My mom still to this day makes the tartar sauce that my dad loved so much that he even asked the chef in the GM executive dining room for the recipe. My dad must have really enjoyed it to go out of his way to ask the chef about it.

My father, Dennis J. Shea, began working for GM on the assembly line and at the age of 48 he was the Director of Production for all Logistics. My uncle, who was one of the closest family members to him, has always told me that if my father was not diagnosed with cancer, his face would have been on the cover of Time magazine as one of GM's youngest CEO ever. And I do not doubt that for a second. My dad was not only sharp, but he was sharper than everyone else. It has been years since his passing in 1991. It has taken me over twenty years to learn who my father was. To this day, at the age of 25, I still do not know everything there is to know.

I was able to contact one of Dad’s coworkers by getting his name from a recorded VHS videotape that my mom saved for me. It was a speech that my dad gave at a conference meeting for the GM Materials Management and Scheduling Division. I was able to locate the man who introduced my father at that meeting and he did return my messages. He shared a few words with me about my dad that I will always cherish and keep close to my heart. "Your father was one of the good guys." If my father had not worked for GM those words would not have the same meaning that they have when one of your parents worked for GM. The words are few in numbers but the profound meaning behind it says so much.

During the 1970,s my dad came to the rescue by saving GM tons of money when it came to a crisis they had on the production line. I was told it was his idea to put division GM engines in other GM division cars. In other words, put a Chevrolet engine in an Buick because he knew it would work and therefore they were being resourceful about the parts and more importantly they avoided having to shut the line down, which costs a ton of money. At the time my dad was not in a position to “call the shots,” but what he did do was share his idea with those that were calling the shots. Eventually, there was a lawsuit when people discovered the engine in their Oldsmobile was labeled Chevy, but GM paid the expenses for the suit and my father was promoted.

My dad was always dressed to "the nines". He wore custom tailored suits that were handmade and he always looked his best. He was stunning. Some people may have forgotten about who my father was. After he died it was so difficult, especially because he was only 48 years old. I am the youngest of his daughters, and there is not one day that goes by where he does not cross my mind.

If my father had not become what he was and if he had not contributed what he did I would not make a big deal about having something in memory of my father on this website. The only issue is that he did dedicate his life to his career and he did put everything that he had into the company. Of course, I understand that GM has tons of employees however, when you have an employee that did what my dad did over the course of his career - starting at the assembly line and coming out on top the way he did, that is when you know that having something in his memory is in order. He did nothing but help GM.

Now its time for GM to help him by letting his daughter know more about who he was and more details about what he did during his years at GM. Why? Because I know my daddy would have wanted me to know all there is to know.

Additional Information:

GM did not hide the fact that the divisions built engines for each other, althought later the corporation would be successfully sued because, it was said, customers were not clearly informed of the practice. 1968 Buick press releases did not specify the in-line six as being Chevrolet-built, but virtually all the enthusiast magazines reported it as the new "Buick" engine.

In the late 1970s most GM divisions had 5 or 6 different car lines and the cost of design, engineering, manufacturing, and marketing was enormous. Sharing major components among its divisions was an obvious way to trim expenses in an era of strong inflationary pressure, in an attempt to keep the retail prices down. Due to the unexpected demand for the 1977 model Delta 88 V-8 engine option, GM determined that instead of using an Oldsmobile-built V-8 "Rocket", a Chevrolet-built V-8, with practically identical specifications, would be used. Oldsmobile customers, who specifically wanted the "Rocket" V-8, did not discover that their vehicle had the Chevrolet engine until they performed maintenance and discovered that purchased parts did not fit. This led to a class-action lawsuit. Consumer groups and press reports referred to the Delta 88s (built with LM1 350 V-8 Chevy supplied optional engines) as "Chevymobiles."

This lawsuit prompted GM to declare all engine designs to be "corporate" property and ceased associating engines with particular divisions. To this day all GM engines are produced by "GM Powertrain" (GMPT) and are called GM "Corporate" engines instead of GM "division specific" engines.

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