long timers

Betty Van Nortwick (January 23, 1915) , who got sober in Chicago April 8, 1946, passed away at the age of 95 in El Paso (11th of october 2010).  We thought that maybe as of the other day, she may have been the person with the longest continuous sobriety in AA.  
 
When Betty came in to the fellowship, she was discouraged from joining because of her gender, and she insisted that she had earned her seat…  The men finally let her in. Apparently getting sober in Chicago in the 40s was not quite like today.  Betty lived in Arizona after Illinois and then for the past 30 years here in El Paso.  

She was an active member of the fellowship, attending meetings weekly and sponsoring women up until the day she died.  Her sponsees will want to remark, I’m sure.
 
We had the privilege of videoing her story two years ago, and there are copies in the AA archives in El Paso and Tucson.  God bless and we’ll pass along any service information.

Many tanks to Eddie W., Arizona, USA for this info

Memorial Service will be held at St. Francis on the Hill, 6280 Los Robles Drive, on Monday October 18th at 10:30 am.

Si vous voulez laisser un message de condoléances  :  link

Kathleen Ann  Parker, age 84, passed away Monday, June 7, 2010 in Rockledge, Florida.

A homemaker, she was born in Charleston, WV and moved to Brevard County in 1980 from Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Kathleen was a member of the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church and was a friend of Bill W. for over 60 years

49° "founder's day" à Akron, Ohio, USA - 1984

Debout, Edward R. Andy, de Lorain, Ohio (sobre depuis 1938) avec Moses D. Yoder, de Alliance, Ohio (un des premiers membres de confession amish du mouvement). Décédés tous les deux.

C'ETAIT LE 16 JUIN 1962 AU GROUPE AA DE LANCASTER, CALIFORNIE
        
EDDIE W. FETAIT SON 1° ANNIVERSAIRE DE SOBRIETE


Eddie W. se voit offrir son 1° gâteau...
A l'avant-plan, Link H. (84 ans mantenant, 54 ans de sobriété, toujours actif en AA)


Eddie W. (à droite), devant son 1° gâteau d'anniversaire et...pas loin du distributeur de cigarettes, contre lequel il avait été adossé lors de sa 1° réunion, pour éviter qu'il ne tombe ! 


Le groupe tenait ses réunions là, à l'époque

"GOOD MORNING. I DON'T HAVE TOO MANY PHOTOGRAPHS, BUT  THIS IS A PHOTOGRAPH OF OUR MEETING PLACE IN 1961.

BETWEEN THE TWO SMALL  WINDOWS IN THE LEFT  OF THE HOUSES.  IS WHERE I HAD HELP TO GET UP THAT ONE STEP. THIS WAS IN THE TOWN OF LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA, MIDDLE OF THE  MOJAVE  DESERT,  A TOWN  OF ABOUT 8000 PEOPLE. 

WE MET ON  TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS. THERE WAS ONLY ONE OTHER MEETING IN THE DESERT AREA. THAT WAS A ROVING MEETING. MY FIRST SPONSOR   BELONGS TO THAT GROUP. I DIDN'T QUITE GET THE PICTURE AND HAD  TO  DRINK FOR NINE MORE MONTHS.

ON JUNE 16, 1961 I WAS HELPED INTO THIS HOUSE. HAVE NOT  FOUND IT NECESSARY TO TAKE A DRINK SINCE.
THIS WAS A FAR CRY, FROM  THE PLACES WE MEET TODAY. SOME PEOPLE EVEN LIKE TO HAVE  US AROUND. THAT WAS NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE THEN

I  WILL ENCLOSE TWO PHOTOS OF MY FIRST BIRTHDAY.
WiLL GIVE YOU AN IDEA WHAT THE HOUSE WAS LIKE ON THE INSIDE, WHEN ALL 14 OF US WERE THERE, IT WAS CRAMPED QUARTERS. THE HOUSE WAS ALWAYS LEFT OPEN. INSTANT COFFEE ON THE COUNTER. WE HAD TWO BEDROOMS, FOR  DOWN AND OUT AREA."




IF YOU'D LIKE, SEND YOUR BEST WISHES TO EDDIE
SI VOUS LE DESIREZ, ENVOYEZ VOS MEILLEURS VOEUX A EDDIE
                                                                                                                                      ewilson29@cox.net


Les réunions à Lancaster aujourd'hui  :  link                                        


ET le journal AA de la région :
DOCUMENT 1
DOCUMENT 2

More about Eddie and his sponsor  http://www.kreizker.net/article-usa-arizona-phoenix-45959549.html

Eddie a été invité à témoigner au congrès international de San Antonio, en juillet 2010