53 ans de sobriété active
Lamar H. Roeder (décédé le 31 août 2009, à l'âge de 86 ans, à Charlotte, Southern Maryland)
"He started drinking when he was young, and by his 30s realized he had a problem".
Mr. Roeder was 33 when he joined Alcoholics Anonymous.
"When he started, there were only 11 meetings in Baltimore, and there were few treatment facilities in those days. He really believed in the 12-step program and wanted to reach out and help others as he had been helped," his daughter said.
"He was at many a bedside holding people's hands and talking to them. He'd fill his car with guys and drive them to their meetings, whether they were here or in Pennsylvania or Virginia.
"And it made no difference to him whether the person who needed help was a corporate CEO or poor. It didn't matter to him," his daughter said.
Mr. Roeder helped establish a meeting for alcoholics at the Maryland Penitentiary, volunteered for more than two decades at Chip House in Baltimore and was on the board of Pathways, a treatment center.
"In the 1960s, because of segregation, he helped establish a meeting for blacks in the penitentiary".
Mr. Roeder maintained a busy and full schedule. "He was out most nights of the week at meetings and really put some mileage on his car," his daughter said, laughing.
She attributed her father's success in AA to his "sense of humor and ability at telling a good story."
He also was a much sought-after speaker at Alcoholics Anonymous conventions.
"AA was the biggest thing in his life," she said. "He really had no time for hobbies."
