Lois Wilson (activist)
Encyclopedia
Lois Wilson (4 March 1891 – 6 October 1988) was the co-founder of Al-Anon, a support group for the friends and family of alcoholics. She was the wife of Alcoholics Anonymous
co-founder Bill W.
Lois was the first of six children born to Clark Burnham and his wife, the former Matilda Spelman. Her father practiced surgery in Brooklyn Heights, New York. The granddaughter of a Swedenborgian
pastor, she was raised in that faith. She was a 2nd cousin of the architect of the Flatiron Building
Daniel Burnham
She attended a kindergarten run by the Pratt Institute
and later Friends School. She graduated from the Packer Collegiate Institute with a concentration in the fine arts. She had a talent for drawing, and later developed skill in interior decoration. After graduation she worked for the YWCA and later taught at a school in Short Hills, New Jersey
.
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. As teenagers, Lois and Bill fell in love. They married in 1918 when Bill was in the Army, shortly before he was sent to Europe. Lois worked as an occupational therapist during his absence. After his return, the couple hoped to start a family, but after several miscarriages she was advised that pregnancy would be dangerous or impossible. Their attempts to adopt children were unsuccessful.
Her marriage to Bill W. began to degrade due to the combination of a series of miscarriages, his drinking problem, and his marital infidelities. Lois began to work on programs to help families of alcoholics after Bill had gone through rehabilitation and founded AA. These efforts led to the founding of Al-Anon, although this was not the first program of its kind.
Her autobiography, Lois Remembers, was published in 1979.
She died in 1988 at age 97. Without children, she left the home (Stepping Stones
) in Bedford Hills, New York
that she and Bill had owned since 1941 to the Stepping Stones Foundation. It is on the National Register of Historic Places
and has become a tour destination for members of the 12-step organizations.
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 true story of Alcoholics Anonymous founder Bill Wilson.
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
co-founder Bill W.
Lois was the first of six children born to Clark Burnham and his wife, the former Matilda Spelman. Her father practiced surgery in Brooklyn Heights, New York. The granddaughter of a Swedenborgian
Swedenborgian
A Swedenborgian is the doctrines, beliefs, and practices of the Church of the New Jerusalem, and is an adjective describing a person or an organization that understands the Bible through the theological writings of Emanuel Swedenborg....
pastor, she was raised in that faith. She was a 2nd cousin of the architect of the Flatiron Building
Flatiron Building
The Flatiron Building, or Fuller Building, as it was originally called, is located at 175 Fifth Avenue in the borough of Manhattan, New York City and is considered to be a groundbreaking skyscraper. Upon completion in 1902 it was one of the tallest buildings in the city and the only skyscraper...
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham, FAIA was an American architect and urban planner. He was the Director of Works for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He took a leading role in the creation of master plans for the development of a number of cities, including Chicago and downtown Washington DC...
She attended a kindergarten run by the Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
and later Friends School. She graduated from the Packer Collegiate Institute with a concentration in the fine arts. She had a talent for drawing, and later developed skill in interior decoration. After graduation she worked for the YWCA and later taught at a school in Short Hills, New Jersey
Short Hills, New Jersey
Short Hills is an unincorporated area located within the township of Millburn, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is a popular commuter town for residents who work in New York City...
.
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. As teenagers, Lois and Bill fell in love. They married in 1918 when Bill was in the Army, shortly before he was sent to Europe. Lois worked as an occupational therapist during his absence. After his return, the couple hoped to start a family, but after several miscarriages she was advised that pregnancy would be dangerous or impossible. Their attempts to adopt children were unsuccessful.
Her marriage to Bill W. began to degrade due to the combination of a series of miscarriages, his drinking problem, and his marital infidelities. Lois began to work on programs to help families of alcoholics after Bill had gone through rehabilitation and founded AA. These efforts led to the founding of Al-Anon, although this was not the first program of its kind.
Her autobiography, Lois Remembers, was published in 1979.
She died in 1988 at age 97. Without children, she left the home (Stepping Stones
Stepping Stones (home)
Stepping Stones is the historic home of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill W. and his wife Lois Burnham Wilson, founder of Al-Anon/Alateen, in Bedford Hills, New York. It is a Colonial Revival structure built in 1920....
) in Bedford Hills, New York
Bedford Hills, New York
Bedford Hills is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Bedford, New York.-History:When the railroad was built in 1847, Bedford Hills was known as Bedford Station. Bedford Hills extends from a business center at the railroad station to farms and estates, eastward along Harris, Babbitt and Bedford...
that she and Bill had owned since 1941 to the Stepping Stones Foundation. It is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and has become a tour destination for members of the 12-step organizations.
A 2010 made-for-TV movie based on her life, When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story
When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story
When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story is a 2010 American film that premiered on CBS on April 25, 2010. The film was produced by Terry Gould, directed by John Kent Harrison and written by William G. Borchert, who based the script from his novel of the same name. The film is similar to...
featuring actress Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1986 film Lucas. Ryder's first significant role came in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice as a goth teenager, which won her critical and commercial recognition...
as Lois Wilson, premiered on Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...
on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
April 25, 2010. The film is based on the 2005 book of the same name written by William G. Borchert
William G. Borchert
William G. Borchert is an American screenwriter who wrote the script for the 1989 film My Name is Bill W., based on the true story of Alcoholics Anonymous founder Bill Wilson....
, author of the screen play for the 1989 film My Name is Bill W.
My Name is Bill W.
My Name Is Bill W. is a 1989 CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie directed by Daniel Petrie, starring James Woods, JoBeth Williams and James Garner. William G. Borchert, who wrote the film for television, based it on the true story of William Griffith Wilson and Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith,...
, based on the true story of Alcoholics Anonymous founder Bill Wilson.