A.a. Cofounder Bill W.: His Younger Years At A Glance
A.A. Cofounder Bill W.: His Younger Years at a Glance
Dick B.
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The A.A. Backdrop
Bill Wilson was born in East Dorset, Vermont, November 26, 1895. His parents were married in the East Dorset Congregational Church. That church lay on the green between The Wilson House and the Griffith House. Bill was born, and his parents lived briefly, in The Wilson House. His paternal grandparents had been among the founders and attenders at the church. Bill was raised in the Griffith House by his maternal grandparents who considered the church their family church. Bill got sober in November 1934 and never drank again. He died on January 24, 1971. A.A. literature records: “All his life, Bill retained, as did Dr. Bob, a deep affection for and identification with the people of Vermont. . . . [H]e enjoyed sharing with friends many delightful anecdotes about his early years” [The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches Their Last Major Talks (New York, NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1972, 1975), pp. 25-27]
Bill W.’s Unusual Christian Experiences as a Youngster in Vermont
From Bill W.: My First 40 Years: An Autobiography by the Cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous (Center City, MN: Hazelden, 2000); and Dick B., The Conversion of Bill W.: More on the Creator’s Role in Early A.A. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc, 2006)
Bill’s Grandpa, Willie Wilson: Willie had been a founder, officer, and