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History Sections: Nothing happens without a purpose The first club house Moving, growing, moving Sobriety in a winery Settling in and disaster Hard times get better Here we go again No more rent Ready or not, here we come Troubled waters Wham, bam A new beginning Kitchen Menu Informational Brochure Application The 2008 Alano Classic The Alano Club of San Jose 1122 Fair Ave. San Jose, CA. 95122 Tel: 408.297.1878 Fax: 408.297.4100 Directions

THE FIRST CLUB HOUSE First there was one. Then there were two. Wherever two or more are gathered in My name, there shall I be. Certainly, a Higher Power was at work to bring Mickey C. and Jim R. together through such a circuitous route: from San Jose to New York by mail; to Oakland by car, and finally, to within walking distance of each other to begin their journey on the path to recovery. By the time Jim H. arrived in San Jose by train from Kansas City in 1945, the rank and file of alcoholics gathering together for their own recovery had grown. Like gypsies banded together by a common bond, they wandered from place to place, meeting in each others homes, more for the comfort of social gatherings than to practice the steps toward sobriety. Jim H. joined these wanderers in 1946. Jim was a joiner, getting involved in unions, fraternities and other organizations where people got together with people for whatever reason. Being a joiner, he needed a feeling of more permanence than this group had to offer, but this was the only group that would protect his sobriety. So he talked with the others about a place to get together - a meeting place, a clubhouse, a place they could feel they really belonged. He talked to Bob S., discussed it with Dean Mc., spoke to Carl T., approached John D., and John said, "If you can raise the money, we'll do it." That was all Jim needed. With a list of those he thought would agree and those he thought could be talked into it, he made the rounds again. Money was tight then, especially for alcoholics. There were a few who had their own business, so Jim made a special effort with them. He went to Carl T. at his jewelry store on First Street near the Hester Theater. Carl put in $50. Bob S. owned a window shade company – another $50. John D.’s mortuary provided another $50. And so it went - those who could did; willing to share for the sake of those who couldn't. With money in hand, they looked for a place to settle. The criteria was simple: inexpensive and cheap. As it happened, Bob G. had a dry cleaning shop on Almaden Ave. next to a vacant house. Shack is a better description, but the rent was right: $30 a month. No bathroom and it lacked in a few other ways, but it met the most important criteria - it was cheap. So they moved in - a place of their own. You wouldn't have called it a meeting place, because they didn't hold meetings. Card room fits best. A coffee pot, a table, a few chairs and a waiting line if you got there after a game started. Poker was the first order of the day, and the last call at night. Bob G. loved to play poker, and that was probably a bigger threat to his business than drinking, but the games went on. Summers in San Jose get a little warm sometimes, and that created a small problem that got worse as the card games and coffee drinking progressed. The distance between the clubhouse and Bob G.'s Cleaners was only about six or eight feet. Not having indoor plumbing, this was the ideal spot to get rid of recycled coffee. It doesn't take much imagination to consider the effects of the hot sun on the 'former' coffee in a closed-in space. Something had to be done, and soon. About this time, the wives were beginning to get involved. The clubhouse kept most of the men away from alcohol, but the card games kept most of the husbands away from the wives. The pressure was mounting. The wives wanted to be around their husbands and the neighbors near the clubhouse wanted to be around fresh air. The solution was obvious: move to a place with an indoor outhouse, and leave the decorating to the wives. It is interesting to note that our predecessors moved into their first clubhouse in 1946. The Twelve Traditions of AA were first published in . . .. 1946. Continue...