AA Cofounders

04/21/2026

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04/15/2026

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The historic St. Thomas Hospital chapel in Akron was a century-old sanctuary deeply tied to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Sister M. Ignatia. It closed in 2022 as part of Summa Health’s relocation to the new Juve Family Behavioral Health Pavilion. Many of the chapel's original items and stained-glass windows were salvaged and moved to the new pavilion to preserve its legacy. To honor the history of Dr. Bob and Sister Ignatia, items from the chapel were gifted to the Juve Family Behavioral Health Pavilion and St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron.

04/07/2026

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Dr. Bob, “For some reason, we alcoholics seem to have the gift of
picking out the world’s finest women., “Why they
should be subjected to the tortures we inflict upon them, I
cannot explain.” Page 53 Dr. Bob & The Good Oldtimers

04/04/2026

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04/03/2026

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Dr. Harry Tiebout Writings
Dr. Harry M. Tiebout, a psychiatrist, was an early pioneer in coupling the principles and philosophy of Alcoholics Anonymous with psychiatric knowledge of alcoholism.
A strong supporter of A.A. throughout his life, he consistently worked for acceptance of his views concerning alcoholism the medical and psychiatric professions.
He served on the Board of Trustees for A.A. from 1957 to 1966, and was chairman of the National Council on Alcoholism in 1950.
https://alco-retab.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Tiebout-1954-Nouveau.pdf

03/19/2026

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Anne Robinson Ripley born March 3, 1881 in Moline Illinois to Joseph Trescott Ripley, (Father) and Harriet Theresa Konentz Ripley, (Mother) She grew up in Oak Park, IL with three brothers, Paul, Charles & Joseph. Anne attended Wellesley College on a scholarship a testament to her determination in a family of modest means. She met Robert Smith in 1898 at a dance setting off a 17 year courtship, perhaps waiting for signs of lasting sobriety.
Struggling through many more years of Bob's drinking until 1935 when Bill W reached out to "Dr. Bob" and AA was born, Annie had already been attending the Oxford group for a year and had incorporated their teachings into her already spiritual foundation.

Bill W. credits her with infusing this spiritual foundation into the Akron fellowship. The naming as the spiritual "Mother of AA" comes from Bill W's tribute to Annie S. in The Grapevine (July 1949) after her death. "She was, quite literally, the mother of our first group, Akron Number One… In the full sense of the word, she was one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous." Bill frequently referred to Annie as the Mother of AA.

03/16/2026

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03/16/2026

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Robert Holbrook Smith—eventually to be known to grateful alcoholics as Dr. Bob, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous— was
born August 8, 1879, in the front bedroom of a large, 19th century clapboard house at the corner of Central and Summer Streets in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.

02/28/2026

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The Akron Manual
A Manual for Alcoholics Anonymous, produced by Akron Group No. 1 — the very first A.A. group founded by Dr. Bob. Written in the early 1940s by Evan W. at Dr. Bob’s request, this manual captures the program exactly as it was practiced in A.A.’s earliest days.

From guidance on hospitalization and sponsor duties to suggested readings and daily practices, the Akron Manual reveals how the fellowship was lived and shared before the Big Book became widespread. Issued while Dr. Bob was still alive and active, this scarce pamphlet remains one of the most historically important A.A. documents ever printed.

02/18/2026

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February 19, 1940. Newsweek printed one of the earliest articles in a national media, titled Alcoholics Anonymous Science Column.