This is sad news. I met Jean, chatted with Jean and am sad to see the news.
May her memory be a blessing.
Photo from Facebook.com/JeanKnowsCars
Who was Jean Jennings? Some call her a pioneer, while others call her a legend. For me, she stands as an inspiration and role model for not just women but all writers in the automotive industry. Jennings passed away on December 16, 2024, at 70 years old “after,” as per Car and Driver, “living with Alzheimer’s disease.”
Growing up as the only girl out of six children, Jennings found her way into the automotive world through a series of life changes. However, it wasn’t until 1981 that she made her writing debut in Car and Driver. In just five years with the magazine, she quickly gained popularity and support, leading to her co-founding Automobile magazine with David E. Davis Jr. and becoming its first executive editor.
It’s a common misconception that writing is as simple as putting words on a page. While that is technically true, it’s so much more than that. Everything people say, do and write holds an impact.
Jennings knew this.
Jennings' writing and personality pushed the boundaries that were set before her in the male-dominated industry she entered, earning her not just a variety of awards–the 2016 New England Motor Press Association's Lifetime Achievement Award, the Motor Press Guild 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2007 International Motor Press Association’s annual Ken Purdy award for Excellence in Automotive to name a few–but also a spot in the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame.
And it wasn’t because she was a woman that she earned these things. It was because the things she wrote dove deeper than surface level.
I have been writing for GRM for only four months now and it’s safe to say that it’s been four of the best months of my life. When I write, I stop and ask myself, “What impact does this piece hold?”
While that may sound cliché, it’s true and Jennings is someone who taught me that.
While I never had the honor of meeting Jean, her articles and writing showed the kind of person she was and who she wanted to reach. She blazed a trail in writing that will never be forgotten and a trail that I will personally strive to match.
This is sad news. I met Jean, chatted with Jean and am sad to see the news.
May her memory be a blessing.
A toast to Ms Lindamood.
Many a word of her prose have I consumed.
She did a great job - she really stood out in an arena of a bunch of dudes. I enjoyed her articles. I'm suprised at how young she was. RIP
I remember reading her work back in the day–high school, college times. Something about her said that, yes, I could do this. (I told her that once.)
Paris Van Gorder said:
Jennings passed away on December 16, 2025, at 70 years old
2025?
In reply to Datsun240ZGuy :
It WOULD be keeping in character for her.
Loved her writing at Car and Driver which is one of the reasons why I subscribed to Automobile Magazine in April of 1986. Just look at the index of the articles and their authors, amazing stuff. I bought one to read and one to save. I have kept the premier edition all these years. Thanks for all the great memories Jean, I will miss you.
I always read her column first in Automobile.
One of the greats for me alongside Egan and Davis.
Datsun240ZGuy said:Paris Van Gorder said:
Jennings passed away on December 16, 2025, at 70 years old
2025?
Magazine lead times.
I used to see her regularly at the gym in Chelsea, Michigan about a decade ago. I never spoke to her, but should have. It would have no doubt been interesting. I'll have to go do a lap of the C&D test loop in her honour.
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