Lois W.
This article has an unclear citation style. (September 2009) |
Lois W. | |
---|---|
Born | Lois Burnham March 4, 1891 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
Died | October 5, 1988 Mount Kisco, New York, U.S. | (aged 97)
Resting place | East Dorset Cemetery, East Dorset, Vermont 43°13′00″N 73°00′55″W / 43.216638°N 73.015148°W |
Spouse | Bill W. |
Lois Wilson (née Burnham; March 4, 1891 – October 5, 1988), also known as Lois W., was the co-founder of
Early life and education
Lois was the first of six children born to Matilda Burnham (née Spelman) and
Marriage and career
The Burnham family spent summers in Vermont, where Dr. Burnham provided medical care to vacationers. Rogers Burnham, a younger brother of Lois, became friends with a local boy named Bill Wilson (William Griffith Wilson). Lois and Bill met in the summer of 1914, when Lois was 23 and Bill was 19. At that time, Lois was a college graduate and working with the YWCA. Bill was working his way through Norwich University. The following summer they secretly became engaged.
They married on January 24, 1918, in the New York Swedenborgian Church. At that time, Bill was in the United States Army and they wanted to marry before he was sent to the Western Front. Lois completed an occupational therapy training programme through the War Department. During Bill's absence and on and off afterwards, Lois worked at the Walter Reed General Hospital in the 'shell shock' ward for veterans; as a physical therapist at the Brooklyn Navy Hospital and as an occupational therapist at Bellevue Hospital, New York in the 1920s.[5] After his return, the couple hoped to start a family, but after ectopic pregnancies she was advised that pregnancy would be dangerous or impossible. Their attempts to adopt children were unsuccessful.
Her marriage to Bill W. began to be challenging due to the combination of a series of ectopic pregnancies and his drinking problem. Lois began to work on programs to help families of alcoholics after Bill had gone through rehabilitation at Towns Hospital in 1934 and cofounded Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in 1935. The same 12-Steps of recovery used by AA were adopted by Al-Anon
Her autobiography, Lois Remembers, was published in 1979.
She died in 1988 at age 97, and is buried beside her husband in the East Dorset Cemetery in
Her memoir "Lois Remembers" is published by Al-Anon Family Groups.
In popular culture
A 2010 made-for-TV movie based on her life, When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story featuring actress Winona Ryder as Lois Wilson, premiered on Hallmark Hall of Fame on CBS April 25, 2010. The film is based on the 2005 book of the same name written by William G. Borchert, author of the screen play for the 1989 film My Name Is Bill W., based on the story of Alcoholics Anonymous founder Bill Wilson, in which she was portrayed by JoBeth Williams.
She was also featured in a 2012 part documentary biographical film Bill W., directed by Dan Carracino and Kevin Hanlon.[6]
An excerpt from a letter written by Lois W. and sent to her husband was sampled in the song "Adamord" by American ambient/drone duo Stars of the Lid on the album Music for Nitrous Oxide.
See also
- Al-Anon
- Stepping Stones home of Lois and husband Bill W.
References
- ^ Al-Anon Family Groups, Many Voices, One Journey, 2011, p. 262
- ^ Pace, Eric (6 October 1988). "Lois Burnham Wilson, a Founder of Al-Anon Groups, is Dead at 97". The New York Times.
- ISBN 978-0-9815017-7-2.
- ^ Pace, Eric (October 6, 1988). "Lois Burnham Wilson, a Founder Of Al-Anon Groups, Is Dead at 97", The New York Times, p. B26.
- ^ "History of Lois Wilson". Stepping Stones Foundation. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ Linden, Sheri (18 May 2012). "'Bill W.' cuts through the anonymity". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
- Other sources
- Borchert, William. The Lois Wilson Story: When Love Is Not Enough. ISBN 1-59285-328-5
- "Lois's Story", How Al-Anon Works for Families and Friends of Alcoholics. Virginia Beach, VA: Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., 136–137. ISBN 0-910034-26-5.
External links
- A short biography Archived 2012-02-12 at the Wayback Machine Stepping Stones
- Bill W. – Famous, Yet Seldom Seen (Photo Feature) New York Times
- Lois Wilson AA Agnostica