[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11147]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




CELEBRATING THE 380TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AVEDIS ZILDJIAN CYMBAL COMPANY

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                       HON. WILLIAM. D. DELAHUNT

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 8, 2003

  Mr. DELAHUNT. Mr. Speaker, it is with enormous pride that I rise 
today in tribute to the Zildjian family of Massachusetts, whom we join 
today in marking an anniversary of an American success story. The 
Zildjian cymbal sets a standard for excellence--with skill, 
perseverance and devotion to family, employees and the community.
  They arrived on our shores with an idea and a dream, and worked hard 
and smart to fulfill it. Now musicians around the world--from symphony 
percussionists to R&B drummers--swear by K/Z HiHats and Remixes and 
enrich the quality of our lives every day through the gift of music. On 
Friday of this week, May 9, a variety of friends and admirers will 
gather at the company offices in the town of Norwell, Massachusetts, to 
celebrate the 380th anniversary of the Avedis Zildjian Cymbal Company.
  Zildjian Cymbals is the oldest, continuously owned family business in 
the United States--now in its 74th year of operation. However, the firm 
has a history going back almost four centuries. Zildjian was originally 
founded by Avedis I, an alchemist and subject of the Ottoman Empire 
living in Constantinople in 1623. He created a process--still a 
Zildjian trademark--to treat metal alloys to create cymbals of superior 
clarity and quality. As a result of his discovery, he was given the 
title ``Zildjian'' or Cymbalsmith by the Sultan.
  After three centuries of manufacturing cymbals in Constantinople, the 
family business relocated to Quincy, Massachusetts, largely at the 
behest of Avedis Zildjian III, who had immigrated to the United States 
in 1909 and went into business for himself. When it came time for him 
to take over the family business in Turkey, Avedis pushed for America 
as the company's home. Although the foundry's establishment coincided 
with the beginning of the Great Depression, devotion of the family and 
from some of the great musicians of his day, helped Avedis persevere. 
Eventually, the company flourished.
  In 1972, Zildjian opened a new manufacturing facility in Norwell, 
Massachusetts where an untold number of cymbals have been created by 
more than 100 dedicated employees and sold to musicians in every genre 
in dozens of countries around the world. After handing over the reigns 
of the company in 1977 to his son, Armand, Avedis Zildjian passed away 
in 1979. Under Armand's leadership, Zildjian continued its leadership 
in the production of high-quality cymbals and opened a drumstick 
factory in Alabama. In 1995, Zildjian became the first Percussion 
Company to obtain the ISO 9001 Quality Certification, a standard 
recognized around the globe for facilities that meet and exceed 
rigorous quality standards.
  In 1999, yet another milestone was reached, as Armand Zildjian 
appointed his daughter, Craigie, to be the Chief Executive Officer, the 
first woman to hold that distinction since the entity's inception in 
1623. With the passing of Armand Zildjian in 2002, Craigie Zildjian is 
poised to continue the Zildjian name brand and tradition of superior 
workmanship into the decades to come.
  On May 9, 2003, a host of well wishers will join the entire Zildjian 
community and gather at the company headquarters to commemorate 
Zildjian's contribution to our universal heritage, our region's 
economy, the lives and livelihoods of its employees and the 
entrepreneurial spirit reflected in the evolution of this fine 
corporation. The festivities would doubtless have made Avedis Zildjian 
proud. And it is with equal pleasure that I enter this tribute into the 
Congressional Record so that this milestone is officially recognized 
and recorded in the official history of the United States of America.

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