James Burwell (March 23, 1898 – September 8, 1974), known as Jim B. or Jimmy B., was one of the

Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international mutual aid fellowship of alcoholics dedicated to abstinence-based recovery from alcoholism through its spiritually-inclined Twelve Step program. Following its Twelve Traditions, AA is non-professi ...

(AA) founding members. He was among the first ten members of AA on the East Coast, and was responsible for starting Alcoholics Anonymous in Philadelphia and Baltimore. Later in life, he and Rosa, his wife, moved to San Diego, California and were instrumental in the growth of AA there. His most crucial contribution at the founding of AA came from his

atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

—or as he later termed it, his "militant agnosticism." He argued strongly with the early group in New York that it needed to tone down what he called the "God bit". This resulted in the much more inclusive "

Higher Power Higher Power is a term used in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other twelve-step programs. The same groups use the phrase "a power greater than ourselves" synonymously. The term sometimes refers to a supreme being or deity, or other conceptions of G ...

" and "God as we understand Him" concepts that are now so closely associated with Alcoholics Anonymous. This compromise was crucial—without it, AA would probably not have survived at all, much less have reached the number of people it has worldwide today. Jim B.'s contribution to Alcoholics Anonymous is considered second only to that of AA's two co-founders,

Bill W. William Griffith Wilson (November 26, 1895 – January 24, 1971), also known as Bill Wilson or Bill W., was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). AA is an international mutual aid fellowship with about two million members worldwide b ...

and Dr Bob. He was instrumental in the publication of the all important ''

Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...

'' article by Jack Alexander that first brought nationwide publicity to AA in March 1941. As mentioned by

in the ''Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions'' (pp. 143 – 145), Jim B. is credited with the adoption of AA's Third Tradition: "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking." In the foreword to the first edition of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous", historically prior to the standardization of the 12 Traditions, it is stated that "the only requirement for membership is ''an honest'' desire to stop drinking" mphasis added The long form of the Third Tradition now reads: :Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought AA membership ever depend on money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an AA group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation. According to Clarence Snyder (an early AA member from Cleveland): "Jimmy remained steadfast, throughout his life and 'preached' his particular on-Godbrand of AA wherever he went."Mitchell K. "How It Worked: The Story of Clarence H. Snyder and the Early Days of Alcoholics Anonymous in Cleveland, Ohio." p. 107. 1999. Published by AA Big Book Study Group, Washingtonville, NY His story, "The Vicious Cycle," was published in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th edition of the AA Big Book. Jim B. is buried in the Christ Episcopal Church cemetery in

Owensville, Maryland Owensville is an unincorporated community in Anne Arundel County, Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south ...

near his boyhood friend, John Henry Fitzhugh Mayo, known as "Fitz M.", (AA Big Book Story “Our Southern Friend”). Jim. B. and Fitz M. were among the first members of AA to get and stay sober with

in New York.

References

Literature

* ('Big Book') * * *

External links

Jim Burwell
*

* ttp://silkworth.net Unofficial Alcoholics Anonymous history site
Extensive directory of AA pioneers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burwell, James 1898 births 1974 deaths Alcoholics Anonymous American agnostics

See also

References

Literature

External links