[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 579 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 579
Recognizing the 100th anniversary of Big Bertha, one of the largest
bass drums in use by a university in the United States and located at
The University of Texas at Austin.
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IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 6, 2022
Mr. Cruz submitted the following resolution; which was considered and
agreed to
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RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 100th anniversary of Big Bertha, one of the largest
bass drums in use by a university in the United States and located at
The University of Texas at Austin.
Whereas Big Bertha, one of the largest bass drums in use by a university in the
United States, is known as the ``Sweetheart of the Longhorn Band'' and
an icon of The University of Texas at Austin;
Whereas Big Bertha is so large that, following her construction, part of the
walls of the factory where she was assembled had to be removed so Big
Bertha could leave the factory for shipping;
Whereas the year 2022 marks the 100th anniversary since Big Bertha was first put
into service on October 28, 1922, in support of the football team for
the University of Chicago, which was led by Coach Amos Alonzo Stagg and
his assistant Fritz Crisler, both of whom would go on to be inducted
into the College Football Hall of Fame;
Whereas, in 1938, Big Bertha made a special trip to Carnegie Hall in New York
City to join an orchestra directed by famed Italian conductor Arturo
Toscanini for a performance of Verdi's Requiem, where Big Bertha was the
star of the show, used to play a single note;
Whereas Big Bertha was a witness to history, having been present at the dawn of
the Atomic Age, when, at approximately 3:25 PM on December 2, 1942,
Enrico Fermi and his colleagues at the Metallurgical Laboratory at the
University of Chicago engineered the first controlled, self-sustaining
nuclear chain reaction as part of their work in support of the Manhattan
Project;
Whereas the nuclear chain reaction occurred on a squash court under the west
stands of the former Stagg Field on the University of Chicago campus
adjacent to where Big Bertha was in storage, resulting in Big Bertha
becoming radioactive;
Whereas The University of Texas at Austin purchased Big Bertha from the
University of Chicago in 1955, at which time Big Bertha moved to Texas,
making her new home in Austin;
Whereas Big Bertha now resides in the north end zone concourse of Darrell K.
Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, where she has been admired by Longhorn
football fans for generations;
Whereas, due to her important role supporting The University of Texas at Austin
Longhorns football team (referred to in this preamble as the ``Texas
Longhorns''), Big Bertha has an endowment to provide for her care;
Whereas, since moving to Austin, Big Bertha has been a witness to football
history on multiple occasions, including witnessing the Texas Longhorns
win national championships in 1963 and 2005, back-to-back national
championships in 1969 and 1970, 19 conference championships, 8 Cotton
Bowl Championships, and many other prominent bowl games;
Whereas Big Bertha supported the Texas Longhorns during each of Hall of Fame
Coach Darrell K. Royal's 20 years coaching the Texas Longhorns to a
record that included 167 wins, 47 losses, and 5 ties;
Whereas Big Bertha boomed in support of the winning Heisman Trophy campaigns of
Texas Longhorns greats Earl Campbell in 1977 and Ricky Williams in 1998;
Whereas Big Bertha's name was given to her on the 50th anniversary of her move
to Austin;
Whereas Big Bertha is a television celebrity, having been the focus of a 2015
episode of the Arts and Entertainment Network television show ``Shipping
Wars'' in which Big Bertha was shipped to London, England, to
participate in a New Year's Day parade;
Whereas photogrammetry is the science and technology used to obtain reliable
information about the size and dimensions of physical objects;
Whereas photogrammetry has been used to measure and compare the size of Big
Bertha with other large university bass drums and has scientifically
proven that Big Bertha is, in fact, larger than other drums that have
been claimed to be the ``world's largest'';
Whereas Big Bertha and her handlers, the ``Bertha Crew'', are an essential part
of United States history and The University of Texas Longhorn Band; and
Whereas Big Bertha has been part of many historic performances across Texas, the
United States, and the world: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate recognizes--
(1) the 100th anniversary of the construction of Big
Bertha, one of the largest bass drums in use by a university in
the United States;
(2) The University of Texas Longhorn Band as an important
cultural and historical icon of The University of Texas at
Austin and the State of Texas;
(3) Big Bertha for her preeminence in band and musical
performances, including on the national stage as the star of
the show at an historic performance at Carnegie Hall in 1938
and the international stage as part of a New Year's Day parade
in London, England, in 2015;
(4) the Bertha Crew and The University of Texas Longhorn
Band for their continued legacy of excellence in musical
performance and in support of school spirit; and
(5) that the ongoing debate between universities in the
United States regarding which institution possesses the largest
bass drum is reflective of the spirit of competition that has
helped the United States reach new heights in academic and
scientific achievement and ingenuity for more than a century.
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