My dad was a Chevrolet dealer in New Jersey and this past week I helped him close the doors for the last time. The dealership was originally opened by my grandfather in 1955 and he and my father successfully operated it for 55 years. As I walked through Sullivan Chevrolet and helped box up, shred, recycle and throw out 55 years of stuff, it was like walking back in time.

My grandfather’s office was straight out of the scenes from the series Mad Men. It included wood paneling, a mini bar, private bathroom, a side room for the taylor to make new suits and 60′s style furnishings that did not look dated to me but very hip in a classic sort of way. All of the upstairs furniture, where the office staff worked behind the scenes, was made of solid steel and after 55 years still functioned seamlessly.

I discovered pictures of my dad when he was in his 20′s and 30′s dressed in sharp suits looking like he had the world by the tail. I found newspaper clippings highlighting the latest community events that Sullivan Chevrolet was sponsoring or of the awards that they had won. I leafed through Chevrolet marketing materials that envisioned a world of endless possibilities and a future that looked brighter than the sun.

I started working for Sullivan Chevrolet during the summer when I was 14 and one of my many dirty jobs was to clean up the 4 acre parking lot everyday. That included pulling weed by hand. My grandfather wouldn’t let me use gloves, weed killer or tools for the job and he would come out and hound me if I didn’t get the weeds out by the roots. I’ll be honest, I grumbled and moaned especially on the blazing hot days in August and there were days I would have killed someone for a weed whacker. But, it’s funny, as I write this I realize that when I pull weeds around my house today I never use gloves, weed whakers, chemicals or tools. I pull them all by hand and I grumble when I don’t get them by the roots.

I worked every summer at Sullivan Chevrolet until I graduated from college and then I began working full time at the dealership until I followed my own dream of becoming a lawyer. (Hey, I figured it was natural progression to go from one of the most hated professions to the most hated profession). I watched my father and grandfather treat customers and employees with respect and dignity. When Sullivan Chevrolet closed it’s doors many of the employees had worked there for more than 30 years. They were like family and stayed because they loved my father and they knew that they were doing honest good work.

I could go on and on about my experiences there and how they shaped my life or how General Motors ended up where it is today. But, all I can think about is how my first and last job at Sullivan Chevrolet was cleaning it up.