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IAC Newsletter – April 2006

  • Steve N.
  • Nov 15
  • 2 min read

IAC Newsletter – April 2006

(International Advisory Council for Homosexual Men & Women in AA)


IAC Logo: IAC Newsletter – April 2006

The April 2006 IAC Newsletter is a powerful historical edition filled with foundational AA stories, archival material, and reflections on the spiritual origins of Alcoholics Anonymous. It highlights IAC’s ongoing commitment to sharing history, strengthening connection, and honoring the roots of recovery.


The issue begins with the Treasurer’s Report, noting:


  • Ending balance: $6,665.21

  • Small bank fees related to Canadian check processing

  • Two deposits still outstanding (March 24 – $1,257.92 and April 3 – $230.00)


📚 Featured Historical Articles

Each month, members send in articles for the newsletter, and this issue includes two extraordinary historical selections:


1. Tribute to Sister Ignatia – The “Angel of Alcoholics Anonymous”

A powerful excerpt from Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age recounts:

  • The early partnership of Dr. Bob and Sister Ignatia at St. Thomas Hospital

  • How Sister Ignatia risked disciplinary trouble to admit the very first AA patient—“bootlegging” him into a flower room when no beds were available

  • The treatment of more than 5,000 alcoholics between 1939 and 1950

  • The upcoming ceremony renaming a section of Cleveland’s E. 22nd Street in her honor

Her compassion, courage, and spiritual conviction helped shape AA’s earliest hospital-based work.


2. “Henrietta Buckler Seiberling – Transcript of Remarks (1971)”

This rare and historically significant document recounts the crucial role of Henrietta B. Seiberling, the woman who brought Bill W. and Dr. Bob together.

The transcript, introduced by her son John F. Seiberling (U.S. Congressman), includes her firsthand memories of:

  • The Oxford Group meetings that prepared Dr. Bob for sobriety

  • The spiritual “guidance” she received that alcoholics must not drink “one drop”

  • Bill Wilson’s desperate call from the Mayflower Hotel

  • Their first meeting on Mother’s Day, May 12, 1935, at the Gate Lodge in Akron

  • Bill’s early struggles, Bob’s early surrender, and the beginnings of the program

  • Why anonymity matters (“We are not out to please alcoholics; we are out to please God.”)

  • Her belief that AA was divinely guided to meet a growing need in the world


This transcript is one of the most detailed personal accounts of AA’s origins ever published in an LGBTQ+ AA newsletter.


🕯 Closing Message

Deputy Chair Stan L. thanks members for their continued support, reminding everyone:

“We are here to serve YOU!”

IAC Newsletter – April 2006

👉 Download the full PDF:


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