  william griffith wilson (november 26, 1895 â january 24, 1971), also known as bill wilson or bill w., was the co-founder of alcoholics anonymous (aa), an international mutual aid fellowship with over two million members belonging to 100,800 groups of alcoholics helping other alcoholics achieve and maintain sobriety."alcoholics anonymous" p xix following aa's twelfth tradition of anonymity, wilson is commonly known as "bill w." or "bill." after wilson's death in 1971, his full name was included in obituaries. wilson's permanent sobriety began december 11, 1934. in 1955 wilson turned over control of aa to a board of trustees. wilson died of emphysema complicated by pneumonia in 1971. in 1999 time listed him as "bill w.: the healer" in the time 100: the most important people of the century.heroes & icons of the 20th century. time magazine 153:(23) june 14, 1999. retrieved 2012-07-20. ==early life== wilson was born on november 26, 1895, in east dorset, vermont, the son of emily (nÃ©e griffith) and gilman barrows wilson. he was born at his parents' home and business, the mount aeolus inn and tavern. his paternal grandfather, william c. wilson, was an alcoholic who never drank after a conversion experience on mount aeolus.cheever, p 25. both of wilson's parents abandoned their child (his father never returned from a purported business trip, and his mother left to study osteopathic medicine). bill and his sister were cared for by their maternal grandparents, fayette griffith and ella griffith, in their house. as a teen, wilson showed determination, once spending months designing and carving a working boomerang. after initial difficulties, wilson beca
1895_births 1971_deaths Alcohol_abuse_counselors Alcoholics_Anonymous Burials_in_Vermont Deaths_from_emphysema Norwich_University_alumni People_from_Bedford_Hills,_New_York People_from_Bennington_County,_Vermont People_from_Katonah,_New_York Psychedelic_drug_advocates Psychedelic_drug_researchers