[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 8] [Senate] [Pages 11076-11077] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]75TH ANNIVERSARY OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the legacy of Dr. Robert Smith, cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous, which is celebrating this year its 75th anniversary. Dr. Smith, commonly referred to as Dr. Bob, was a prominent surgeon in my State in Akron, OH, when his friend, Henrietta Seiberling, an heir to the Goodyear fortune, introduced him to New Yorker Bill Wilson in 1935. Dr. Bob and Bill Wilson's discussion that year on Mother's Day in Gate Lodge on the grounds of the Seiberling's Stan Hywet estate laid out the framework for the modern-day Alcoholics Anonymous. Having shared the common disease of alcoholism, Dr. Bob and Bill Wilson recognized the need to offer dignified healing of sobriety for all people who struggle with the disease of alcoholism. What started as an informal conversation in Gate Lodge on the Stan Hywet estate led to small group meetings and conversations at the home of Dr. Bob and his wife Anne on Ardmore Avenue. Dr. Bob and Anne subsequently opened their home to those seeking sobriety, and the understanding of the 12 steps that Dr. Bob and Bill Wilson were refining. As one of Akron's premier physicians at Summa Health's Akron City Hospital, Dr. Bob also understood that prevailing medical treatment was inadequate in treating a disease that did not discriminate among gender, age, culture, wealth, or social standing. This was an era when alcoholism was not understood as a disease, so those seeking treatment were not admitted to hospitals. Dr. Bob and Bill understood that the alcoholic needed the help of the ``Angel of Alcoholics Anonymous,'' Sister Mary Ignatia and St. Thomas Hospital. Dr. Bob took to bringing alcoholics from the back entrance of the hospital up to empty rooms in Sister Ignatia's unit. Sister Ignatia would ask Dr. Bob: Are they sick? Dr. Bob would respond: Very sick. Sister Ignatia replied: Then they shall come to the front door--a very different treatment of alcoholism than ever before. Sister Ignatia and St. Thomas Hospital then filled the void of the lack of formal treatment to help those battling alcoholism. They helped fill the gap in the lack of public and medical understanding of the disease. Therein lies the root of the modern Alcoholics Anonymous--in Akron, OH, on Olive Street--where St. Thomas Hospital remains an institution committed to offering health services to those afflicted with alcoholism. Since those early days 75 years ago in the 1930s, Dr. Bob and Sister Ignatia helped foment the public consciousness that alcoholism is, in fact, a disease; that it is never fully cured but only managed with self-determination and with family and community support. Dr. Bob and Sister Ignatia imbued a sense of urgency in the movement where literally the common refrain for those who live the disease is to live one day at a time. It is that sense of urgency that often found Sister Ignatia saying, ``Time is running out and I must work while I can.'' Earlier this week, the people of Akron gathered at St. Thomas Hospital to rename Olive Street ``Dr. Bob's Way'' to recognize his contribution to our Nation's history. And earlier this month, thousands of supporters of AA--alcoholics and family members throughout the Nation--traveled to Akron for Founders Day which celebrates the legacy of Dr. Bob and Sister Ignatia. Many visitors traveled to Stan Hywet Hall where they walked along the pristine landscape, walking past the Gate Lodge where AA meetings continue to this day. From that single conversation at Gate Lodge to Dr. Bob and Anne's home on Ardmore Avenue to St. Thomas Hospital on Olive Avenue, AA has turned into one of the most unified and diverse organizations in the world. Since its earliest days, AA opened its doors and services to all those who [[Page 11077]] seek it, regardless of gender, age, socio-economic status, or sexual orientation. Fully self-funded, prominent statesmen and judges have sat alongside paupers and peasants--each seeking a shared experience and the support of each other. Today, 117,000 groups totaling more than 2 million members live in more than 150 countries and are working with them and being helped by AA. It all started in Akron. Ohio has often been an epicenter of our Nation's history--home of more Presidents, and poets to inventors and pioneers; first in light, first in flight--Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers, and so much else. We are also part of our Nation and our world's basic humanity. Through the Great Depression to the wars in the Pacific, Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan, AA has been a source of strength for servicemembers and veterans. Across borders and devoid of religious affiliation, AA has been a source of faith for one's self. Whether a factory worker or physician, parents and educators, all are alike. Regardless of one's station in life, AA has been a source of resiliency, demonstrating the capacity for all of us to see the better stronger angels within ourselves and within others. To St. Thomas Hospital, now part of Summa Health, and the city of Akron, congratulations for carrying on Dr. Bob and Sister Ignatia's legacy for 75 years. More important, congratulations to the members and supporters of AA. Thank you for your service to our families, our communities, our Nation and for a greater humanity for all of us. ____________________