Who are the recipients of the milestone printing copies of the Big Book?
A. The one-millionth copy was presented to President Richard Nixon in April 1973, and the two-millionth to Joseph Califano, Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, in June 1979. At the 50th Anniversary International Convention in Montréal in 1985, the five-millionth copy of the Big Book was presented to Ruth Hock, who typed draft after draft of the original manuscript. The ten-millionth was presented to Nell Wing, Bill W.’s longtime (nonalcoholic) secretary and A.A.’s first archivist, in July 1990. The 15-millionth was given to Ellie Norris, widow of former trustee chairman John L. Norris, M.D., in 1996; and in the year 2000, the 20-millionth copy was presented to the Al-Anon Family Groups. The 25-millionth copy was presented to Jill Brown, warden of San Quentin Prison, in July 2005, at the A.A. International Convention in Toronto. Q.
