OUR SPEAKERS

---

Charles S. is a longtime member of Alcoholics Anonymous who has been sober since October 1983. He lives in Ohio and has devoted decades to preserving and interpreting AA history through hands-on archival work, research, and public education.

Charles has served AA at every level, from local intergroup offices in Toledo, Canton, and Akron to state-level committees. He spent two years as Office Chairman of the Akron Intergroup Executive Board and six years on the Treatment Committee. His archive work includes preparing Nell Wing’s private papers for distribution at the 2007 National AA Archives Workshop and creating a storyboard series display for the 2017 International Women’s Conference in Cleveland.

For 20 years, Charles has served as a docent at Stan Hywet Hall and the Gate Lodge in Akron, where he helped the curator revamp displays for the AA story in 2020. He is a Certified Historical Interpreter through the National Association for Interpretation, with coursework from Kent State University, and has worked as a historical interpreter for the National Trust of Great Britain at Knole in Kent.

From 2000 to 2010, Charles conducted extensive Oxford Group research across two continents, visiting archives and historical sites in London, Canterbury, Keswick, Carlisle, Pennsburg, Allentown, Richmond, Mackinac Island, and Stepping Stones, as well as the A.A.W.S. Archives in New York City and Brown University in Providence.

His deep knowledge of AA’s spiritual roots and the Oxford Group’s influence on early AA makes him a vital voice in understanding where our fellowship came from, and how those origins continue to shape us today.

Mily T. is a longtime member of Alcoholics Anonymous who has been clean and sober since 1984. She lives in San Francisco and was blessed to find AA at the age of 21. Over the years, Mily has developed a deep passion for AA history, sparked by visits to the historic homes of AA’s co-founders, including the Wilson House, Dr. Bob’s Home, and Stepping Stones.

Since 2017, Mily has presented engaging AA history talks that spotlight the often-overlooked contributions of women and LGBTQ pioneers in early AA. Her presentations feature figures such as Marty Mann, Florence R., and other groundbreaking members whose work helped shape AA as we know it today.

Mily serves as an advisor, ambassador, and archive volunteer at Stepping Stones, contributes quarterly historical segments to the AA Grapevine Podcast, and has been a longtime contributor to the AA Grapevine magazine. She is also a published photographer and writer for the Grapevine. Mily is a sought-after speaker at AA conferences and events across the United States and Canada.

Bio coming soon!

Roger W. is a longtime member of Alcoholics Anonymous who has been sober since August 15, 1983. He lives in Alexandria, KY., and brings a unique perspective to AA history through his 30 years of service in the U.S. Army, followed by five years working as a civilian for the Army.

Roger's passion for AA history focuses on the intersection of military service and recovery, particularly how the armed services' treatment of alcoholism and drug abuse began and evolved, and how sober service members helped carry AA's message around the world. He has presented his research at AA events across the country, online gatherings, and even an academic conference of the American Historical Association.

His work has been published in the Army Medical Department Historian, a periodical of the Army Medical Department Center of History and Heritage at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. His articles include a paper on Benning House, a pioneering halfway house the Army established at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1970.

At Our Living Legacy, Roger will present two talks:

A New Pair of Goggles

AA's growth around the world was aided by many factors—GSO, traveling members, and among them, sober service members stationed in far-flung places. This presentation explores a bit of AA history from a military perspective and some military history through an AA lens, showing how recovery and service intersected across continents.

Clarence S.'s Wartime Letters

A look at the personal correspondence saved by Cleveland AA pioneer Clarence S. while he was stationed at Fort Knox training for WWII service. These letters from members, family, and friends offer an intimate window into AA during 1942–45 and help us understand a critical period in the fellowship's early growth. Clarence played an important role during this period and is credited with starting sponsorship as we understand it today in the Cleveland groups.