Big Book Q & A: Manuscript Printing

[dickb]

Big Book Q & A
The Role of Clarence H. Snyder’s Wife Dorothy Snyder in the Printing of the Big Book

Documentation about Dorothy S. at Cornwall Press
By Dick B. and Ken B., October 28, 2008

Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age states on page 170:

“Very soon Henry, Ruth, Dorothy S. of Cleveland, and I [Bill W.] wheeled up to Mr. Blackwell’s big printing plant at Cornwall, New York, and checked in at the town’s only hotel. We brought with us the mangled but precious printer’s copy of Alcoholics Anonymous.”

[[Source: Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age: A Brief History of A.A. (New York, NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1957)]]

Women Pioneers in 12 Step Recovery states on pages 81-82 (in the chapter about Ruth Hock):

“Ruth [Hock] followed the book [Alcoholics Anonymous] she helped create right up to its publication. Through a lot of hustle, begging, and wheedling, Hank had rounded up enough sales of Works Publishing shares to make a five-hundred-dollar payment for the printing, which was to be done by the Cornwall Press, one of the country’s largest book printers. So the day came when Bill, Hank, Ruth, and a good friend, Dorothy S. (Snyder) from Cleveland, wheeled up to Cornwall, New York, to deliver the master multilith copy, with all the corrections, to the printing plant.”

[[Source: Charlotte Hunter, Billye Jones, and Joan Zieger, Women Pioneers in 12 Step Recovery (Center City, Minn.: Hazelden Foundation, 1999)]]

Notes about Clarence S.:

1. “Clarence Henry Snyder was born, the day after Christmas, in the year 1902.” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 12.
2. “Clarence had always been reluctant to discuss his first two marriages. Therefore many of the dates and events are now lost to history.” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 23.
3. “However, with this, his first marriage—the marriage to Dorothy—does our saga begin. . . . Clarence’s marriage to Dorothy cannot be described as idyllic. . . . Clarence recognized that Dorothy and her family had been instrumental in recovery, and Clarence was always grateful to Dorothy’s “clan.” . . . Dorothy gave birth to their son, Charles Richard Snyder . . . referred to as ‘Dick.’ . . .” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 23-26.
4. “. . . [A]round October or November 1937. Clarence had spent the better part of a year living as a homeless person in New York City. . . . He had been thrown out of his home almost one year earlier. Back to someone who he thought was still his wife. Back to his son, and back to Dorothy’s family.” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 35-36.
5. “Dorothy handed him a small slip of paper. On it was the doctor’s name, address and phone numbers: ‘Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith . . .’” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 39.
6. “The date he entered Akron City Hospital and refused that one last drink was the tenth of February, 1938. The next day, his first full day free from beverage alcohol, became Clarence Henry Snyder’s sobriety date . . . February 11, 1938.” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 54.
7. Doc and Henry “drove to 676 Palisades Drive, in Akron. It looked like a millionaire’s home to Clarence. It was, in fact, the home of T. Henry and Clarace Williams. . . . But, there, sitting apart from all others, talking to a woman that he later found out was Doc’s wife, Anne Smith, was Dorothy. His own wife!” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 59, 61.
8. “These people [at T. Henry’s house] introduced Clarence to Jesus as his Lord and Savior.” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 70.
9. “Bill found a printer who had been highly recommended to him. He and Hank went to Cornwall, New York, in Orange County, to see Edward Blackwell. Blackwell was the President of Cornwall Press.” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 103.
10. “Jim S. was one of the men who had visited with Clarence in Akron City Hospital and had told Clarence his own recovery from alcoholism. Clarence had been asked by Doc to submit his story and, as he went over it with Jim, explained to Jim that he was having problems with his wife. Clarence and Jim tried to slant Clarence’s story to appease Dorothy, and, by doing so, brought the two closer together. Both Jim and Doc did not like this way of appeasing Dorothy and they admonished Clarence for his impure motives. Despite this, Clarence’s ‘slanted’ story was published ‘as is.’” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 109.
11. “This ends the review of the writing of the book. All that then remained was to get the finalized and approved version of the book to Cornwall, New York. Hank, Ruth Hock, Dorothy Snyder (Clarence’s wife) and Bill went together to a hotel in Cornwall. There they checked and corrected the galleys and got the book printed.” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 130.
12. “Bill and finally the Foundation finally did manage to raise the necessary funds to cover the initial printing costs. Bill, Hank, Dorothy Snyder (Clarence’s wife who at that time was visiting with her in Yonkers, NY) and Ruth Hock went to Cornwall, New York, to oversee the printing of the book. . . . Bill, Hank, Dorothy and Ruth wanted to have the book appear much larger than its approximate 400 pages.” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 132.
13. “Ruth Hock was extremely close to both Clarence and his wife Dorothy, and remained so even after they eventually got divorced.” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 144.
14. “Dorothy Snyder was an instrumental part of the beginnings of A.A. in Cleveland.” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 156.
15. “And so, on August 20, 1940, Clarence and Dorothy were divorced.” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 172.
16. “In the summer of 1942, Clarence decided it was time to join the army. . . . By this time Clarence had married Selma Kitterer who was living in Cleveland during Clarence’s army service.” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 195.
17. “Clarence and Selma were eventually divorced.” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 214.
18. “Also in 1971, Clarence was introduced to Grace Snipes Moore. . . . The two began seeing each other and were married that same year.” Mitchell K., How It Worked, 215.
19. For extensive information on Clarence and Grace Snyder, see Dick B., That Amazing Grace: The Role of Clarence and Grace S. in Alcoholics Anonymous (San Rafael, CA: Paradise Research Publications, 1996): http://dickb.com/AmazGrac.shtml.