The Rudy Bresie Award is the highest honor the Great Texas Balloon Race bestows on our volunteers and GTBR family. Rudy Bresie was a Longview architect who gave of his time and effort with all his heart for the Great Texas Balloon Race. He was Dr. Bill Bussey’s crew chief for years and contributed countless hours and beads of sweat making our event the success it is. He was a tireless volunteer with a true heart for helping others.

Rudy died of a heart attack in 1992. Dr. Bussey wanted to honor his memory and presented the Board of Directors with the idea of honoring the greatest of our volunteers with an award named after Rudy. The idea was immediately accepted and the Rudy Bresie Award was established in 1993. Recipients of this award must  exhibit a deep love and long standing passion for the Great Texas Balloon Race. They must receive no financial reward of any kind for his or her efforts. They must work tirelessly for the long term success of the event with the idea that the race will be successful years after they are gone. This is a fabulous honor.