From Autoweek Word came late Wednesday that our friend, colleague, mentor and favorite staff race-car driver Denise McCluggage had passed away. She was 88. The news was something of a shock because we, and maybe you, too, always believed she would be with us forever. Indeed, she had been on staff at Autoweek and its predecessor Competition Press from the beginning. She was a racer, and as such she understood other racers and could write about them far better than a sports writer who saw it as just another sport. She, more than perhaps anyone associated with Autoweek, was the heart and soul of this publication. When it started out more than 50 years ago, she was its editor and she remained a contributor up till the end, sharing memories, reminiscences and philosophies with us -- and with you -- for more than half a century. Full article - Denise McCluggage: 1927-2015 | Autoweek
I was lucky enough to meet her at the first Porsche Rennsport Reunion at Lime Rock Park in 2001. Got her autograph along with fifteen other famous Porsche drivers on the event poster. She was quite a lady along with Donna Mae Mimms for you old timers.
Sad, she was a very nice person, a great driver and a wonderful writer. I met her at the Chicago Auto Show, actually, in the hotel lobby a few years ago. She spoke to everyone like she knew them forever. I was in awe. The next day at the show she was honored by Ford at their display and she was mobbed by all the other media there. You could tell even the jaded reporters respected her to the max.
Somebody I know carried on a correspondence with her. Among other things, she was an amateur artist and ultimately sent some original artwork with her correspondences. A renaissance woman.