Readers of The Star Press recently commented on the demolition of the smokestack at the former Chevrolet plant in e-mails: “I was employed at the Muncie transmission plant for over 30 years, retiring from the human resources department. There is so much history there. Generation after generation was employed at that location. An individual would hire in and then his child and then grandchild who also be employed. It is really a sad day to see the end of such a great place to be employed.

The loss to the Muncie community will be felt for quite some time.” John Routh “My dad worked at the Chevy plant for over 30 years. He took great pride in what he did and the products they made. In his career, he worked some of the dirtiest, nastiest jobs repairing machines. He never complained. Dad worked every hour of overtime he could and paid for mine and my sisters’ college educations. No matter how bad the weather or how he felt, he went in.

He had a work ethic that I wish people of my generation had. “Seeing the plant torn down is very hard. I used to pass the plant almost every day and think of my dad — the dedication he had to his family and his job. Now, it’s just a pile of rubble. I plan to go to the demolition [Thursday] and say my final good-bye to a place that has been such a big piece of my life.” Kim Sweet “I came to Muncie in 1944 at age 18 intending to go to college, but first I needed a job, so I applied at Chevrolet.

It was during World War II, of course, and so it was not difficult for a young girl to find employment. Actually, I ended up being offered three different jobs. “I first was interviewed by a man named Quakenbush in personnel. He took me to accounting, where I was interviewed some more by another man named Gugenheim. After that, I went back to the YWCA where I was staying to call my mother.