I think that’s my dad at 53 seconds! I took a screenshot and highlighted him! If not, he had a doppelgänger that he worked with! 😹

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General Motors plant, Janesville

In 1981 Chevrolet discontinued assembly of full-size autos and the plant closed for four months to retool for production of front-wheel drive cars, including the installation of robot-controlled welding equipment. From 1982 to 1990 the plant produced compact models, and after 1991 it manufactured large pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. By August 2005 it had produced 16 million vehicles.

In June 2008 General Motors announced the plant would cease production within 19 months, eliminating all 2,390 jobs; the truck line to close in 2009 and SUV production to end in 2010 or sooner.

Preserving the Legacy of Janesville’s GM

Dan Mezera, an auto worker on temporary layoff, was hired in September 2021 as a museum assistant for Rock County Legacies. His job is to identify and describe items and how they were used at the plant.

“I’ve always been interested in history,” says Mezera. “If we don’t rescue items and document the stories, generations of people coming up, who’ve never seen the plant, will not know what it meant to the community.”

His father, Paul A. Mezera, worked at GM for 40 years as a skilled tradesman who measured car bodies with a digital machine to make sure parts lined up. He adjusted the line, when needed, to keep production moving smoothly. He also was involved with changeovers when a new vehicle was introduced.

Mezera started a “Janesville GM End of An Era” Facebook page in 2018 to archive photographs and videos he and others took or retrieved from the plant. Another Facebook page, kept current by RCHS, is called Rock County Legacies, and will keep people informed of events, fundraisers, donated items, and other museum developments and updates.