Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today to honor the legacy of Dr. Robert Smith, cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous, which is celebrating this year its 75th anniversary. Dr. Smith, commonly referred to as Dr. Bob, was a prominent surgeon in my State in Akron, OH, when his friend, Henrietta Seiberling, an heir to the Goodyear fortune, introduced him to New Yorker Bill Wilson in 1935. Dr. Bob and Bill Wilson's discussion that year on Mother's Day in Gate Lodge on the grounds of the Seiberling's Stan Hywet estate laid out the framework for the modern-day Alcoholics Anonymous. Having shared the common disease of alcoholism, Dr. Bob and Bill Wilson recognized the need to offer dignified healing of sobriety for all people who struggle with the disease of alcoholism. What started as an informal conversation in Gate Lodge on the Stan Hywet estate led to small group meetings and conversations at the home of Dr. Bob and his wife Anne on Ardmore Avenue. Dr. Bob and Anne subsequently opened their home to those seeking sobriety, and the understanding of the 12 steps that Dr. Bob and Bill Wilson were refining. As one of Akron's premier physicians at Summa Health's Akron City Hospital, Dr. Bob also understood that prevailing medical treatment was inadequate in treating a disease that did not discriminate among gender, age, culture, wealth, or social standing. This was an era when alcoholism was not understood as a disease, so those seeking treatment were not admitted to hospitals. Dr.…”