons. The registration fee was $5; these proceeds and additional money raised from the sale of literature were enough to cover the cost of food, available in a hospitality suite, and aU other expenses. There we1·e even enough funds left over to purchase more literature and proVIde $400 “start-up” money toward the second conference, which was held in Victoria in 1994. This year’s meeting, at San Antonio, was the biggest one yet, and the C.F. committee is already planning for “next year in Austin.” Says Sandy: “To date not one cent of area funds has been needed. From the begmrung, both groups and individuals have pitched in. At the same time, hundreds of Big Books and o ther A.A. literature have been provided for state, county and federal mmates from funds generated at the conference. One w onderful outgrowth of the event is that more A.A.s are volunteering for C.F. Twelfth Stepp mg. Many m embers have been newly cleared for visitation, and A.A.s are visiting all the Southwest Texas correctional facilit]es, encompassing more than 60 prisons, on a w eekly basis to carry our message of recovery.”

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New Prison Discount Package The A.A.W.S. Board has approved a new, large prison discount package for use by area and local correctional facilities committees. The new packages (P-66 for men and P- 65 for women), which sell for $30 before discounts, are availa ble in addition to the smaller packages currently available. Details on the content of the new packets and order forms may be obtained by contacting the Correctional Facilities desk, G.S.O.

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15 19

BULLETIN BOARD

Items and Ideas on Area Gatherings for A.A.-Via G.S.O.

Calendar of Events Events Listed here ar e presented solely

as a service to readers, not as an endorsem ent by the Gen eral Service Office. For any addi6onal information,

please use the addresses provided.

4-6-Guelph, Ontario, Canada. 26th Annual Cen t ral West Ontnrio Conv.

Write: Ch., 4A-385 Failway Rd So., Box 126, Kltchener, ON N2C 2N9

4-6- Redwood Creek, Califom ra. 1.7th Annual HCI Campout. Write: Ch. , Box 6872, Eureka, CA 95502 4-6–Cromwell, Connecticut. 12th Annual Wal k t he Walk Roundup. Write: Ch ., Box 1389, New Haven, Cf 06505 4-6-Delmar, Maryland. Ninth Annual Area 29 Weekend Assembly. Write: Ch., Weekend Assembly, Box 1636, Salisbury, MD21802 4-6-‘l’iel, The Netherla11ds. Tiel Round-Up. Write: Ch., Harstenboekweg 74, 2587 SM TI1e Hague, The NetherlandS 4-6-Houghton, Michigan. Second Annual U.P. Roundup. Writ e: Ch., Box 1 45, Ha ncock, MI 49930 4-6-Spokane, Washington. “T o lie Wha t You Arc» Conv. Write: Ch ., Box 170, 1727 W.N.W. Blvd., Spolu:lne, WA 99205 4-7-Dmwin City, Australia. Round-Up Weekend . Writ e: Ch., Box 40760, Casuarina, NT 0811, Australia

5-6-Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada. 22nd Annual Rally. Write: Ch., Box 652, Campbell River, BC V9W Q13 10-t~Hot Springs, Ar·kan.sa.s. State Conv. Write: Ch., Box 70, Redfield, M 72132

11-13- Tulameen , British Columbia, Canada. Annual Campou t. Wri te: Ch., Site 3C, C-3, Tularneen, BC VOX 21.0 1 t-1~West Springfield, Massachusetts.

Nor theast Regional Foru m, Write: Sec., Box 459, Grand Central StHtlon, New York NY 10163

!1-13-&wlt Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. Annual Family Campout. Write: Ch., 4 Ellst St., Ap t. 602, Sault Stc. Marie, ON P6A6W9 11-13- Painted Post, New York. Second Annual August Roundup. Write: Cb., Box 861, Coming, New York 14830 11-13-Lake Poinsett, South Dakota. 24th Annual Seren ity Weekend Campout. Writ e: Ch., RR 4, Box 2 1 , Yan k ton, SD57078 11-13-Dallas, Teras. Lone Star Rou ndup. Wrtl e: Ch., Box 836221, Richa rdson, TX 75083-6221 17-20-0maha, Nebraska. Cornh uskcr Round Up VUI . Write. Ch., Dox 425, Bellevue, NE 68005 18-20-0shawa, Ontario, Canada. 23rd Annual Lakesh ore Conf. Write: Ch., 200 Thornton Rd. N., Oshawa, ON I.lJ GT3 18-20–Moline, TUinois. 22nd Annual State Conf. Write: Ch., Box 11, Ea st Moline,

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IL 61244-0011

18-20–Lent.tt:a, Kansas. KCACYPM. Write: Ch., Box 3510, Shawnee, KS 66203 18-20–Clarington, Pennsylvania. Seventh Annual Ca mpathon. Wr ite : Ch., Box 1567, Washington, PA 15301 18-20–Chattanooga, Tenne.ssee. ChooChoo Roundup . Write: Ch ., Box 2105, Chattanooga, TN 37409 18-20–Kerrville, Texas. 20th Annual Hill Countly Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 33147, Kerrville, TX 78029-3147 18-20- Beaumont, Tcx~. 14th Annual District Conf. Write; Ch., 530 Parks St., Silsbee, TX 77656 24-27- wu.i.sville, Kentucky. 51st SE ConfJ Fifth Fa!! City Conv. Write: Ch., Box 37137, Louisville, KY 40233-7137 25-27-sioux City, Iowa. West Central Regional Forum. Write: Sec., Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York NY10163. 25-27-]ackson, Mississippi. Ninth Annual Mississippi Oldtimers Roundup. Write: Ch. , Box 20664, j ackson, MS 3!1289 25-27-]oplin, Missou ri. Eight h Annual Summer Humme r. Write: Ch ., 527 Wmflcld,Joplin, MO 64801 25-27-]amestown , New York. Tri-State and Canada Assembly. Wr ite: Ch., Box 1977, Butler, PA 16003

25-27-State College, Pennsylvania. Second Annual East/Wt!!lt State Conv. Write: Ch., Box 36, Paoli, PA 19301-0036 25-27-Mpmphis, Tennessee. 43rd State Conv. Wrlte: Ch., Box 954, Millington , TN 38083-0954 25-27- Kettle Falls, Washington. Dist. 51 Campout. Write: Ch., 774 S. Elm, Colville, WA99114 31.-Sept. 3-Honolulu, Hawaii. 38th ICYPM. Write: Ch., Box 295759, Honolulu Hl96820 ‘

AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 1995

Closed Meeting Topics From the Grapevine For m ore detailed suggestions, see th e pages noted. August (page 15): “A.A.’s annual business meeting” (The General Service Conference)

Septem ber (page 32): T he GvR N e two rk.

Write: Ch., Box 1641, Yellowknife, NT X1A2P2 1-3-Chapleau, On tario, Canada. 28th Anniversary Roundup. Write: Secy Box 634, Chapleau, ON POM 11<0 .’ 1-3-Denver, Colorado. State Conv. Write: Ch., Box 280363, Lakewood, CO 802280363 1-3-Kansas City, Missouri. 15th Annu al Roundup (presented by gay &> lesbian memb ers). Write: Ch., Box 411111 , Kansas Cil(,, MO 64141 1-3-Hesse, Michigan. Les Cheneaux Anniv. Campou t. Write: Ch., HC47-Box 6994, St. Martin Pt., Hessel, MI 497·15

1-3-Seattle (Sea-‘l’ac), Washi11gton. Sponsorship Conf. Write: Ch.• Box 99945, ‘!’acoma, WA98499 1-4-San Fr·anclsco, California. Living Sober 1995. Write: Ch., Box 420974, San Francisco, CA 94142 1-4-Tampa, Florida. Tampa Bay fall Roundup. Wri t e: Ch., Box 262545, Tampa, FL 33685

8-10-Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Annual Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 165, Medicine Hat, AB T1A 7E9

September

8-10-Byng Park, Dunnville, Ontario, Canada. 29th Annual Conv., Write: Ch.,

1-3- Corner· Broo k , Newfoundland, Ca~ada. 31s t NS NfLD-Lab. Assembly.

8-10- Vallecito Lake, Colorado. Four

Write: Ch., 7 Bas hn Place, Curling, NFA2HGT9

1-3- Yellowkrtl[e, Northwest Territories, Canada. 23rd Annual NWT Round Up.

Box 163, Dunnville, ON NlA 2X5 Corners Roundup. Write: Ch., 755 E. 2nd Ave., Ste. L, Durango, CO 81301 8-10–Cromwe/1, Connecticut. 37th Annual Area Conv. Writ~: Ch., 61 Laurel Lane,

Planning a Future Event? Please send your infonna~on on October, November or December events, two days or more, in time to reach G.S.O. by A1~t 10, the calendar deadline for the October-November Issue ofBo.:r4-5-9 . For your convenience and ours- please l)pe or print the information to be listed on the Bulletin Board page, and mall to us:

Dateofevent:from _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ to _ __ _ __ _ _ __, 19 _ _ _ Narnec![event: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ Place (city, state

orprov.): _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ __

For infonnation, write: (exact nzailing addrtss)

—————————–

Contact pho11e N (for office use only): – – – – – — – – – — – — — – –

Flip up this end ofpage -for events on reverse side

22-24-San Francisco, California. Third

Ridgefield, CT 06887

8-10-Riverhead, Lor1g Island, New ‘York. First Annual SYPCCAA. Write: Ch., Box 2455-0678, Patchogue, NY 11772 8-10-Cleveland, Ohio. Fifth Bridging the Gap Wor~hop. Write: Ch., 3843 BelView Lane # D,St. Louis, M063125 8-10-Hampton, Virginia. Virginia Area Conv. Wr ite : Cb. , 211 Captains Court, Hampton, VA 23669 8-iO-Green Bay, Wisconsin. 46th A:tmual Area Fall Conf . Write : Cb., Box 243, Green Bay, WI 54305-0243 15-17- Milwaukee, WISCOnsin. East Central Region a l f oru m : Write : Se c., Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York NY 10163 15-17-Lakc Havasu City, Arizona. Eighth A:tmual Round-Up. Write: Ch., Box 1692, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86405-1692 15-17-Lisle, Illinois. Sixt h Annual ll’CYPAA. Write: Cb., Box 4933, Naperville, IL60567 15-17-Lenox, Massachusetts. Back to Basics Weekend. Write: Ch., 368 Congress St., Boston, MA 02210 15-17-Duluth, Minnesota. 50th Dulu th Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 16671, Duluth, MN 55816-0771 15-17-Na tcllez, Mississippi. Southern Hospi tality H oo p la. Write : Ch., Box 18242, Natchez, MS 39122 15-17-EI Prado, New Merico. 12th Taos Mounta in Fies ta . Write: Ch., Box 253, El Prado, NM 87529 15-17- La Crosse, Wisconsin. Southern WlSCtJnsin Fall Conf. Write: Ch., Box 36, La Cross, WI 54602-0036

21-24-Per!sacola

Beach,

Florida.

Alabama/NW Florida Area Conv. Write: Ch., Box 8083, Pensacola, fl. 32505 22-24-R.evelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. Revelstoke Roundup. Write: Ch., BoX.3266, Revelstoke, BC VOE 2SO 22-24-Brampton., Ontario, Canada. 13th Annua l Brampton-Bramalea Conv., Wr ite: Ch., Box 411, 210 Steeles Ave. W, Brampton, ON L6Y 21<3

Annual Conv. Wnte: Ch., Box 423832, San Franci.~co, CA 94142 22-24-Santa Marla, Califomia. D ist. 52 Third Annual Conv. Write: Ch., Box 2523, Lompoc, CA 93438 22-24-lV!ce, France. first English-speakmg French Riviera Conv. Wri te: Cb ,, c/o Intergroup, 53 rue Caffrelli (Passy), Ntce, France 06000 29-0ct. 1- Crescent City, Califomia. Ninth Annual Sobriety by the Sea Rally. Write: Ch., Box 871, Crescent City, CA 95531 29-0ct. t – Or/ando, Florida. Southeast Woman to Woman Seminar. Write: Ch., 2964 Northwood Blvd., Orlando, FL32803 29-0ct. 1- Muscatine, Iowa. Melon City Roundup IV. Write: Ch., Box 1244, Muscatine, IA 52761 29-0ct. 1-TI’Dy, Michigan. Eighth A:tmual Tri County Conf. Write: Ch., Box 35360, Detroit, MI 48235-0360

Fall Conf. Write: Ch., Box 234, Rapid City, SD 57709 27-29- Yuma , Arizona. Arizona Area Conv. Write: Ch., 13319 E. 49th Dr., Yuma, AZ 85367

27-29-Bingllamton, New York. 1\vo Rivers Soberfest. Wrlte:Ch., 662 State St., Binghamton, NY 13901

27-29- Philadelphia,

Pen11.~ylvania.

Phildelphia Freedom Roundup (sponsored by gay&- lesbian members). Write: Ch.,Box 15978, Philadelphia, PA 19103 27-29-St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. 10th Annual Conv. Write: Ch., Box 3435, St. Thomas, VI 00803

November 2-5-Memphis, Tenr~essee. Bluff City Conv. Wlite: C’J1., 1774 Sugarloaf St., Memphis, TN38108

10-12-0koboji, Iowa. Pre-Winter Rally.

October 5-8- R.apid City, South Dakota. Native American Indian Conv. Write: Ch., Box 84824, Seatt le, WA 98124

6-8- Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. Northeast Area Conf. Write: Ch., Box 1298, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 6N1 6-8-Lafayette, Louisiana. 12·th Annual Cajun Count ry Conf. Write : Ch., Box 3160, Lafayette, lA 70502 6-8-Calpe, Spain. Fourth Costa Blanca Intergroup Conv. Write: Ch. , Mail Boxes 167, c/ Corb etta 10-5, Calpe 03710, Alicante, Spain 6-8-Ciarksburg, West Vi~>lnia. J ackson’s Mill Roun dup. Write: Ch ., Box 825, Clarksburg, WV 26302-0825 20-22- St. Cloud, Minnesota. St. Clou d Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 1.25, St. Cloud, MN 56302 20-22-Rapid City, South Dakota. Area 63

Write: Ch., Box 346, Suther lan d, IA 51058-0346 10-12-Leominster, Massachusetts. 32nd Annual State Conv. Write: Ch., Box 454, Leominster, MA 01453-0454 10-12- Cincinnati, Ohio. Third Buckeye Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 5314, Cincinnati, OH 45205 17-19-Wicllita, Kansas. Fall Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 47713, Wichita, KS 67202 17-19-Fontana, Wisconsin. McH enry’s Sixth Annual Sober fest. Wr ite· Ch., Box 2 13, Rlngwpod, lL 6007.2-0213 · 23-26- Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 43177, Las Vegas, NV 89116 24-26- Hamilton , Be>·muda. Bermuda Conv. Wr ite: Ch., Box 178, Warwick WK BX, Bermuda 24-26- 0maha, Nebmska. Great Plams Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 34192, Omaha, NE68134