'The Heartbeat of Arlington' Documentary Recognizes General Motors' 70-Year Story in The American Dream City

By Jeremy Thomas, Office of Communications

Posted on November 22, 2024, November 22, 2024

As the General Motors Arlington Assembly celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2024, the City of Arlington recognizes this significant milestone with the release of a documentary that captures its rich history, resilient spirit, and the triumphs it has achieved along the way.

Titled “The Heartbeat of Arlington,” the documentary offers a glimpse into the company’s origins, evolution, perseverance, and importance in The American Dream City. 

“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. 

Led by the efforts of then 25-year-old mayor of Arlington in 1951, Tom Vandergriff helped convince the company to locate a manufacturing plant in Arlington. It 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.

The documentary highlights several pivotal moments in the assembly’s history. Viewers will see how the company landed in Arlington, its immediate and lasting economic impacts, navigation of various challenges including the communitywide effort to keep the plant in Arlington in the early 1990s after discussions of its potential shuttering, embracement of technological advancements, and a glimpse into the future production of vehicles. 

“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 features significant achievements, from the change in production of cars to trucks, and becoming the exclusive plant to produce every new full-sized SUV in GM’s product lineup sold around the world, to the production of the 13 millionth vehicle 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 nearly 45-minute documentary features extensive research of archival footage gathered over 21 months and interviews from long-time employees, current and former leaders, historians, and Arlington residents who share their experiences and insights of the plant’s impact. Their stories reflect not only personal journeys but also the strong sense of community ties to the Arlington Assembly. Interviewees who participated were Arlington entrepreneur Mike Ames, Arlington Mayor Pro Tempore Dr. Barbara Odom-Wesley, Arlington residents Shirley Patterson, Doland Maner and Sue Phillips, GM Arlington Assembly workers Billy Bell, Justin Griffith, Crystal Jacobs, and Grady Pointer, local historians O.K. Carter and Geraldine Mills, former Arlington mayors Richard Greene and Elzie Odom, former Arlington City Manager Al Rollins, United Auto Workers Local 276 Shop Chairperson Kenneth Hines, John Urbanic, Victor Vandergriff, and Trey Yelverton. 

Several North Texas entities graciously 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 employs nearly 8,400 team members in Texas, injecting $1.2 billion into the economy through taxable wages. By partnering with more than 550 suppliers throughout the state, the company supporting jobs and strengthening Texas' future.

“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.”

“The Heartbeat of Arlington” premiered Nov. 22, 2024. You can watch the documentary on the City of Arlington’s YouTube channel. The City of Arlington's Office of Communication produced “The Heartbeat of Arlington.”