Big Bertha! October 23, 1922, University of Chicago vs Princeton football game.



"We built this drum at Conn. Had the pleasure of going to Chicago with it and seeing the football game between Chicago and Princeton where drum was first used. (Dick Lucke)" 



"Attended this game with a good friend, Doug Wells (Delta Tau Delta) while I was attending Hyde Park High.
Dorothea Seery Lucke"

This photo, adorned with Dottie's precious clues, has proven to be such a terrific nugget of history! Thank you, Grandma Lucke!

On July 22, 2010, I was sifting through photos. I came across this one, and was struck with the notion to use Dottie's clues in a Google search online.

I googled "University of Chicago Marching Band drum" and was amazed when I got some big results!

From the University of Chicago Band's website: http://band.uchicago.edu/Site/History.html
From the Longhorn Band's website: http://mbe187.music.utexas.edu/Longhornband/History/Bertha.aspx

I immediately wrote to the University of Chicago, the University of Texas, and the Longhorn Alumni Band. Here are the responses!

University of Chicago:
Jenny,
Thanks so much for your message.
On behalf of the University Archives, yes, I'd be glad to accept the photo of the Conn Instruments drum that your great-grandfather helped to build for the University of Chicago.
I don't know if you have yet looked at our Archival Photographic Files site, but it includes a number of photographs of the big drum: http://photofiles.lib.uchicago.edu/ you can do a search on "drum," and you will see a range of images of the drum in use and being moved.

Best wishes,
Daniel Meyer
Associate Director of Special Collections
University Archivist
Special Collections Research Center
University of Chicago Library
1100 E. 57th Street
Chicago, IL 60637

University of Texas:
Dear Jenny,
Thank you for the information and the photo.  We would love to see a copy of the photo.  It has been refurbished, but is definitely still going strong at every football game.  It would be fantastic if you could see it some day in person also.  It is here!
University Bands Office Staff - AML
Longhorn Band
Butler School of Music
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station, E3102
Austin, TX 78712lhbinfo@mail.music.utexas.edu
512.471.4093 (ph)
512.471.6449 (f)

Longhorn Alumni Band:
Hi Jennifer,

On behalf of the Longhorn Band as well as the Longhorn Alumni Band, thank you so much for the photo. What a very interesting history your family has with Big Bertha! We are adding the photo to the LHB archives, and alumni and current members will be so interested to see this picture. Thank you for sharing your family's history with us!

Thanks,
Mari