It’s 1954, and vehicles like the Buick Roadmaster, Chevy Belair, Ford F-100 Panel Truck, and Dodge C Series were among the makes and models frequenting the transmission shops of the day. The smell of raw, unburnt fuel in the air, shop technicians in one-piece coveralls with a rag hanging from their back pockets, and a pack of Pall Malls rolled into their T-shirt sleeves were part of a familiar scene. It’s also the year some shops within the shadows of San Francisco in Northern California’s Daly City, founded ATRA.
I recently reached out to Gene Lewis for some insight into ATRA’s early days and the story behind the formation of the first chapters. Gene was the first executive director of ATRA and was instrumental in the association’s growth into a viable company.
Gene recalled that in these early days, shops in California were constantly contacting one another for help. Coincidentally, the ATRA forefathers created the Golden Rule Warranty Program around that time. Many shops in Northern and Southern California immediately became interested in what ATRA offered.
About a year later, in 1955, a transmission shop owner named Craig Bauguess, a director of the Northern California group of shops, wanted to get the Southern California shops to join them. The groups already knew about each other through business, but now they had a bigger plan, growth with purpose!
At that time, Gene worked for Thomas Engine Corporation in Los Angeles. Bauguess asked Gene’s boss, Evan Thomas, Jr. if he knew someone who could organize some shop owners in the area for a meeting – enter Gene Lewis.
Still, in 1955, they met at the Olympic Restaurant in Los Angeles. The story is that there were 25 attendees at the meeting, and all were enthusiastic about being a part of something big. Gene spoke about how by joining together, the transmission industry would be stronger, and with that, ATRA began to grow.
“What was interesting,” Gene recalled, “the people from Northern California were unionized, and they charged higher prices than the Southern California group, which was not unionized.” There are some similarities between Unions and Associations. They both share a common interest in servicing their respective members. However, the significant difference with a union is the “collective bargaining” for wages and benefits between the employers and employees.
Despite that difference, the ATRA movement continued. It appears that the first ATRA Chapter was in Northern California, shortly followed by the Southern California Chapter. From there, the Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association was officially off and running.
After some time had passed, Gene went to Daly City to meet with Craig. They acquired Yellow Pages directories from all over the United States and started looking for like-minded transmission shops interested in joining a trade group like ATRA.
Their combined efforts to gain membership included a major letter-writing campaign. They wrote letters to as many shops as possible, describing and discussing a plan to organize meetings where shops would share ideas. They discussed strategies for staying ahead of the learning curve and bounced ideas off one another. This was the start of the ATRA Technical Conferences.
Different speakers came in and talked about management and technical topics. They invited teachers to present the same curriculum they taught in the classroom. Then came the regional seminars and conventions. The events were a success. More and more shops joined, and they all enjoyed the camaraderie.
Gene didn’t take a salary during his first year as director. His wife, Garnet, was his secretary, and she traveled with him to all the conventions helping with the registrations. They both enjoyed this time of their life. They were happily married for 62 years. Garnet passed away in 2006. Today, Gene Lewis is 96 years old and married to Pat Weaver Lewis.
When Gene became the executive director, there were 300 members, and when he retired 13 years later, ATRA had 3,000 members. Thank you, Mr. Lewis, for your service to our industry, and I look forward to our next conversation about ATRA.
As I get more information and history about the development of Chapters, I’ll share it with you. Hearing stories about our past is one thing but learning from the history is critical. As always, I look forward to serving you in our future together.
