[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 61 (Wednesday, April 6, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2043-S2044]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 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

  Mr. CRUZ submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 
agreed to:

                              S. Res. 579

       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

[[Page S2044]]

     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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