Denise McCluggage facts for kids
Denise McCluggage (born January 20, 1927 – died May 6, 2015) was an amazing American woman. She was a racing car driver, a journalist, an author, and a photographer. Denise was a true pioneer. She helped create more equality for women in the United States, especially in car racing and journalism. She was born in El Dorado, Kansas, and grew up there. She later graduated from Mills College in Oakland, California. Her first job as a journalist was at the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper.
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Auto Racing: A Fast Start
In the early 1950s, Denise was working in San Francisco. She met Briggs Cunningham, who built the first American cars to race at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race. This meeting changed her life!
Denise bought her first sports car, an MG TC Midget. She started racing at small club events. In 1954, she moved to New York City. There, she worked as a sports journalist for the New York Herald Tribune.
Her MG car was soon replaced with a faster Jaguar XK140. Denise began to race professionally. She earned the respect of many male drivers. Her special racing helmet was white with pink dots!
Racing Wins and Achievements
Denise had some big wins in her racing career:
- In 1961, she won the grand touring category at Sebring. She was driving a Ferrari 250 GT.
- In 1964, she won a class in the Monte Carlo Rally. She was driving a Ford Falcon.
She also raced in the tough Nürburgring 1000 km sports car race. Denise drove many different types of racing cars, like Porsches and Maseratis. Often, she raced with another woman driver named Pinkie Rollo. Denise stopped racing in the late 1960s.
Journalism: Telling the Story
Denise was also a very important journalist. She helped start a U.S. car magazine called Competition Press. This magazine is now known as AutoWeek. She wrote many articles for AutoWeek and was a Senior Contributing Editor there until she passed away.
Awards and Recognition
Denise received many awards for her amazing work in automotive journalism:
- The Ken W. Purdy Award for Excellence in Automotive Journalism.
- The Dean Batchelor Lifetime Achievement Award.
She also received a lifetime achievement award from the IAMA. Denise is the only journalist ever to be included in the Automotive Hall of Fame. Her weekly newspaper column, "Drive, She Said," was published in about 90 newspapers across the U.S. and Canada.
Books by Denise McCluggage
Denise wrote several books, sharing her knowledge and experiences:
- The Centered Skier
- Are You a ‘Woman Driver?’
- By Brooks Too Broad for Leaping (a collection of her articles from AutoWeek)
She also wrote the words for a book of photographs by Tom Burnside called American Racing: Road Racing in the 50s and 60s.
Skiing: On the Slopes
In the mid-1950s, Denise also got involved in skiing. A group of people wanted to build a new ski area on Hunter Mountain in New York. They contacted Denise, who was a sports reporter. They offered to give the mountain to anyone who would build a ski area called "Hunter Mountain".
Denise wrote an article about this. It caught the attention of some people from Broadway shows. They ended up developing the ski area!
The Centered Skier
In 1977, Denise wrote a famous book called The Centered Skier. This book combined ideas about sports psychology with some principles from Zen Buddhism. It taught skiers how to improve their skills and focus. The book became very popular and influenced how many ski schools taught skiing. It became even more popular in the mid-1990s when new types of skis were invented, making it easier for people to learn new turning techniques.
Personal Life and Legacy
Denise McCluggage passed away on May 6, 2015, at the age of 88. She left behind an incredible legacy.
She was honored for her contributions in many ways:
- In 2001, she was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.
- In 2012, she was inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame.
Denise McCluggage was a true trailblazer. She showed that women could excel in fields like car racing and journalism, inspiring many others along the way.
Images for kids
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Denise McCluggage racing a Ferrari 250 GT at Sebring in 1961.
