Third Annual Banquet — Alcoholics Anonymous - Tampa, Florida — January 26, 1947 - Original Program
Original Program with Clarence Snyder & Tampa A.A. Founder Roy Yeargan
Offered here is an original program from the Third Annual Banquet of Alcoholics Anonymous in Tampa, Florida, held Sunday, January 26, 1947, in the Skyline Dining Room of the Bayshore Royal Hotel.
Dating from the formative years of Alcoholics Anonymous, this remarkable piece of early A.A. ephemera documents the developing fellowship in Florida and the broader network through which Alcoholics Anonymous was spreading across the country during the 1940s.
Among the participants listed on the program is Clarence Snyder of Cleveland, Ohio, one of the most important members of A.A.’s pioneering generation and founder of the first Alcoholics Anonymous group in Cleveland.
Equally significant is Roy Yeargan, identified directly on the program—where his surname is printed “Yeargin”—as the:
“Founder of the Tampa Groups of Alcoholics Anonymous.”
Research into Yeargan reveals an important connection between the early development of A.A. in Cleveland, Houston, and Florida, making this surviving program considerably more historically significant than a typical anniversary or banquet souvenir.
The Third Annual Tampa A.A. Banquet
The banquet took place at 2:30 P.M. on January 26, 1947, in the Skyline Dining Room of Tampa’s Bayshore Royal Hotel.
The program lists:
Allene King — Program Chairman
Dot Albritton — Opening Prayer
Dr. Fred McMullen, Clearwater, Florida — Explanation of the Alcoholics Anonymous Program
Roy Yeargin — Founder of the Tampa Groups of Alcoholics Anonymous
Clarence Snyder, Cleveland, Ohio — Guest Speaker
Verne Manley, Atlanta, Georgia — Guest Speaker
Dr. Ashley C. Lovejoy, Jacksonville, Florida — Guest Speaker
Lewis L. Martin — Secretary, Tampa Groups
Rev. Paul Wagner — Closing Prayer
The geographic range represented by the participants—Tampa, Clearwater, Jacksonville, Atlanta and Cleveland—provides a fascinating glimpse into the developing network of Alcoholics Anonymous during this early period.
Contemporary reporting in the February 1947 issue of AA Grapevine independently documents the Tampa Group’s Third Annual Banquet at the Bayshore Royal Hotel and notes the participation of visiting speakers from Jacksonville and Atlanta. The surviving program provides their names and additionally records Clarence Snyder’s appearance from Cleveland.
Clarence Snyder and Early Alcoholics Anonymous
Clarence Snyder (1902–1984) occupies an important place in the earliest history of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Snyder achieved sobriety in 1938 and became associated with the Akron fellowship before returning to Cleveland, where he established what became the first Alcoholics Anonymous group in Cleveland.
His role in the rapid expansion of A.A. throughout Cleveland became an important part of the Fellowship’s early history, and he remained closely associated with sponsorship and the transmission of A.A.’s program for decades.
Clarence’s surviving papers and A.A. materials are today preserved as the Clarence Snyder Alcoholics Anonymous Papers at Brown University’s John Hay Library, a collection that includes correspondence, publications, programs, menus, tickets and other ephemera documenting his participation in the Fellowship.
This program places Snyder in Tampa in January 1947 as one of three invited guest speakers.
Roy Yeargan and the Beginnings of A.A. in Florida
Perhaps the most historically revealing feature of the program is its identification of Roy Yeargan as founder of the Tampa Groups of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Although his surname appears as “Yeargin” on the original program, historical sources identify him as Roy A. Yeargan, sometimes known as “The Sarge.”
Before his involvement in Florida A.A., Yeargan had been associated with the pioneering Alcoholics Anonymous fellowship in Houston, Texas.
A historical study prepared in connection with the Texas Historical Commission traces A.A.’s arrival in Houston to 1940. Early Houston member Larry Jewell arrived from Cleveland carrying a copy of Alcoholics Anonymous given to him by Clarence Snyder. Jewell helped establish the Houston fellowship, where Roy Yeargan became one of its early members.
Yeargan and fellow member Ed Hudson subsequently traveled through Texas introducing Alcoholics Anonymous to doctors, ministers, law-enforcement officials and others who might encounter alcoholics in need of help.
During World War II, Yeargan served in the military. A March 1944 A.A. Central Bulletin records T/Sgt. Roy A. Yeargan at Fairfield Air Depot, Patterson Field, Ohio.
Historical accounts subsequently associate Yeargan with the establishment and early development of Alcoholics Anonymous in the Tampa Bay area. Local A.A. historical records identify Ernie King and Roy “The Sarge” Yeargan with the beginnings of the Tampa group and document Tampa members’ involvement in the subsequent development of A.A. in St. Petersburg and the surrounding region.
The contemporary wording on this 1947 program—identifying Yeargan specifically as the “Founder of the Tampa Groups of Alcoholics Anonymous”—provides an important primary-source record of that history.
From Cleveland to Houston to Tampa
The appearance of Clarence Snyder and Roy Yeargan on the same 1947 program creates an especially interesting connection in early A.A. history.
Before Houston A.A. was established, Clarence Snyder gave Larry Jewell a copy of the Big Book as Jewell departed Cleveland for Texas. Jewell subsequently became instrumental in the beginnings of the Houston fellowship, where Yeargan became an early member.
Yeargan later helped carry Alcoholics Anonymous into Florida and became associated with the establishment of the Tampa fellowship.
Several years later, at this January 1947 gathering, Clarence Snyder traveled from Cleveland to Tampa and appeared as a guest speaker at the banquet of the fellowship Yeargan had helped establish.
While no evidence has been located indicating that Snyder’s appearance was deliberately arranged because of this earlier connection, the documented relationship illustrates the remarkably small and interconnected network through which Alcoholics Anonymous spread during its first decade.
Other Participants
The program also provides a valuable record of several individuals participating in early A.A. activity throughout Florida and the Southeast.
Dr. Fred McMullen of Clearwater, Florida, is assigned the presentation titled “Explanation of the Alcoholics Anonymous Program.” Contemporary records confirm McMullen as an established Clearwater dental professional. The program itself documents his participation in this A.A. gathering; no claim is made that McMullen was himself an A.A. member.
Verne Manley of Atlanta, Georgia, and Dr. Ashley C. Lovejoy of Jacksonville, Florida, appear alongside Snyder as guest speakers.
Together, the participants document the regional character of the gathering and the connections developing among A.A. communities throughout Florida and the Southeast.
An Artifact from A.A.’s First Edition Era
The date of this program is particularly significant.
In January 1947, Alcoholics Anonymous was still a comparatively young fellowship. The original First Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous had been published less than eight years earlier, and the Big Book was then only in its Tenth Printing.
This gathering predates the 1950 First International Convention in Cleveland, the publication of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, and the 1955 publication of the Second Edition Big Book.
The program therefore survives from the period in which A.A. was rapidly expanding from its original centers into communities throughout the United States.
Condition
The program remains in good condition for an original piece of 1947 event ephemera.
It has been folded horizontally and vertically, apparently from historical storage, with visible creasing along the original fold lines. There is general age toning, scattered spotting and soiling, and expected handling wear.
Small chips and losses are present along portions of the edges, including the upper-right area, together with several small edge tears and areas of wear along the folds.
Despite this age and use, the program remains substantially complete and all historically significant text, names, date and event information remain clearly legible.
The illustrated Bayshore Royal Hotel design remains attractive, featuring the hotel, sailboat, seabirds and Florida imagery surrounding the typed A.A. program.
The reverse is blank aside from age-related discoloration and show-through from the printing on the front.
Please review all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.
Historical Significance
Early Alcoholics Anonymous event ephemera was produced for immediate use rather than long-term preservation, and surviving programs from regional A.A. gatherings of the 1940s are particularly difficult to locate.
No other example of this specific January 26, 1947 Third Annual Tampa A.A. Banquet program was located during our research.
Beyond its scarcity, this example provides a tangible record of the early development of Alcoholics Anonymous in Florida. It identifies Roy Yeargan as founder of the Tampa Groups, documents Clarence Snyder’s appearance as a guest speaker, and records participants from several developing A.A. communities throughout Florida and the Southeast.
An exceptional piece of early Alcoholics Anonymous ephemera from the First Edition era, connecting the pioneering histories of A.A. in Cleveland, Houston and Tampa through a single surviving 1947 document.
Item Details
Event: Third Annual Banquet — Alcoholics Anonymous
Location: Skyline Dining Room, Bayshore Royal Hotel, Tampa, Florida
Date: January 26, 1947
Time: 2:30 P.M.
Featured Participant: Clarence Snyder, Cleveland, Ohio
Tampa Founder Identified: Roy Yeargan (“Yeargin” as printed)
Other Speakers: Verne Manley; Dr. Ashley C. Lovejoy; Dr. Fred McMullen
Format: Original illustrated hotel program / single-sheet ephemera
Era: Early Alcoholics Anonymous / First Edition Big Book era
Condition: Good; original folds, age toning, spotting, edge wear and small losses as photographed
Rarity: No other example of this specific program located during our research
