Bob S. on Dr. Bob, Bill W., and the Early Days in Akron

About This Speaker Tape

Mother's Day, 1935, Akron, Ohio. A man arrives home "potted," passing out upstairs until a friend brings a stranger to the door who claims he can help. Bob S. recalls this collision between his father, Dr. Bob, and Bill W. as the spark of a movement born from nothing. He paints a gritty picture of the Great Depression—strong men selling five-cent apples on street corners—and a house filled with "wet drunks" and the pungent stench of peraldehyde.

Bob S. describes the early wreckage: a patient who escaped through a downspout and chased his mother with a butcher knife, and the "damage control" of the Twelve Traditions. He admits to his own denial, describing his life as a series of crashes in the same wilderness. Through the loss of his son to suicide and his wife to cancer, he found a Higher Power that didn't just improve his conduct, but propped him up. He warns that the person he once was will get sick again, urging others to move past the first shack on the road.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Bob S. opens with sign language and thanks the committee.
• 3:15 Laughter: Bob discusses his 'trustee reject' status after failing to get a trustee-at-large position.
• 6:40 Bob recounts the first meeting between Bill W. and Dr. Bob in 1935.
• 12:10 Bob describes the personality clash and synergy between the garrulous Bill W. and the steady Dr. Bob.
• 16:30 The story of Eddie R. escaping through a downspout and the subsequent group conscience meeting.
• 22:10 Discussion of the Oxford Group and the 'four absolutes' woven into the program.
• 28:45 Bob reflects on the first international convention in 1950 and the adoption of the 12 Traditions.
• 34:20 Bob describes his own 'party animal' years and the denial of his family's alcoholism.
• 41:10 The tragedy of his son Scott's suicide and the support of the fellowship.
• 45:30 Bob discusses the 'miracles' of the program, including the decision to reject Rockefeller's money.
• 51:15 Bob shares his experience as a WWII bomber pilot and his evolving relationship with his Higher Power.
• 56:40 Bob closes with a quote from Albert Schweitzer on the happiness found in service.