Aa history Lovers 2006 moderators Nancy Olson and Glenn F. Chesnut page

>Subject: RE: [AAHistoryLovers] Circle and Triangle

>lawsuit

>

>This dropping out resulted in NY stopping the use

>of the Circle and Triangle as symbol of "official

>literature."

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++++Message 3911. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Fulton Oursler Article

From: ricktompkins . . . . . . . . . . . . 12/3/2006 8:28:00 AM

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Thanks for the posting, Bill---Fulton Oursler

beautifully recognized our "language of the heart."

When was the article written and where was it

published?

About Morris Markey, I've heard he was an AA

member. The Sept. '39 Liberty article drew a

paltry 800 inquiries because the Alcoholic

Foundation address didn't accompany it (and it

took a search effort by its readers!).

A correction came with the March '41 Saturday

Evening Post and its watershed 8,000 inquiries

--the Post staff most likely took notice of

Markey's 1939 piece...
Oursler was a great friend to AA and may have

initially become more interested in our fledgling

Society of ex-drunks after the 1938 Rockefeller

dinner, following the 'buzz' around NYC boardrooms

leading up to the launch of the Big Book. The nudge

to Markey and Liberty from Dr. Towns shows me

that Towns utilized his influence for the benefit

of AA beyond his large purchase of Works Publishing,

Inc. stock.
And Dr. Silkworth, AA's pioneer friend of modest

means, saved a gift from Oursler, a beautiful

Japanese print and silk scarf that was contributed

to the AA Archives from Chicago AA in 1996 (through

a grand-nephew of Racine, Wisconsin). Silkworth's

letter desk may be all that remains on GSO Archives

display from that transfer, but the gifts speak

volumes of the Oursler-Silkworth friendship.

Along a different line of AA history, who were

the Reader's Digest editors that nixed an article

about AA (a non-starter for its readers) around

the same time as the Liberty feature?

That's a story of a publication that eventually

recognized its error of omission...

Best to all,

Rick T., Illinois

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++++Message 3912. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: The reading of "How it Works" at

the beginning of meeti...

From: [e-mail] . . . . . . . . . . . . 12/3/2006 10:39:00 AM
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A better question might be.. Was there AA in

Denver in March 1940 or did Mort find AA from

the book and then go to meet Kay Miller and

the LA Mother Group when he arrived in LA?

See Pg 266 of "Pass it On" for the answer.
Yis

Shakey Mike Gwirtz

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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++++Message 3913. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: "Qualification"

From: [e-mail] . . . . . . . . . . . . 12/3/2006 1:23:00 PM

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Comments from Susan B., Chris Mahl, Woody (Robert

Woodson) in Akron, Mitchell K., Li Lightfoot,

Jim Blair, Rick Clowater, Sherry C. Hartsell,

Tom White, Carole Seddon, and Glenn Chesnut:

- - -
johnpublico

(keller of ociofcharlotte.com) wrote:

Lawrence Block, in his Matthew Scudder detective

series set in NY City, uses "qualification" and

"qualifying" in apparent reference to an AA

speaker's story.

- - -
NEW YORK CITY (BUT NOT WYOMING)

From: [e-mail] (sbanker914 at aol.com)

It has been my experience that "qualifications"

are the most common form of AA meetings in NYC.

And, yes, a qualification is the telling of the

speaker's "experience, strength and hope" for

about 20 minutes. Most commonly, the

qualification is followed by a "show of hands,"

where members of the meeting share in response

to the speaker's "story."

I live in Wyoming in the summertime, and this

format is mostly unknown in meetings there.

Even in New Jersey where I currently live, a

"speaker meeting" is that meeting more commonly

known as a "3-speaker meeting" where there is

no response time from the members.

Since I have been attending NYC meetings for almost

19 years, I am most content and comfortable with

this format.
Susan B.
- - -
NEW YORK CITY (BUT NOT MASSACHUSETTS

OR NEW JERSEY)

From: "chris mahl"

(chrismahl at gmail.com)

Here in New York City, the terms 'qualification'

and 'qualifying' are used everyday. I started in

Massachusetts and New Jersey and didn't recall

ever hearing it before I moved to New York City

in 1988.
Chris
- - -
AKRON
From: Robt Woodson

(wdywdsn at sbcglobal.net)

John,
Those terms are definitely still is use here in

Akron, Ohio...the portion of a speaker's lead prior

to his or her getting sober is referred to as

"qualifying"...sometimes you hear it said that

a lead is all "qualifying" meaning that there is

very little said about the program or life in

sobriety.
In some instances there is a concern that a

speaker has not "qualified," or shown to the

audience that he too is an alcoholic and given

grounds for the audience to relate to his or

her story. I'm a firm believer that each of

us has, in their own way, "qualified" for our

seats at the meeting. I hope this helps you to

understand the use and perhaps to help gauge

the spread of the term used in the active sense

"to qualify".

Keep your powder dry,

Woody in Akron

- - -
CLEVELAND

From: "Mitchell K."

(mitchell_k_archivist at yahoo.com)
When Clarence Snyder, originally of Cleveland

took people through their steps they "qualified"

(told their story) to him as a prelude to the

First Step.

I've heard the term qualification or qualified

in reference to someone telling their story at

a meeting, with their sponsor or on a 12 Step

call in quite a few places over the years.

- - -
SAN FRANCISCO

From: Li Lightfoot

(li_lightfoot at yahoo.com)
These terms used in this way are common in the

San Francisco Bay Area at present but we also

use "sharing" at a meeting to mean the same

thing.
LL

- - -
ONTARIO

From: James Blair

(jblair at videotron.ca)
In the province of Ontario, Canada, the chairman

at each meeting will "qualify" himself as a

alcoholic by telling a bit of his story. I think

this is the only province in Canada where this

is done.
Jim
- - -
ONTARIO

From: "Rick Clowater"

(clowaters at rogers.com)
I am unsure how the use of "qualifying" is used in

other areas but I do know that here in Ottawa,

Ontario, Canada that the chairperson "qualifies"

as an alcoholic at the beginning of meetings.

I suspect also that this is the same throughout

the Ottawa Valley area.

Not sure if this helps, but the first opportunity

I have had to reply to anything on this GREAT site.

Thank you all for my sobriety
Rick Clowater

Uptown Group (Monday Night)

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- - -
TEXAS

From: "Sherry C. Hartsell"