Roland Hazard,Ebby T,and Bill W.

[bballdad]

1931

Rowland Hazard (age 50), who was from a very prominent colonial Rhode Island family, was treated by Dr Carl Gustav Jung
in Zurich, Switzerland. It is believed that he was a patient for about a year, sobered up and then returned to drinking.
Treated a second time by Jung, Rowland was told that there was no medical or psychological hope for an alcoholic of his
type; that his only hope was a vital spiritual or religious experience - in short a genuine conversion experience. In a January
1963 Grapevine article describing his exchange of letters with Dr Jung, Bill W wrote that this was “the first in the chain of
events that led to the founding of AA.”


1932
Rowland H found sobriety through the spiritual practices of the Oxford Group (it is not clear whether it occurred in Europe or
the US and it could have occurred in 1931). Rowland was a dedicated OG member in NY, VT and upper MA and a
prominent member of the Calvary Episcopal Church in NYC. He later moved to Shaftsbury, VT.

1933

Bill W’s first admission to Towns
Hospital. Bill was subjected to the “belladonna cure.” The regimen primarily involved “purging and puking” aided by, among
other things, castor oil. Belladonna, a hallucinogen, was used to ease the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.

1934
Dr Bob was appointed to the courtesy staff of St Thomas Hospital in Akron, OH. His position at City Hospital had become
precarious because of his drinking.


July 1934, Ebby T was approached in Manchester, VT by his friends Cebra Graves (an attorney) and F Sheppard (Shep) Cornell
(a NY stockbroker). Both were Oxford Group members who had done considerable drinking with Ebby and were abstaining
from drinking. They informed Ebby of the OG in VT but he was not quite ready yet to stop drinking.

July (?), Bill W’s second admission to Towns Hospital (again paid by Dr Leonard V Strong). Bill met Dr Silkworth for the first
time. Silkworth explained the obsession and allergy of alcoholism but Bill started drinking again almost immediately upon
discharge. Bill was unemployable, $50,000 in debt ($757,576 today) suicidal and drinking around the clock.

August, Cebra G and Shep C vacationed at Rowland H’s house in Bennington, VT. Cebra learned that Ebby T‘s drinking
had gotten him into so much trouble that he was facing criminal charges and might be committed to Brattleboro Asylum.
Cebra, Shep and Rowland decided to make Ebby “a project.”
August, Rowland H and Cebra G attended Ebby’s trial and persuaded the judge (who just happened to be Cebra's father
Collins) to parole Ebby T into their custody. Ebby had first met Rowland only shortly before the trial. In the fall, Rowland took
Ebby to NYC where he sobered up with the help of the Oxford Group at the Calvary Mission.

September 17, Bill W’s third admission to Towns Hospital (again paid by Dr Leonard V Strong). Dr Silkworth pronounced Bill
a hopeless drunk and informed Lois that Bill would likely have to be committed. Bill left the hospital a deeply frightened man
and sheer terror kept him sober. He found a little work on Wall St, which began to restore his badly shattered confidence.

November 11, Armistice Day, Bill W went to play golf and got drunk and badly injured. Lois began investigating sanitariums
in which to place Bill.

November (late), Ebby T, while staying at the Calvary Mission and working with the Oxford Group, heard about Bill W’s
problems with drinking. He phoned Lois who invited him over for dinner.

November (late), Ebby visited Bill W at 182 Clinton St and shared his recovery experience "one alcoholic talking to another.”
(AACOA vii, 58-59) A few days later, Ebby returned with Shep C. They spoke to Bill about the Oxford Group. Bill did not
think too highly of Shep. Lois recalled that Ebby visited several times, once even staying for dinner.

December 7, Bill W decided to investigate the Calvary Mission on 23 rd St. He showed up drunk with a drinking companion
found along the way (Alec the Finn). Bill kept interrupting the service wanting to speak. On the verge of being ejected, Ebby
came by and fed Bill a plate of beans. Bill later joined the penitents and drunkenly “testified” at the meeting.

December 11, Bill W (age 39) decided to go back to Towns Hospital and had his last drink (four bottles of beer purchased on
the way). He got financial help from his mother, Emily, for the hospital bill.

December 14, Ebby visited Bill W at Towns Hospital and told him about the Oxford Group principles. After Ebby left, Bill fell
into a deep depression (his “deflation at depth”) and had a profound spiritual experience after crying out “If there be a God,
will he show himself.” Fearing that he had gone crazy, Bill called for Dr Silkworth who told him to hang on to what he had
experienced because it seemed so much better than what he came into the hospital with. In a lighter vein, Bill and others
would later refer to this as his “white flash” or “hot flash” experience.

December 15, Ebby (possibly Rowland H) brought Bill W a copy of William James' book The Varieties of Religious
Experience. Bill found the book deeply inspiring by revealing 3 key points for recovery:
(1): the need for a complete defeat in
a vital area of life (or what we today call “hitting bottom”)
(2): the admission of defeat (or what we today call “acceptance”)
and
(3): an appeal to a higher power for help (or what we today call “surrender”). These spiritual principles later became the
basis for Steps 1, 2 and 3. The book strongly influenced early AAs and is cited in the Big Book.

December 18, Bill W left Towns Hospital and began working with drunks. He and Lois attended Oxford Group meetings with
Ebby T and Shep C at Calvary Hall in Calvary House. The Rev Sam Shoemaker was the rector at the Calvary Church (the
OG’s US headquarters). The church was on fourth Ave (now Park Ave) and 21 st St. Calvary House (where OG meetings
were usually held) was at 61 Gramercy Park. Calvary Mission was located at 346 E 23 rd St.

December (late), after Oxford Group meetings, Bill W and other OG alcoholics met at Stewart’s Cafeteria. Attendees
included Rowland H and Ebby T.

[best]

Originally Posted by Elias

The only thing I don’t care for is that he turned down an Honorary Degree from Yale University. Was it Yale my memory isn’t the greatest? I don’t know why on earth he would do such a thing.

Honesty maybe?

Didn't earn the degree with the same hard work others use to get a degree, so why accept it?

Only a guess on my part but maybe the right guess?

[best]

Deserving yes. Many hours put in that gained a place of deserving yes.
To be offered the degree is as much an honor of getting it.
To get it in a different manner then others...

I am just trying to think like I feel he would think. Humble and honest is how he would tell us to be.

[bballdad]

I have a 65 page file in pdf format on aa history timeline where I got this stuff.It was put together by quite a few AA `s,using documentation.
If anyone wants a copy,pm me a email address,I`ll send it to you.

[yogurt75]

Recent research has shown that the whole Rowland H. and C.G. Jung "official" timeline does not match actual documentation. There are several pieces of disinformation which are continued in the "official" literature despite documentation to the contrary. One of those just happens to be Dr. Bob's sobriety date (on or about June 17, 1935).

Unfortunately, what remains on the net is not updated as research proves otherwise. Outdated source materials should be questioned prior to taking their "facts" as gospel.

[CarolD]

Hi Yougurt...
Welcome to SR!