She was a gifted storyteller who became one of the go-to authorities on the auto industry. Unfortunately, Jean Jennings was silenced by Alzheimer’s Disease, passing away this week at the age of 70. Here’s a look at her life.
One of the boys — but better, Jean Jennings died this week after a battle with Alzheimer’s. She was 70.
We all must go, of course, preferably at an old age, and peacefully in our sleep. Sadly, too many Alzheimer’s victims die well ahead of what should be their time. And the disease is particularly cruel when it strikes those with a mind as sharp and insightful as that of Jean Jennings.
As the headline suggests, Jean was a remarkably gifted writer who happened to focus on the auto industry. She was an editor, among other things, helping launch the once vital Automobile magazine. She was the very definition of a raconteur, with a skill for storytelling that few who cover this broad field could ever hope to match.
But her mind and body were brought down by that dreadful disease, Jean passing this week at the far too young age of 70.
“A towering figure”
As Jason Fogelson, my friend and colleague — and a close friend of Jean Jennings — put it: “She was a towering figure with an even bigger personality.” I like to think she first honed some of her skills — including an ability to eviscerate those who got on her wrong side — during an early stint as a cab driver in Ann Arbor.
More than just a journalist, Jennings was a cab driver, a test driver and an occasional race car driver.
Some are still smarting as they recall a moment when they experienced her “Mean Jean” side. I saw that during one of my trips abroad as a young reporter on the automotive beat who was being a bit too cocky for her tastes. But I — and most everyone who knew Jean realized that was just one side of a complex and fascinating personality. She was more often generous and helpful, encouraging young journalists who showed talent rather than just showing off.
A pioneer
Jean Jennings was my contemporary, just a year younger but with several more years on the automotive beat. In those early days, she was typically the only woman at those events. Her prowess, backed by a dagger wit and sharp tongue, made sure that she was seldom treated like anything but “one of the boys.”
She became a protégé to the legendary David E. Davis and joined him when he left Car & Driver to launch Automobile magazine, breaking from the traditional, formulaic journalism that dominated the “buff book” market of that era. In 2000, she became the magazine’s editor-in-chief and added duties as president six years later.
Fittingly, her column was titled “Vile Gossip,” and she presented in captivating style her unique access to CEOs, winning Formula 1 drivers, car collectors and celebrities.
Jennings was a force on television, including acting as a judge on Motor City Masters.
The go-to expert
Jean became a sought-after guest on both news programs — she was the automotive correspondent for ABC’s Good Morning America — and talk shows, including Oprah’s and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
While there may have been a prior mention of an automotive scribe somewhere in the magazine’s history, Jean Jennings was certainly the only one in her field to be the subject of a full-length profile in the New Yorker magazine.
After leaving Automobile, Jean broadened her reach by exploring a variety of media. She served as a judge for Motor City Masters, a 10-episode series sponsored by Chevrolet that looked at car design.
In 2012, she launched her own website, JeanKnowsCars, working out of her home in rural Parma, Michigan.
All in the family
Jennings family enjoys a prominent place in automotive journalism. Her brother Paul, left, has covered the industry for decades.
That Jean Jennings might get involved in the auto industry, most likely as a journalist, should’ve surprised no one who knew her family. Late father Robert M. Lienert was himself a powerful figure — whom I personally too often went to for quotes and guidance — as editor of Automotive News. Her brother, Paul Lienert, is himself an automotive journalist, and Jean’s nephews are also working in the automotive world.
Jean Marie Jennings began her own writing career while still in school, editing an underground paper at Anchor Bay High School in New Baltimore, Michigan. She took a slight detour, working as — mentioned earlier — a cab driver before logging time out at the Chrysler Proving Ground in Chelsea, Michigan. But she eventually wound up drawing on all her various experiences when hiring on — then under the name Jean Lindamood — at Car & Driver.
“I was distinctly unqualified,” Jennings once recalled, “I knew nothing about car magazines. I knew nothing about David E. Davis Jr. or that he did not like to be called Dave, which I called him the minute I met him.” She later told Car & Driver. Nonetheless, she got the job. “He hired me to piss off the boys there.”
In memoriam
Jean would go on to win all manner of awards for her work, including the International Motor Press Association’s Ken Purdy Award in 2007.
But she also found time for charitable efforts, including organizing an annual car show near Ann Arbor, inspired by an 11-year-old boy who died waiting for a heart transplant.
Along with her brothers, nephews and nieces — and dogs Jackie, Farley, and Ray the Stray — Jean is survived by her husband, Tim Jennings, who helped care for her as she faded into that blackness.
This is a moving and totally appropriate obituary for a truly remarkable journalist and outstanding person, we will all miss.
Jean was my 2nd cousin. She truly lit up the room when she arrived. Always happy and smiling. And such a good story teller. I only met her twice at family reunions (Lienert). But I will never forget her wearing the huge sombrero at my parents’ home in San Diego for a Mexican fiesta dinner with all the relatives. Such a fun time. Rest in peace, Jean.