Among the First Five Sober

Tom Morrissey, who’s sobriety date was July 29, 1939, was a very humble member. Tom did not leave any photo or much other information behind. What we did discover was that Tom was from out of town, Ohio area. He was was transferred to Detroit in 1942, living on on the west side of Detroit. Due to the growth in Detroit, the early members decided to create two more meetings, as the first group, the Detroit Group was established. They next created the East Group, which Archie Trowbridge and Mike Eshelman developed. Then one was created in the Northwest Detroit area near Plymouth & Ilene area and that group was called the West Group (very imaginative). Tom was the member who took this task on to help develop this group with the aide of Mike.

Later, Tom was the lead to get a meeting started at Mariner’s Inn, which was founded in 1925 by the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. It was called the Detroit Protestant Episcopal City Mission Society. Its office headquartered at Mariners’ Church of Detroit. By 1934 a building on Griswold, owned by the Board of Trustees of Mariners’ Church, was refitted as an Inn where lodging, food and clothing were provided for the poor.

This proved that an alcoholic could get sober, move to another geographical location and stay sober.