‘A Personal Tribute: Ernie Kurtz, 1935 – 2015’ by Bill White

February 2, 2015 by

EK Photo 2008‘Ernest Kurtz, who made landmark contributions to the study of addiction recovery, died January 19, 2015 of pancreatic cancer. Following publication of Not-God:  A History of Alcoholics Anonymous in 1979, Kurtz focused his studies on the growing varieties of recovery experience, the healing of shame and guilt, and the role of spirituality in addiction recovery.

 
Ernest Kurtz was born in Rochester, New York, September 9, 1935 – only two months after the meeting of two desperate alcoholics in Akron, Ohio marked the birth of Alcoholics Anonymous.  Kurtz attended St. Bernard’s Seminary and College and was then ordained as a Catholic Priest in 1961.

Following five years of parish work, he began his graduate studies at Harvard University where he completed an M.A. in philosophy and a Ph.D. in the history of American civilization. His Ph.D dissertation on the history of A.A. marked a turning point in the scholarly study of A.A. and the larger arenas of addiction recovery and recovery mutual aid societies, both legitimizing such studies and setting a benchmark by which future studies would be evaluated.

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A great loss: RIP Ernie Kurtz

January 22, 2015 by

ernie_kurtz_egyptI was saddened to recently hear that Ernie Kurtz passed away on 19th January. Ernie was a brilliant and inquisitive man who helped very large numbers of people better understand AA and spirituality. Bill White recently described Ernie in the following way:

‘One of the distinctive voices within the modern history of addiction recovery is that of Harvard-trained historian Ernie Kurtz.

Spanning the 1979 publication of his classic Not-God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous to the just-released Experiencing Spirituality (with Katherine Ketcham), Kurtz has forged a deep imprint in studies of the history of A.A. and other recovery mutual aid groups, the varieties of recovery experience, the role of spirituality in addiction recovery, and the personal and clinical management of shame and guilt.

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‘Nelson Mandela: uniting humanity around the world’ from The Elders

December 9, 2013 by

The Elders are deeply saddened by the death of their founder Nelson Mandela, and join millions around the world who were inspired by his courage and touched by his compassion.

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‘The Passing of a Pioneer’ by Bill White

November 21, 2013 by

“That’s the issue [recovery]: it is not about any of us. It is to keep our eye on the prize, which is what drove most of us into this field in the first place. And that prize is the person who’s in recovery and seeing them grow.” 

David Powell 3Here is a touching obituary of a special person in the recovery field, David Powell PhD. Bill White talks about David’s contribution and highlights his passion, drive and dedication. He also touches upon the pressing issue of finding new  passionate leaders in the recovery field.

‘David Powell, PhD, who recently assumed the position of Assistant Clinical Professor within the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, is not a person who needs introduction to an audience of addiction professionals and recovery advocates, but some readers may not yet know that David died in a fall at his home on November 1, 2013.

David was ever-present within the addictions field for more than four decades.  His work addressed many frontier issues within the field, but he is probably best known for his pioneering work to enhance the quality of clinical supervision in addiction treatment.  He pushed this agenda through his numerous publications, frenetic presentation schedule and through consultations with leading addiction treatment organizations. 

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William Glasser Memorial

September 2, 2013 by

f49330de-1325-476a-bf6f-e5492d0594e3I was sorry to hear that we lost a special psychiatrist, Dr William Glasser, last Friday. William was also an education reformer and prolific author. His obituary appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and other newspapers. I include a copy of his Memorial:

‘The word “genius” has never fitted Bill Glasser well – not because he wasn’t one having been well recognised as such around the world – but because he was that and so much more. Bill was a genius and a man of courage and a person of wonderful humanity.

As a young man he had wandered through academia looking for a niche for himself. He had studied engineering and psychology and medicine and then, still restless, talked his way into psychiatry.

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