History

It is my understanding, after talking with “Old-Timers” in the 1990’s, that Bob White attended an AA Retreat on the east coast some time in the 1950’s. At that time there were only four or five retreats in the country. One was Blackstone in Virginia. Established in 1956, Blackstone had a program and formal slate of speakers. It was simple, but it was very inspirational.

During the winter months of 1960, several West Texas AA’s began to spin a dream while sitting around one of their kitchen tables after an AA Meeting. And as the coffee pot perked its merry tune, the dream began to take on possibilities. The dream was for a place of retreat for AA’s every where who longed for quite fellowship and to fulfill a continuing need for things of the spirit.

The ensuing months, between and after meetings, plans began to develop, speakers were invited and many details worked out with and almost phenomenal ease of production and with this came an equally phenomenal invitation. The Christian Church Camp, on Lake Brownwood, was offered by a good friend of AA, Reverand Dick Clayborne, the First Christian Church Minister in Midland, Texas. It seems like it would be operated on a shoestring budget at best. The conference cost $25.00 per person in 1961. It wasn’t cheap. Octavia and Johnny Brooks had to borrow $50.00 from the local credit union to attend. In 1961, there was no budget, no by-laws; just members operating out of their back pockets.

The first meeting was held the second weekend of September 1961. All in attendance were joyfully uplifted and were hopeful that the retreat would continue year after year. With the exception of two or three persons, it was their first AA retreat.

On February 27, 1962, five months after the first gathering at the Lake Brownwood Christian Retreat Center, the group of like-minded folks, approved and signed the Charter and adopted By-laws. Someone, possibly Bob White, loaned the newly formed corporation $100.00 to deposit in the San Angelo National Bank under the name “Brownwood Lakeside A.A. Retreat”. They set the date for the 1962 Conference as September 14-16. As we know today, the planning was inspirational for the results of what we are experience each time we attend the Lakeside Conference.