[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 92 (Tuesday, June 25, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E957]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING MR. FRED GRETSCH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACK KINGSTON

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 25, 2013

  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Fred W. 
Gretsch, a nationally recognized music industry specialist and 
businessman, on the 130th anniversary of his family's historic 
business, The Gretsch Company.
   Fred's great-grandfather, Friedrich Gretsch, started The Gretsch 
Company in 1883, making banjos, drums and tambourines in Brooklyn, New 
York. Over a span of 130 years, The Gretsch Company has grown into an 
international business and produces some of the world's finest drums 
and guitars.
   In 1967, The Gretsch Company was sold to the Baldwin Music Company, 
but without the family dedication and perseverance that drove the 
business for so many decades, the company began to falter. Fred Gretsch 
repurchased his family business in 1985 and moved operations to 
Savannah, Georgia, where the revitalized company began to offer new, 
vintage-styled Gretsch guitars and classic Gretsch drums. The new 
products were immediately successful, and the company once again became 
a leader in the musical instrument industry.
   Because of Mr. Gretsch's tireless dedication to his family business 
and the music industry, The Gretsch Company is celebrating a 
significant milestone that many small businesses never reach. I am 
happy to congratulate Mr. Fred Gretsch and his wife, Dinah, on this 
accomplishment.

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