Clergyman, educator, columnist, and orator; an associate of Frank Buchman and the Moral Re-Armament |
movement in the 1940s & '50s.  

The reverend T. Willard Hunter, author, speaker and creator of the 4th of July Speakers Corner (Claremont CA),
died last night (July 1 09).  He was 93 years old

Hunter was the Co-author of the Jim (James D)  Newton
remembrances- biography (including oxford group people) titled
"Uncommon Friends" the Book was also made
into a documentary film.

Read Hunter's self-penned résumé/bio (.pdf file)

Williard Hunter Oral interview Truman Library Archives

Williard Hunter PDF Document AA Roots in Oxford Group
(kindly sent to me from Charles Knapp AA History Lovers)

Tribute

to My Friend and “a Friend of A.A.”

T. Willard Hunter by Dick B AA Historian

This is about a man I came to know quite well in my later years of life and not long after I achieved sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous in 1986. As far as I know, Willard never came even close to alcoholism. I’m not even sure he ever drank. So my friendship with him seems

all the more remarkable.

In 1990, I went to the International Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous in Seattle. I didn’t know a soul there. But I had gone to learn about the biblical roots of Alcoholics Anonymous. I had never heard of the Oxford Group, and I certainly had never heard of Willard Hunter. But I was fortunate to make the acquaintance of Frank Mauser (now deceased), the then Archivist for Alcoholics Anonymous General Service in New York. I began to hear talk of the Oxford Group and was referred to Frank Mauser. Mauser in turn sent me a list of books by Oxford Group leader Rev. Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr.; and another AA at the Convention sent me some Oxford Group writings. I was so astonished at the similarities between the A.A. Big Book program and the ideas of the Oxford Group that I devoted almost a year to researching that link. And, of course, I saw how much Oxford Group influence there had been on A.A.’s basic text—Alcoholics Anonymous (the Big Book)—an influence many AAs still don’t like to acknowledge. Finally, I asked Frank Mauser to come to Marin County, California, and talk to a large meeting of AAs about the history of A.A. He did, and I shared the stage with him, talking for about an hour on what I knew of the Oxford Group. The program was so well received that I invited Frank to return the following year. But Frank was unable to come. So I arranged to have Dr. Bob’s son and Mel B., author of A.A.’s : come to speak. I told Frank Mauser I needed another speaker, and he suggested Willard Hunter. When I asked who Willard was, Frank simply replied, “A friend of A.A.”

So Willard joined Dr. Bob’s son, Mel B., and me on the stage for the second “A Day in Marin” A.A. history Conference. All four of us became good friends. In fact, Mel had worked closely with Willard on two different books on A.A. and its Oxford Group link. And Dr. Bob’s son was all ears. So was I.

Then began an odyssey of Oxford Group questing in which Willard played a major role. I met him in Southern California and conversed with him for about five hours. He acquainted me with the names, telephone numbers, and addresses of many Oxford Group leaders whose works I had read. He knew them well; and, in many cases, introduced me to them. They included the biographer of Oxford Group founder Frank Buchman, author Garth D. Lean of England. And two Oxford Group legends—James Draper Newton and Eleanor Forde Newton. All of them became friends of mine and providers of  historical resources. There were other British folks—all of whom knew Willard. They included Lean’s associate Michael Hutchinson, Ken Belden, and several others. In America, he introduced me to Oxford Group leaders such as Richard Ruffin, James Houck, Julia Harris, George Vondermuhll, Jr., Harry Almond,  Howard Blake, a Congressman, a steel executive, and several others whose writings were well-known. I gathered books and materials from many repositories including Hartford Seminary, Calvary Church in New York (Rev. Sam Shoemaker’s church), Princeton, Allentown, and elsewhere. And then I wrote the book, The Oxford Group and Alcoholics Anonymous. Willard wrote the Foreword, and it was endorsed by many of his friends. By that time, I realized that Willard had been in the company of Frank Buchman, Sam Shoemaker, the Newtons, and a host of other Oxford Group members. Willard had also been to Andover Newton Seminary and written a thesis called “World Changing Through Life-Changing”—a still valuable resource on the Oxford Group and its people, even today Later, I wrote a second edition of The Oxford Group and Alcoholics Anonymous, and Willard again did the Foreword honors.

Now about Willard’s appearances around the United States, seemingly wherever I was speaking on Alcoholics Anonymous history. In Akron, Willard chaired a conference introducing my book, The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous. He was joined by Congressman John F. Seiberling, Dr. Bob’s daughter Sue Smith Windows, and me—hooked to a telephone talk from Florida by Jim Newton. Willard invited me to attend the 100^th birthday tribute to Frank Buchman in Pennsylvania, but I didn’t make it. However, when the Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation held a dinner in honor of Rev. Samuel Shoemaker and Bill Wilson, Willard was there. Also, when Rev. Shoemaker’s two daughters held a reception introducing my Shoemaker book called New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A., Willard was there at the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland for the reception. In Southern California, at a Clarence Snyder retreat, Willard, his friend Jim Houck, and I shared the stage along with others.

In short, from 1991 to this date, I can think of no year in which Willard didn’t provide me with volumes of information about the Oxford Group, its personalities, Sam Shoemaker, and even elements of A.A. history which he had taped—with data from Henrietta Seiberling and Lois Wilson. In fact, after I had gone to the Akron Beacon Journal and dug out the records of the famous Oxford Group/Firestone meetings in Akron in 1933, Willard bound them together in a pamphlet he freely distributed. Also, since Willard was a good friend of T. Henry and Clarace Williams—in whose home early AAs in Akron had met each Wednesday, Willard interviewed T. Henry and wrote a  pamphlet, “It Started Right There.” The pamphlet was quoting T. Henry who pointed to the rug in his home where Dr. Bob and his Oxford Group friends had knelt on the carpet and prayed for Dr. Bob’s deliverance from alcoholism—which was followed not long thereafter by Bill Wilson’s miraculous appearance in Akron and his searching out a drunk (who turned out to be Dr. Bob) to help.

Willard was generous with time, effort, friendship, and even financial support. For example, several  years back, I decided to gather together every possible piece of Oxford Group and Shoemaker literature that was even remotely relevant to A.A. and  place them, with the help of benefactors, in the Griffith Library near the Wilson House in East Dorset, Vermont, where Bill Wilson was born and raised. To assist me in this endeavor, Willard made his entire library available for that purpose. He contacted George Vondermuhll, Jr., who seemed to have a huge collection of all the Oxford Group writings, and George made a very large selection of these available to me. Then, when I visited Jim and Ellie Newton in Florida shortly before Jim’s death, Willard facilitated Jim’s making available to me some key books from his library. And also, when I went to the Moral Re-Armament Headquarters in Washington, D.C., with Willard running interference, I was able to acquire a number of priceless Oxford Group books not yet in my collection.

A personal observation or two: Willard was a tall, erect, happy, well-dressed gentleman, scholar, speaker, and author. He was able to write eloquently about the Oxford Group and his friends. He worked tirelessly to be sure that AAs knew the full, accurate, and comprehensive history of the Oxford Group and A.A.’s link to it. He was an ardent speaker on the merits of the Twelve Steps.. He had kind words to say about the Shoemakers, Frank Buchman, and the many Oxford Groupers he knew; and he kept in touch with all of them. Most of all, Willard Hunter kept in regular touch with me from 1991, and he blessed my life and the lives of thousands of AAs, for whom he had the greatest respect and desire to be of assistance. Willard was fond of quoting Tiny Tim, and often ended his remarks with “God Bless us every one.” And God certainly blessed Willard’s life and the lives of those he touched.

Gloria Deo

Dick B., Kihei, Hawaii

      July, 2009