Blog 9: Margaret (Bobbie) Burger

By Andrew T

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in Australia owes a profound debt of gratitude to the many women who played pivotal roles in establishing AA in this country. Some of these women have almost been forgotten, and our 80th anniversary seems like a good time to remind our fellowship about our unique history and some of Australian AA’s pioneering women.

Margaret (Bobbie) Burger was the second General Secretary of Alcoholics Anonymous’ New York office, following the departure of Ruth Hock.

Bobbie was born in 1903 and raised in an upper-middle-class family. She attended the exclusive Knox School in Tarrytown, New York, and was an accomplished dancer. She enrolled at Columbia University but decided to pursue an acting career.

At 21, she was touring Europe and dancing before kings and queens, as well as acting on Broadway.

In 1925, she married Norman C Burger, and they had two children. Sadly, Norman passed away from pneumonia in 1929. She later married Erwin Shepard “Shep” Spink, but their relationship was turbulent, and during this time, her drinking worsened.

Over the years, Bobbie was admitted to several asylums and sanatoriums as a result of her drinking, since alcoholism was regarded as a form of mental illness at the time. One of these institutions was Bloomingdale’s in New York. A few years later, Lillian Roth—who would go on to play a significant role in early AA in Australia—was also treated there. The two women later became friends in New York’s close-knit AA community.

Bobbie got sober around 30 March 1939 and attended meetings in New York City where she befriended Bill and Lois Wilson, often socialising with them and a small group of AA friends. In 1942, Bobbie took over as secretary of the General Service Office after Ruth Hock’s departure. She was instrumental in responding to the flood of letters that followed the publication of the Saturday Evening Post article on Alcoholics Anonymous by Jack Alexander in 1941. This period of rapid growth became known as AA’s adolescent period, and was marked by growing pains, internal conflict and experimentation amongst groups. 

It was during this period that the Traditions began to take shape—“beaten out on the anvils of group experience,” as Bill W later described it in AA Comes of Age. They were first published in draft form in 1946, when Bill wrote a series of articles for the AA Grapevine titled Twelve Points to Assure Our Future. Following a period of widespread consultation with groups, the Twelve Traditions were finalised in the short form we know today and formally adopted by the fellowship at the first (trial) General Service Conference in Cleveland in 1950.

Bobbie Burger was at the very heart of AA throughout much of this period, serving as a trusted sounding board for Bill W as they navigated through the fellowship’s growing pains. She took on the vital role of corresponding with groups around the world, sharing AA’s collective experience, strength, and hope. Many of these letters were written before the Twelve Traditions were first published in 1946, yet they already contain clear signs of the early thinking and principles that would later be shaped into the Traditions we know today.

On 7 December 1942, Dr Sylvester Minogue, Medical Superintendent at Rydalmere Psychiatric Hospital in Sydney, read an article in the American Journal of Psychiatry (AJP) by Dr Walter A Thompson. The article reported that Rockland State Psychiatric Hospital in Orangeburg, New York, had seen promising results by encouraging some alcoholic patients to attend a group called Alcoholics Anonymous. Intrigued, Dr Minogue wrote a letter to the AJP requesting that it be passed on to AA.

Dr Minogue’s letter was forwarded to AA’s New York office, landing on the desk of Bobbie, on 26 January 1943. On 2 February 1943, she replied to Dr Minogue, sending him detailed information on how AA meetings and groups worked. She also enclosed a copy of Alcoholics Anonymous (the Big Book) and instructions on how to start a meeting.

This marked the beginning of a correspondence between Bobbie B and Dr Minogue that would eventually lead to the establishment of Alcoholics Anonymous in Australia. Over the next few years, Dr Minogue worked closely with Father Thomas Dunlea, an Irish Catholic priest best known for founding Boys’ Town during the Great Depression. Despite their efforts, nothing really took off until 1945, when they were joined by a third man, a psychiatric nurse from Darlinghurst Reception House named Archie McKinnon.

In January 1944, the American Journal of Psychiatry published an article called Therapeutic Mechanisms of Alcoholics Anonymous by psychiatrist Dr Harry Tiebout. The article caught Archie McKinnon’s attention. Like Dr Minogue before him, he wrote to the AJP asking for more information about AA. Once again, this request was passed along to Bobbie Burger in New York. On 15 September 1944, Bobbie responded, sending Archie a copy of the Big Book and encouraging him to contact Dr Sylvester Minogue, explaining that Minogue had already been working to establish AA in Australia.

Archie received Bobbie’s letter in early 1945 and, following her advice, got in touch with Dr Minogue. Soon, Archie, Dr Minogue, and Father Dunlea teamed up, and their efforts finally paid off in March 1945. That’s when they brought together the first known members of Alcoholics Anonymous in Australia, Rex, Ben and Wally.

Following the establishment of AA in Australia, Dr Minogue continued to write to Bobbie Burger, seeking guidance from New York. Bobbie responded with consistent patience and wisdom, offering reassurance that Australia’s early struggles were much the same as those AA had faced in the United States only a few years earlier. Her letters to Dr Minogue over time revealed a warm and supportive friendship that had developed entirely through their correspondence.

In 1953, Dr Sylvester Minogue wrote a series of articles in The Reviver about the history of AA in Australia. In his first instalment, he wrote of Bobbie Burger:

… It is my opinion that the whole credit of starting AA in Australia is due solely to her advice and words of wisdom over the years. We wrote to her repeatedly about our difficulties. Once, when in despair of ever getting AA on its feet in Sydney, she wrote and told us that they had had exactly the same experiences as ourselves in America…

During Bobbie’s tenure as AA Secretary, the fellowship expanded from two countries to 24, a remarkable achievement for which much credit must be given to Bobbie and her extraordinary ability as a communicator. Her deep commitment to AA’s growth and success was undeniable. However, over time, her dedication became all-consuming, leading to a level of workaholism that began to take a toll on her health and raised concerns among some members of the fellowship.

In April 1948, Tom Y, editor of the Grapevine, wrote to Bill W to express his concerns, including an apologetic cover letter to Bobbie, knowing she would read both. In his letter, he referenced an incident that had “brewed up” and emphasised the significance of anonymity and the principle of rotation in AA service, including paid positions:

…My conclusions regarding the Grapevine undoubtedly reflect my personal opinion that making careers out of AA can be dangerous to both the individuals and to AA. While some people might be able to do this without harm to themselves and while performing great service to AA, the greater number who could not do so suggests the need for the establishment of this policy as a further safeguard…

By this time, Bill W. was acutely aware of the immense burden of being seen as AA’s central figure—a strain that had taken a serious toll on his health. Recognising that no single individual should carry such responsibility, he began developing a plan to transfer leadership from himself and Dr Bob to the wider fellowship. This led to the creation of the General Service Conference, which was launched on a trial basis in 1951. The plan reached its full expression in 1955, when the Conference was made permanent and formal responsibility for AA’s affairs was officially handed over from the founders to the fellowship through this representative body. This historic moment—marked at the fifth annual Conference in St Louis on 3 July 1955—is celebrated as AA’s “coming of age.”

Bobbie also felt the weight of responsibility, often struggling to step away from her role. She found it hard to accept any AA invitation without feeling obliged to accept them all. Like Bill, she experienced the physical and emotional strain of relentless service. In June 1949, Bobbie stepped down as office secretary, and it is likely she had relapsed before resigning. There is no evidence that she had a sponsor or attended regular AA meetings during her time in the role. Her prominent, non-rotating position of responsibility in the office, may have made it difficult for Bobbie to engage with the fellowship as just another alcoholic among alcoholics—an anonymous member like any other. 

In AA’s early years, some pioneers' experiences became cautionary tales, highlighting the delicate balance between our three legacies: recovery, unity, and service. This does not diminish the immense value of their contributions. Experiences like Bobbie’s played a role in shaping our second and third legacies, our Traditions and the Concepts for World Service. These guiding principles were hard-won, forged through the struggles and challenges of our formative years. As Tom Y (quoted above) reminds us, forgetting those lessons can be dangerous—not just for the individual, but for AA as a whole.

Bobbie’s departure was deeply felt by Bill, who continued to write warm and heartfelt letters expressing his enduring gratitude to her until the end of her life. She passed away on 17 February 1953. In time, Bill came to recognise the importance of rotation in service roles—even within the office. He came to see that rotating positions helped ensure AA’s continuity, shared responsibility more evenly, and supported the wellbeing of those in service. It also helped safeguard the fellowship from becoming overly reliant on any one individual.

In his 1962 essay on Concept XI, Bill used a fictionalised version of Bobbie’s story to illustrate the principles of rotation and anonymity. While the retelling included some inaccuracies, the message it conveyed—that service requires humility, shared responsibility, and letting go—remains a valid and valuable one.

Bobbie Burger was a remarkable person, whose gift for communication helped carry AA’s message across the world. Her dedication and wisdom played a crucial role in laying the foundation for AA in Australia, giving countless alcoholics a chance at recovery.

As we mark 80 years of AA in this country, we honour her as one of the pioneering women whose contribution and powerful influence shaped our fellowship and ensured that the message reached those who needed it most, even 16,000 km away.

Bobbie Burger (left) and Ruth Hock (right)  (Date Unknown)

For this post I have drawn heavily on the work of Gary N. For an insightful talk on the life of Bobbie Burger—both remarkable and poignant see the Untold Story of AA’s Fantastic Communicator by Gary N