The last living link to the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, which grew out of the early work of IofC.

The invitations state: "Meet James Houck, who got sober on December 12, 1934 while attending Oxford Group meetings with Bill Wilson. He is our last living link to the writing of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous."

Houck's speaking engagements prompted his local paper, The Towson Times, to describe him as lively, passionate, and driven, "a charismatic character who defies all the tired assumptions of someone who is nearing the century mark."

Following his introduction to the Oxford Group, "the first thing Houck did after becoming sober was to begin anew with his wife - who many thought would leave him before they celebrated their first anniversary. But he and Betty had been married 57 years when she passed away a few years ago.

"The next thing he did was to confess to his former boss, from whom Houck had stolen supplies for a number of years. Houck wanted to pay restitution. His confession surprised his old boss so much that the storeowner confided that he and his wife were on the verge of divorces because of his infidelities. Houck's confession, however, encouraged the man to begin an honest dialogue with his wife, which saved his marriage.

"Something new is born every time this happens," said Houck, who is grandfather to nine and great-grandfather to 16. "It's a new type of fellowship. The Oxford Group takes you into other's lives. These are the avenues that we need to take to meet their real needs - their moral and spiritual needs."