Apart from funding music education at the university itself, Fred and Dinah Gretsch have donated some historic Gretsch guitars and other artefacts to a museum overseen by the university in Georgia. Situated at the Plant Riverside District in Savannah, it tells the story of the development of Gretsch as a major force in the guitar marketplace and contains some of the brand’s most prized vintage instruments. We join coordinator Aaron Phillips and curator Dr Matthew Hill to find out more.
How did the museum come about?
“Fred and Dinah Gretsch have been in the Savannah area now for over 30 years and they have always had partnerships with Georgia Southern – they’ve had a scholarship in our School of Music, another one in our business programme – so they’ve always had a vested interest in the university. They approached our new president, Dr Kyle Marrero, about making a large gift to the university. It all really started with them wanting to fund our School
