"GM & UAW: In Their Own Words" @ the Hedberg Public Library Website

GM & UAW: In Their Own Words

Link to September 12 Janesville Gazette article, "Recordings highlight Janesville's history".

Excerpt: Seventy-two hours of recollections by a dozen retired Janesville workers are now available on the Hedberg Public Library’s website.

The interviews focus on labor in the first half of the 20th Century here. But the memories are not all about work, and that’s part of their charm.

Clement Imhoff conducted the interviews in 1976-77 as part of a bicentennial project conceived by Rock County Historical Society Director Richard Hartung. Imhoff did an impressive job of pulling every detail he could from the men, who ranged in age from late 50s to 80s.

The library received copies of the tape and circulated them on audiocassettes. In 2004, staff began digitizing the tapes and had them transcribed so patrons can hear and read the interviews. They now are available online, along with summaries of the interviews. Patrons also can search them by keyword. Staff is creating a book that can be checked out.

The $7,000 cost was paid for through the Hedberg Public Library Foundation, UAW Local 95, Commercial Bank of Janesville and Amy Dooley, granddaughter of one of the men interviewed. The Janesville Bicentennial Heritage Committee initially sponsored the project.