a sampling from our document files on the early days of A.A. in Long Beach.

the Archives presents an excerpt from an unpublished manuscript by Bob P.* In it, the author offers a detailed account of the emergence and growth of A.A. groups in Southern California. His description of the evolution of the Los Angeles fellowship is especially interesting.

This month’s offering from the Harbor Area Archives comprises a brief history of early AA in Long Beach by Flossie Lewis. In 1981, she was asked by the incoming Chairman of the Harbor Area Service Committee to compose an historical synopsis of Alcoholic Anonymous in the local area. This is what she wrote.

This month, the Archives brings you a belated treat for the holiday season: photocopies of some correspondence between Lois W and Flossie L from the early 80s. Mostly of interest because of the correspondents but still kind of neat.

In 1939, Clarence S., the founder of Cleveland’s first A.A. group, decided to promote the local Fellowship by inviting a freelance reporter named Elrick B. Davis to attend the group’s meetings and write a series of articles about his experience for *The Cleveland Plain Dealer*. History records that Davis may well not have been an alcoholic himself and Clarence was […]

In the mid-1960s, Dr. Joseph Zuska began treating sailors in the Long Beach area for alcoholism. His program, the first of its kind in the history of the U.S. armed forces, served as a model for treatment protocols subsequently adopted by the DoD. In 1980, Dr. Zuska gave an address at the International A.A. Convention in New Orleans in which […]