Forward Janesville - TheReport - Second Quarter 2023

N ow, these two men will retire about a month apart from each other, eager to leave their legacies in the hands of an up-and- coming generation of professionals who they feel will support the community they’ve loved so much. Janesville Police Chief David Moore and Johnson Financial’s Regional President to Southcentral Wisconsin Larry Squire are set to retire from their positions Sept. 22 and Aug. 3 respectively. The two have been friends for 30 years, meeting shortly after Squire moved to Janesville fromWaukesha. A Burlington native, Squire moved to Janesville to be closer to a strawberry farm he owned at the time in Roscoe, Illinois. His roots in agriculture inspired his education at UW-Madison in agri-business management. “What attracted us to Janesville was getting closer to the farm,” Squire said. “Once you get to Janesville, there’s a lot of great things going on. It’s very safe, has a good school system. We got entrenched and got to know a lot of wonderful people.” One of those people was Moore, who has spent his life in Janesville and has known since he was age 12 that he wanted to be a police officer. That choice was also largely influenced by “wonderful people.” In 1968, Moore and his buddies were playing along train tracks near Memorial Drive and Harding Street when someone lit a brush fire nearby. A slew of first responders arrived at the scene, followed by curious watchers-by and neighbors. In the chaos, Moore said, a train came heading for the area, careening toward a little girl who was standing on the tracks. At what seemed like the last minute, a Janesville police officer swooped up the little girl and took her to safety. “So I thought ‘man if I could ever be like that,’” Moore said. “... Just to see that bravery and courage really stuck with me.” Outstanding people were a common thread in what Moore and Squire said made their careers so special. Squire started his career in Janesville at Valley Bank (later Marshall & Ilsley Bank and now BMO Bank). He chose after a few years to take a position at Johnson Financial, where he remained for 25 years. Ron Ochs, Janesville Foundation board member who was president of the bank at the time, did “wonderful things to get me here and treated me well while I was there,” Squire said, and was equally supportive when Squire left for a new opportunity. “That still means so much to me,” Squire said. “You just gotta treat each other with respect and appreciation. Ron is still a mentor and friend, all because of how he responded to my change.” The people at home gave Moore the greatest support he needed, even when his time was worn thin. As Moore rose Two Iconic Janesville Leaders Retire within a Month of Each Other By Ashley Pettay They raised their kids in the same church, participated in Morning Rotary together and had parallel concerns and dreams for their community. They cultivated their lives in Janesville because they felt it was what was best for their families. One protected the community’s financial assets, and the other protected the community’s safety and wellbeing. COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP Moore was appointed to Chief in 2009, right on the tails of the General Motors plant closure. This time was among the most significant in his career. “I challengedmy officers and said we are nowa part of economic development. If we keep this community safe, business and jobs will come to our community.” 6 | FORWARD JANESVILLE Larry on his strawberry farm Chief Moore’s promotion to Sargeant by Chief Ray Voelker (1985) Larry starting his banking career