The industry lost a pioneer and Transmission Digest lost a friend on May 19, when Lucille Treganowan passed away in Pittsburgh at the age of 92.
With three children to support, Lucille took an office job in an automotive shop in 1960. She eventually learned the ins and outs of transmissions and opened Transmissions By Lucille in 1973.
She began providing vehicle maintenance tips aimed at women with a series of TV spots called Powder Puff Mechanics. She later hosted a Home & Garden Network show called “Lucille’s Car Care Clinic” and made a guest appearance for an episode of Tim Allen’s “Home Improvement” TV show.
In the early 1990s Lucille was a shop management seminar speaker at Trans Expo. She authored “Car Care: Everything You Need to Know from Under the Hood,” in 1996, embarking on a nationwide tour of promotional appearances.
Her Pittsburgh shop, Transmissions By Lucille, was sold to new owners in 2007 and continues to operate under its original name.
