Dear Grapevine

Pioneers behind the walls
I am a volunteer for more than 20 years at Washington State Penitentiary (WSP) in Walla Walla. I currently serve as contact/liaison between our AA volunteers, WSP staff and administration, as well as Area 92. On behalf of inmate Timothy D., current chairperson of WSP’s Pioneer Group and its members, I am sending you information about the group’s recent 75th anniversary helping alcoholics get and stay sober inside the prison. It’s believed to be the longest-running prison meeting in the state of Washington. My friend Jim D., who will most likely be incarcerated for the rest of his lifetime, has kept a running log of the group’s rich history and sends a photo (above) of the group’s old meeting space (now long closed) to help celebrate. In his letter, Timothy writes, “We want the history of the Pioneer Group to be told in Grapevine, that AA can help anyone anywhere, if they’re willing, in or out of prison, freedom or any situation in life.”