Sober over 40 years, who got active early with the young people in AA, Mary Jane was the Sunday morning speaker.
She grew up in Pautucket, RI in an Irish alcoholic home. She did not start getting into trouble until college.
She knew even then and was even proud that she drank differently. She was asked to leave in her junior year.
She went with a friend and offhandedly applied for a stewardess job and was hired by Eastern Airlines.
She loved it. It was a great party life. She was sick alot., in car accidents and used people, She was missing flights. And people noticed.
She was shocked when they fired her after six years. She got a great sales job after that with a company car - which she wrecked. But she had a really great story.
The last three years of her drinking was in Annapolis, MD in a self-made prison - a cave - drinking when she did't want to, existing in a deep depression.
Her dad had gotten sober when Mary Jane was 12 years old. She knew in the back of her mind there was a solution though she was certain she was not alcoholic until one day she called AA almost on autopilot in October 1967.
The next meeting was across the street from her apartment - a men's stag.
(49 min) (17.1 MB) (id#1283)