This is the single greatest honor in the motor vehicle industry, intended to honor a career and/or lifetime achievement. To become a "Hall of Famer" the nominee must be either retired or deceased. Recipients must have significantly impacted the development of the automobile or the motor vehicle industry. Typically, four to eight individuals are inducted each year.
Served as President and General Manager of Martin-Senour Paint Company, an automotive paint supplier, as part of a 28-year career with that company
In 1963, was selected to serve as Vice President and General Manager of the National Automotive Parts Association (NAPA)
Dick Degnan contributed to the automotive industry with everything from paint to vital engine parts.
Degnan’s career began in 1935 with Martin-Senour Paint Company, an automotive paint supplier to NAPA. By 1955 he had advanced to President and General Manager of Martin-Senour. In 1963 the NAPA Board of Directors recognized the great potential benefit of Degnan’s leadership and asked him to join the organization as Vice President and General Manager. Degnan provided NAPA with new approaches, new thinking and renewed dedication to the customer. Under Degnan’s leadership, NAPA developed a more outreaching sales attitude to build on the already strong foundation of customer service. Introducing products such as filters and batteries under the NAPA name, Degnan initiated a practice that became one of the strengths of NAPA marketing, and a forerunner of using NAPA as part of the store name, instead of family or hometown names.
Within the automotive parts industry, and in his own community, Degnan was known for his dedication. A colleague once remarked: “Dick was never a passive participant in anything. He became deeply involved in anything to which he gave his time.”
