The Founders, Early Members, and Influencer's

Individuals located in the Akron area

Henrietta Seiberling (1888-1979)

A member of the Oxford Group. Henrietta introduced Bill Wilson to Dr. Bob. A judge’s daughter, Henrietta Buckler, grew up in El Paso, Texas. There she met her future husband, Lieutenant Fred Seiberling, a Lieutenant in the Ohio National Guard deployed in El Paso. Fred was the oldest son of the Akron Industrialist F.A. Seiberling. Married in Akron, the couple raised three children there. Just as her relationship with her husband began to decay, Frank Buchman, leader of the Oxford Group, came to Akron. Sponsored by Harvey Firestone, Frank held a series of events in Akron in 1933. Attending these meetings, Henrietta became active in the local Oxford Group. She became a close friend of Anne Smith through their Oxford Group association. They would speak daily on the phone. During a meeting at Henrietta’s house, Bob Smith confessed he was a secret drinker and unable to stop and asked for prayer. Although not an alcoholic, Henrietta helped organize the “alcoholic squad,” a group within the Akron Oxford Group for people with alcohol problems. In 1935 the newly sober Bill Wilson traveled to Akron on what resulted in a discouraging failed business trip. He found himself in the lobby of Mayfield Hotel, fighting the urge to drink. It was common for Oxford Group members to contact local Oxford Group members while traveling. He started calling the names of local Oxford Group members. After several calls, he got hold of Henrietta. Henrietta listening to his plight, arranged for Bill to meet Bob Smith at her house in May 1935. Bill ended up staying in Akron with Bob and Anne. After not drinking for three weeks, Bob went to a medical conference in Atlantic City, which resulted in a drinking binge. But Bill was there to meet his friend when the train pulled into Akron. Bill gave him a few drinks to avoid the delirium tremens. Bob drank one more beer the next morning, 10 June 1935, before performing an operation. It was the last alcoholic drink Bob ever took. Henrietta added the religious dimension that both Bob and Bill resisted initially. Eventually Henrietta separated from her husband and moved to New York City. In 1953 Henrietta became the first paid part-time worker at the Clearing House, the organization that became Al-Anon in 1954. (The Clearing House was located at 334½ W24th St. in New York City.) Henrietta lived in New York until her death in 1979. She is buried next to her parents in Kentucky with the words “Let Go and Let God” on her gravestone.
Her obituary from the New York Times 6 December 1979 - "Henrietta Buckler Seiberling, a key figure in the founding and development of Alcoholics Anonymous, died yesterday at her home in New York City. She was 91 years old. Mrs. Seiberling, in the early 1930's opened her home, the Gate Lodge of Stan Hywet Hall in Akron, Ohio, to two alcoholics. From their encounter grew a movement that is now worldwide and one in which she had participated most of her life. A graduate of Vassar College and an accomplished pianist, she was the wife of the late J. Frederick Seiberling, whose father was the founder and president of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company as well as the Seiberling Rubber Company in Akron. She leaves a son, Representative John F. Seiberling, Democrat of Ohio; two daughters, Mary S. Huhn of Devon, Pa., and Dorothy Seiberling Steinberg, who is deputy editor of The New York Times Magazine; seven grandchildren and a great‐grandchild."

Dr Robert Holbrook “Bob” Smith (1879-1950) - Co-Founder of AA

Co-Founder of AA, also known as Dr. Bob, was an American physician and surgeon who founded Alcoholics Anonymous with Bill Wilson. Bob started drinking as a young adult and continued to drink heavily during the early years of his marriage and professional career. As his alcoholism progressed steadily, he began a desperate search for an answer to his problem. With strong encouragement and support from his wife, Anne R. Smith, he started attending meetings of the Oxford Group, a Christian evangelical fellowship, founded by Dr. Frank N. D. Buchman in 1919 and considered to be a forerunner of AA because of its emphasis on self-examination, acknowledgement of character defects, restitution of harm done, reliance on God, and working with others. In May of 1935 Bob was visited Bill Wilson, who was on a business trip to Akron. Bill on the verge of a relapse into alcoholism sought out an other alcoholic who was involved in the Oxford Group. The two became friends and were able to support one another in their struggles with alcohol addiction. They began reading the Bible together, offered each other support, engaged in long discussions and reviewed Oxford Group ideas, all of which were influential in the development of AA and its pioneering 12-step recovery program. Dr. Bob died of cancer at City Hospital in Akron, Ohio, at 71 years of age, on November 16, 1950.

"Let's not louse it all up with Freudian complexes and things that are interesting to the scientific mind, but have very little to do with our actual AA work. Our 12 Steps, when simmered down to the last, resolve themselves into the words love and service. We understand what love is and we understand what service is. So let's bear those two things in mind."

Anne Ripley Smith (March 3, 1881 – June 1, 1949)

Married to Dr. Bob Smith. Anne was an active member of the Oxford Group in Akron Ohio, and close friend of Henrietta Seiberling. Anne is known for insisting that those staying in her home have a quiet time of prayer and scripture reading each morning. Bill Wilson referred to her as the "Mother of AA". Her daughter Sue, spoke about her being the co-founder of Al-Anon. There are also a few other websites that state she is the co-founder of Al-Anon. Although she devoted herself to working with the alcoholics, their wives, and families in Akron, she passed before Al-Anon was formed in 1951. She is often confused with Anne Bingham, who co-founded Al-Anon with Lois Wilson.

Sue Smith Windows (1918-2002)

The adopted daughter of Dr Bob and Anne Smith. Sue was a teenager when Bill came to the house to meet her father. She tells of sleeping on the couch in order for an alcoholic and his family to sleep in her room. Sue did not start drinking until the age of 48. Sue died on 9 February 2002.

Bob Smith Jr a.k.a. "Smitty" (1918-2004)

The son of Dr Bob and Anne Smith. Bob Jr was present at the first meeting of Bill Wilson & Dr Bob Smith. Bob became an active member of Al-Anon but never declared himself an alcoholic, although his wife Betty (AA) did. Smitty died April 2004.

Betty Smith (Al-Anon, AA) of Nocona TX (1920-1998)

The wife of Bob Smith Jr, and the Daughter-In-Law of Anne and Dr Bob. Betty was active in Al-Anon but later in life joined AA due to her issues with alcohol.

Bill Dotson (AA) (1890-1954)

Bill was AA number 3. He was a prominent lawyer, had been a city councilman, and was a well-adjusted family man and active in his church. Nonetheless, he had been hospitalized eight times in the past six months because of his alcoholism and got drunk even before he got home. On June 26, 1935, Bill D was admitted to Akron City Hospital to be detoxed from alcohol. Two days later he received a visit from Bob Smith and Bill Wilson. Bob and Bill came back each day to visit and talk and Bill D eventually realized he could not control his drinking. Together they knelt and prayed. Bill Dotson never took another drink. He began working with Bob and Bill visiting other alcoholics. He is the person depicted in the painting "Came to Believe" later renamed "The Man On The Bed." His story appears in the Big Book 2nd & 3rd editions as "The Man On The Bed."

Clarence Snyder of Cleveland OH (1902-1984)

One of the first members involved with the Akron Oxford Group with Dr. Bob Smith.  He organized the first AA Group in Cleveland. Given the dilemma of divorce or seeing Dr. Bob by his wife, Clarence entered the hospital, after first going on a three-day drunk. While in the hospital a plan for living was explained to him which resulted in him becoming an enthusiastic 12th stepper. In 1939 Clarence started the first AA group in Cleveland because Roman Catholic priests in Cleveland refused to let Catholics attend the Oxford Group meeting in Akron. The priests also forbade their parishioners from participating in Oxford Group activities. Clarence claimed he started the first AA Group because his group in Cleveland named themselves AA, and was the first group to do so. He considered himself a co-founder of AA. He is the author of the story "Home Brewmeister" in the 2nd edition of the Big Book.

Sister Mary Ignatia (1889-1966)

Sister Mary worked with Dr. Bob to help admit alcoholics into St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio, starting in 1939. She surmounted obstacles to personally care for thousands of alcoholics over the next several decades, both in Akron and later at St. Vincent Charity Hospital in Cleveland. Beloved by all who were associated with or helped by her, she was commonly referred to as the “Angel of Alcoholics Anonymous.” Sister Mary started the practice of giving small religious metals to the drunks she worked with, which became the origins of celebrating sobriety with chips or medallions to mark periods of sobriety in AA.

Archie Trowbridge (AA) (1899 - 1957)

One of the first members of AA. A drunk in Detroit who had lost most everything, a friend put him in contact with people involved in the Oxford Group. The a couple from the group drove him to Akron to meet Dr Bob. Archie lived with Dr Bob and family while getting sober in Nov of 1938. After 10 months, Bill Wilson traveled with him from Akron back to Detroit where he made many amends, before returning to Akron. Moving to Cleveland, he helped Clarence Snyder established AA there. He eventually returned to Detroit where he was instrumental in the establishment of AA there. His story appears in the Big Book 1 & 2nd edition as "The Fearful One"

George Dewey Spies (1898 - 1976) (AA) of San Mateo CA

Dewey was in the 1st 100 to get sober in AA. Achieved sobriety 1939 in Akron. Stayed sober through service to others.

Ethel Macy (1890-1963) (AA) of Barberton OH

Ethel's date of sobriety was May 8, 1941. Both her and her husband, Russ "Rollo", were 12th stepped together in May 1941. She was the first woman to gain sobriety in Akron, some even claim she was the first woman in AA to ever do so. Was known as the "First Lady of AA". Her story "From Farm to City" appears in the 2nd and 3rd editions.

"I feel that one of the things that I still have to guard against is that I used to be set in my way about what I considered the old-time A.A. I have to tell myself, "Other things are progressing and A.A. must too." We old-timers who get scattered and separated and then witness the construction of services to get in more people and to make this thing function, we think that A.A. has changed, but the root of it hasn't. We are older in A.A. and we're older in years. It's only natural that we don't have the capacity to change, but we ought not to criticize those who have." - Ethel