Facts about Rev. Sam Shoemaker, "cofounder of A.A."

The second edition of Dick B., "New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A." was published after intensive research at Shoemaker's two churches (Calvary Church) in New York and then in Pittsburgh. It is a "must" for information on Sam Shoemaker, his role in A.A., his writings about A.A., and his long career as one of America's ten greatest preachers. Sam and Bill Wilson were good friends. And Sam's connection with Wilson, the Big Book manuscript, the Twelve Steps, and later articles for the A.A. Grapevine, as well as Shoemaker's two addresses to AAs at their International Conventions in St. Louis (1955) and Long Beach (1960). The bibliography of this title is comprehensive, thorough, and extremely useful to AAs, students of A.A., and A.A. historians and writers. www.dickb.com/newlight.shtml

It involved thorough research in the 58 boxes of Shoemaker papers at the Episcopal Church Archives in Austin, Texas. It involved interviews with Shoemaker's two daughters (Sally Shoemaker Robinson and Nickie Shoemaker Haggart) and the review with Nickie of Sam's personal journals. It involved research at Hartford Seminary, Princeton University Alumni Archives, St. George's Parish-Calvary Church in New York. It involved visits to Shoemaker's "book-lined" office in Calvary House where Bill and Sam worked out the details of the Big Book and Twelve Steps. It involved interviews with Mrs. W. Irving Harris, wife of Shoemaker's assistant minister, who provided a complete set of Shoemaker's titles as well as Harris's book and Irving Harris's personal typewritten memo on Sam and Bill's work together. It involved reading and reviewing all of Shoemaker's books, many of his sermons, most of his articles, and the transcript of his first radio show--"Good Morning." It involved thorough research in Pittsburgh at The Pittsburgh Experiment, Calvary Church in Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Experiment, and lengthy interviews of Sam's "golf club crowd"in Pittsburgh and many of his surviving friends there.

My work on Shoemaker extended to my collaboration and co-authorship with Bill Pittman of "Courage to Change" currently being published and distributed by Hazelden. Next came my title "Good Morning" which was a composite of Shoemaker and other Oxford Group/Bible writings on "prayer and meditation." Next came the second edition of "New Light on Alcoholism.

See www.dickb.com/newlight.shtml;
www.dickb.com/goodmorn.shtml;
www.dickb.com/Oxford.shtml;
www.dickb.com/Turning.shtml.