The City of Arlington premiered "The Heartbeat of Arlington" on Nov. 22, a documentary about the city's General Motors manufacturing plant's start, growth and impact on the community.
The documentary was produced by the city's office of communication, which said the GM plant played a large role in shaping Arlington as "The American Dream City."
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“General Motors was the catalyst that made Arlington be the first city that exploded and became the DFW region,” said Victor Vandergriff, son of Tom Vandergriff.
Tom Vandergriff is credited with helping to convince GM in 1951 to build a manufacturing plant in Arlington. The assembly plant opened three years later.
“I'll argue the case that Arlington's luckiest day ever was when General Motors decided to cast its lot with us,” said Tom Vandergriff.
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Arlington said the documentary focuses on "pivotal moments in the assembly's history," including how the company landed in Arlington, its economic impact on the city, communitywide efforts to keep the plant open during potential closures in the early 1990s, technological advancements, and a glimpse into the future of vehicle production.
“We used to talk about GM as ‘The Heartbeat of Arlington,’ and I am proud to say that yes, because of all the efforts made into the plant, they still are very much the heartbeat of our community,” said Arlington City Manager Trey Yelverton. “We are so appreciative of General Motors’ continued innovation and investment to keep the plant viable, productive, and highly efficient.”
The documentary also featured the plant's shift in production of cars to trucks, it's process in becoming the exclusive plant to produce every new full-sized SUV in GM's lineup, to achieving the milestone of 13 million vehicles produced earlier this year.
“I still believe to this day it took visionary people and political leadership to say, ‘We have to keep it here, but those workers made it happen,’” said Victor Vandergriff. “The result of what’s happened since in the decades that followed is just amazing.”
The 45-minute production summed up a nearly two-year search through archival footage from The University of North Texas's "The Portal to Texas History", which was primarily sourced by NBC 5. The footage held interviews with long-time employees, current and former leaders, historians and Arlington residents sharing their insight into the plant's impact.
Several North Texas entities assisted and provided archival footage, including the Arlington Historical Society, the Arlington Public Library, the Dallas Public Library, the Delta County Public Library in partnership with the Delta County Historical Commission, General Motors Arlington Assembly, the University of North Texas’ Special Collections, The University of Texas at Arlington’s Special Collections and the Vandergriff family.
GM says their employment of about 8,400 Texas workers and partnerships with more than 550 suppliers puts $1.2 billion into the economy.
“We are very aware and conscious of the fact that this has been going on for a long time,” said GM Arlington Assembly Plant Executive John Urbanic. “It is a legacy, and we take that to heart. We’re really committed to continuing and growing that legacy here in Arlington.”
In addition to watching the documentary at the top of this article, "The Heartbeat of Arlington" is available on the City of Arlington's YouTube Channel.
