The Gretsch Company, one of the world’s most well-known drum and guitar manufacturers, received the Cox Family Enterprise Center’s 2007 Georgia Family Business of the Year Award at a reception at the Cobb Galleria Center in Atlanta on May 23. Based in Savannah, GA, the company was recognized for its enduring commitment to manufacturing professional quality, hand-crafted instruments for nearly 125 years.

The Gretsch Company was the recipient of the 2007 Century Award, designated for family businesses at least 100 years old. President Fred W. Gretsch attended the awards ceremony along with his wife and company CFO, Dinah Gretsch. Upon receiving the Century Award, Fred shared insights into the company’s remarkable history as well as his thoughts on family and business. (more…)

Rosa Gretsch

Gretsch’s “First” First Lady to founder, Friedrich Gretsch

Next to her husband, Friedrich, Rosa Gretsch is the second most important person responsible for today’s Gretsch legacy and continued family dynasty.

Born Rosa Behman on June 18, 1856 in Brooklyn, New York to German-born parents, Rosa’s parents died in a Cholera epidemic when she was a baby. Fortunately, she was adopted by friends of her parents who had no children.

In February 1879, 22-year-old Rosa married Friedrich Gretsch who had immigrated to Brooklyn from Germany six years earlier and was working at Albert Houdlett & Son, a drum and banjo manufacturing business. (more…)

The University of West Georgia announced today a gift of $120,000 by Fred and Dinah Gretsch and The Georgia Music Hall of Fame Foundation to create the Joseph Johnson Scholarship in commemoration of the Hall of Fame’s tenth anniversary. The scholarship, established in perpetuity and named for the museum’s longest-serving employee, will benefit a deserving University of West Georgia graduate student in the Public History or Museum Studies program. The recipient of the scholarship, which begins in Fall 2007, will work 15 hours per week during each semester on a project that documents the musical heritage of Georgia, working collaboratively with the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Center for Public History’s Regional Music Project at the University of West Georgia.

“The Joseph R. Johnson Scholarship will provide opportunities for West Georgia graduate students to research and document the musical heritage of the state,” said Dr. Thomas Hynes, Acting President of University of West Georgia. “We are deeply grateful to Fred and Dinah Gretsch for their support, and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with them, with the Gretsch Company, and with the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.” (more…)

An endowment in the memory Charles “Duke” Kramer has been set up at Georgia Southern University by The Gretsch Foundation.

Kramer started selling musical instruments for the Gretsch Co. in 1935 at age 19. By the time he passed away in August 2005, he was a 70-year employee affectionately known as “Mr. Guitar Man.”

The endowment creating the “Duke Kramer MBA Graduate Assistantship” will be held in perpetuity by the Georgia Southern University Foundation, with annual interest being used to award a scholarship each year to one or more deserving MBA applicants who meet the award criteria. The scholarship committee will select recipients based on academic qualifications, and the scholarship will be renewable for no more than two years.

Those interested in adding gifts to the “Duke Kramer MBA Graduate Assistantship” may contact the Georgia Southern University Foundation at (912) 681-5253. Those interested in learning how to qualify for the “Duke Kramer MBA Graduate Assistantship” and other Georgia Southern scholarships may contact the University’s Financial Aid Office at (912) 681-5413 or go to the Web site at students.georgiasouthern.edu/finaid/.

Drummer’s Memory Lives on Through Georgia Southern Scholarship

Georgia Southern’s percussion faculty member, Dr. Matt Fallin (seated), Dinah and Fred Gretsch and a Georgia Southern percussion student (standing).

Savannah, GA – When Savannah’s legendary drummer, Ernie Gadzos, passed away in June 2005, Fred Gretsch sought a way to honor his dear friend and longtime Gretsch Music Company employee. At Georgia Southern University he found an inspiring method of keeping Ernie’s memory alive. He created the Ernie Gadzos Scholarship in Music with funding from the Gretsch Foundation. (more…)