Last week, Janet Kalczynski stepped down from her job as a payroll specialist at Dearborn Heights City Hall.

Big deal, you say? It is, when you realize that 6045 Fenton became her work address when Melanies Brand New Key topped the charts at legendary Detroit/Windsor radio powerhouse CKLW, and this newspaper was called the Dearborn Heights Leader.

Kalczynski was all of 20 years of age when her city career began on Dec. 15, 1971. Her first job, a bookkeeper for then-City Treasurer James Greenlaw, came with an annual salary of $7.687. After a few years, she crossed the hall to the Comptrollers Office, where she spent the bulk of her 48 years of employment.

While its on trend to job jump in todays society, Kalczynski who has worked with all eight Dearborn Heights mayors credits her longevity to her true love of her job and the people with whom shes worked.

My bosses were bosses and you have to answer to them, but everyone has always been so nice here and its always been a team effort, she said. Its hard to go away because of the camaraderie.

Kalczynski daughter of the late city councilman Tom Wayne, and wife of retired firefighter Larry Kalczynski attended Schoolcraft College in a short-lived pursuit of a law enforcement degree something unheard of back then. She had been working for Michigan Bell when she became aware of the job opening at City Hall.

My dad knew about the opening and it interested me, she said. Back then, the job requirements werent that stringent. You didnt need to take a testthings have obviously changed since then, but Ive loved every minute Ive been here.

One of her bosses, now-retired Comptroller Don Barrow, said her infectious laugh and work ethic come immediately to mind when he thinks about Kalczynski.

Janet's bubbly personality always made it a pleasure to come to work. She was dedicated to her job as much as she was to her family, Barrow said. The City of Dearborn Heights will surely miss this gem of an employee.

A Divine Child graduate, the former Janet Wayne began her time with the city using pencils, paper, and typewriters, and left immersed in the digital world, using software technology that dramatically cut task completion times.

Janets career is remarkable, said Human Resources Department Director Elisabeth Sobota-Perry. In 1971, women working full-time wasnt as common as it is now. Janet married an eventual firefighter, raised a family, juggled it all, and is able to retire on her own terms.

Kalczynski is always positive, happy, and very generous, Sobota-Perry added, and is a role model for newer, younger employees.

It should be noted that retirement is a foreign concept to the 68-year-old mother of three and grandmother of five. She will remain a part of the city workforce, this time in a part-time capacity, as she transitions to shelving books at Caroline Kennedy Library.

When you go to work, make it a job you dont mind getting up in the morning for. Get up, get in there, and get to work, Kalczynski said when asked her advice for young people entering the workforce. Yes, youre going to have bad days and chaos, but when all is said and done, youll have a great sense of accomplishment that makes you feel good about yourself.

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Dearborn Heights woman who has worked for every city administration retires after 48 years at City Hall - Dearborn Press and Guide