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From: NMOlson@...

To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2004 8:05 AM

Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] Bert Taylor - Compiled From Old Posts

I am continuing to combine old posts, which are then deleted, in order to make it easier for researchers to search the archives.   The following is excerpted from old posts by Charles K. and Rick T.   Charles wrote that Bert Taylor was an early AA member who borrowed $1,000.00 from a Mr. Cockran one of his customers and a prohibitionist. "The loan was to help buy some time from the printer until the Liberty Magazine article came out. Once that article came out we sold some books were able to settle with the printer and get the remaining Big Books out of hock, so to speak. He also allowed meetings to be held in the loft in his shop.   "Now whether the debt was not repaid on time or Bert just fell on hard times is uncertain, but he did loose ownership of the shop, but was able to keep his business and he died sober. He also was one of the first Trustees of the Alcoholic Foundation."   Rick responded to Charles' message:

"Much of this additional history was gleaned in on-site research through minutes and correspondence at the GSO Archives.... "His $1,000 would have brought him 400 shares in Works Publishing, and I'm sure he was able to cash in the shares, when and if any of the loan was needed to be paid.  There are scant records on file of whose and how many shares were eventually traded in to the Alcoholic Foundation. The AF Trustees' ledgers remained pretty thin for many years into the mid-1940s, and only a few shares were probably ever recorded as 'bought back' by the Board of Trustees. Bill wrote in 'AA Comes of Age' about a few buy-backs, which turned out to be traded only at face value." Rick said he did not think Bert was a Trustee, but Charles responded: "I still believe Bert was a member of the Alcoholic Foundation, only from what I have read. "In the August 1947 Grapevine article 'Last Seven Years Have Made AA self-supporting' Bill writes: "'Two of the alcoholic members of our Foundation traveled out among the AA groups to explain the need. They presented their listeners with these ideas: that support of our Central Office was a definite responsibility of the AA groups; that answering written inquiries was a necessary assistance to our Twelfth Step work; that we AAs ought to pay these office expenses ourselves and rely no further upon outside charity or insufficient book sales. The two trustees also suggested that the Alcoholic Foundation be made a regular depository for group funds;  that the Foundation would earmark all group monies for Central Office expenses only; that each month the Central Office would bill the Foundation for the straight AA expenses of the place; that all group contributions ought to be entirely voluntary; that every AA group would receive equal service from the New York office, whether it contributed or not. It was estimated that if each group sent the Foundation a sum equal to $1 per member per year, this might eventually carry our office, without other assistance. Under this arrangement the office would ask the groups twice yearly for funds and render, at the same time, a statement of its expenses for the previous period.      '"Our two trustees, Horace C. and Bert T., did not come back empty handed. Now clearly understanding the situation, most groups began contributing to the Alcoholic Foundation for Central Office expenses, and have continued to do so ever since. In this practice the AA Tradition of self-support had a firm beginning. Thus we handled the Saturday Evening Post article for which thousands of AAs are today so grateful.' (Reprint of this article can be found in 'Language of The Heart' see pages 64-65) "Also from 'AA Comes Of Age' "Page 186.........  "'At about this time our trusteeship began to be enlarged. Mr. Robert Shaw, a lawyer and friend of Uncle Dick's, was elected to the Board. Two New Yorkers, my friends Howard and Bert, were also named. As time passed, these were joined by Tom B. and Dick S. Dick had been one of the original Akronites and was now living in New York. There was also Tom K., a hard-working and conservative Jerseyman. Somewhat later more nonalcoholic, notably Bernard Smith and Leonard Harrison, took up their long season of service with us.' "(FYI:  This was around the time of the Rockefeller Dinner Feb. 1940, this also shows the alcoholic members of the Foundation made up of more than just Bill & Dr. Bob. I have a copy of the minutes of the Alcoholic Foundation in July 25, 1949.  Dick S., Tom B, and Bernard Smith were already trustees of the Foundation in 1949.)   "Page 192:  "'We also realized that these increased demands upon the office could not be met out of book income. So for the first time we asked the A.A. groups to help. Following the Post piece. Trustees Howard and Bert went on the road, one to Philadelphia and Washington, the other to Akron and Cleveland. They asked that all A.A. groups contribute to a special fund in the Foundation which would be earmarked 'for AA. office expenses only.' The contributions would be entirely voluntary. As a measuring stick, it was suggested that each group send in one dollar per member per year.'  "Please let me repeat myself, I am not sure if this is the same Bert T.  that owned the Tailor Shop in New York, but sure sounds like it to me. Rick, maybe on your next trip to the Archives in New York you might look for the name Herbert F. Taylor.  Again I am not sure if this is the same person either, but his name and signature appears on Works Publishing Company stock certificates date September 26th 1940 (see 'AA Everywhere-Anywhere' the souvenir book from the 1995 International Convention page 23) and Bert is short for Herbert.  I also have a photocopy of the same stock certificate dated June 20th 1940 and his name is on that one too, as president I might add . May have no connection at all, but worth looking into. "Well, I hope this sheds some light on the source for my assumption that Bert the Tailor might have been a Trustee of the Alcoholic Foundation.  This has open a whole other question about the early make up of the Alcoholic Foundation and I think I might explore this to find out what I can." The following is from Jim Burwell's memoirs:   "It was also in June of this year that we made our first contact with the Rockerfeller Foundation.  This was arranged by Bert Taylor, one of the older members, who had known the family for years in a business way.  Dr. Richardson, who had long been spiritual advisor for the Rockerfeller family, became very interested and friendly, and Bill and Hank made frequent visits to him, with Hank on one side asking for financial help and Bill on the other insisting on moral support only."

 

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