Young People’s Group A.A. — 12th Anniversary Banquet — Youngstown, Ohio — 1964
Offered here is an original miniature program from the 12th Anniversary Banquet of the Young People’s Group of Alcoholics Anonymous in Youngstown, Ohio, held Saturday, March 21, 1964.
Measuring only approximately 2½–3 inches tall, this small folding booklet was produced as a keepsake for those attending the anniversary dinner. Despite its diminutive size, it contains the complete evening program along with early A.A. text and the Serenity Prayer.
Twelfth Anniversary Banquet
The front identifies the occasion:
Twelfth Anniversary Banquet
Young People’s Group — A.A.
Youngstown, Ohio
Saturday, March 21, 1964
The interior records the evening’s program:
Welcome: Ray T.
Toastmaster: Dick R.
Invocation: Father Riley
Dinner
Speaker: Ross S.
Benediction: Rev. B. R. Lewis
Closing: Lord’s Prayer
Early Young People in A.A.
One of the more interesting aspects of this program is its connection to a specifically identified Young People’s Group.
Because the event celebrated the group’s 12th anniversary in 1964, the program indicates that the Youngstown group traced its beginnings to approximately 1952—an early period for an A.A. group organized specifically around younger members.
The booklet therefore provides an interesting piece of evidence of young people’s participation and organization within Alcoholics Anonymous well before the later growth of young-people-focused A.A. conferences and events.
A.A. Statement and Serenity Prayer
The inside cover carries a “Reminder” describing Alcoholics Anonymous:
“Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.”
The back features praying hands above the heading:
A.A. PRAYER
followed by the familiar Serenity Prayer:
“God grant me the serenity
To accept the things
I cannot change,
Courage to change
The things I can
And wisdom to know
The difference.”
Together, these elements make the tiny program a particularly evocative example of the type of locally produced A.A. material distributed among members during the 1960s.
Item Details
Event: Twelfth Anniversary Banquet
Group: Young People’s Group — Alcoholics Anonymous
Location: Youngstown, Ohio
Date: March 21, 1964
Featured Speaker: Ross S.
Format: Miniature folding program/booklet
Size: Approximately 2½–3 inches tall
Contents: Anniversary program, A.A. fellowship statement and Serenity Prayer
Condition
The program is in Very Good vintage condition.
The mustard-yellow paper remains bright and attractive, with clear black printing throughout. There is light age toning, minor handling wear, and a few small marks and creases consistent with age and use. The original folds remain intact, and all printed material is clean and readily legible.
Please review all photographs carefully for the most complete representation of condition.
Collector Significance
Local A.A. programs were generally ephemeral pieces intended for a single meeting or celebration, and many were simply discarded after the event.
This surviving example is particularly interesting because it documents the 12th anniversary of a Young People’s A.A. group in 1964, tracing the group’s history back to approximately 1952. Its unusually small format, attractive period typography, complete banquet program, early A.A. fellowship statement, and Serenity Prayer give it considerable character as a piece of grassroots A.A. history.
An appealing piece for a collection focused on early A.A. groups, Young People in A.A., Ohio A.A. history, anniversary programs, or Alcoholics Anonymous ephemera.
