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Dean Johnson Obituary
It is with heavy hearts and profound gratitude that we bid farewell to Dean Johnson, who passed away in Virginia Beach. A devoted husband to Helga, an exceptional photographer, an accomplished table tennis player, a dedicated historian, and an unwavering pillar of the U.S. Table Tennis community, Dean leaves behind an enduring legacy of passion,…
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Chen Wang
Courtesy of Tim Boggan We learn from a Chicago Tribune reporter that, “when Wang Chen was 7 years old, talent spotters came to her ‘regular’ Beijing school and tested the children. ‘They gave us three ping pong balls,’ Wang said, ‘and told us to throw them in a basket 10 feet away. It wasn’t easy—not…
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Dean Johnson
Courtesy of Tim Boggan I’ll begin with this shot of Dean Johnson and his Speed Graphic camera taken 60 years ago. He was based in Germany, an Army Stars and Stripes photographer whose photos were sometimes used by The Associated Press and United Press International. In the Service, or—after 2 and ½ years—out, Dean always…
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Tongsheng “Jack” Huang
Courtesy of Tim Boggan I’ve gone through 25 years of USTTA magazines, and what’s so amazing to me is that, as a Coach, Jack is practically INVISIBLE to most of the Membership. Unlike, say, Richard McAfee, he doesn’t write anything about his work (or get someone to write for him), and neither do his peers…
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Eric Owens
By Tim Boggan Kenny Owens, with a very successful neuromuscular therapy practice in Houston TX, had, as one interviewer put it, “the financial resources to provide the right coaching, the right equipment, and the right opportunities” to help his son Eric involve himself in sports and excel in table tennis. Kenny “taught his son to…
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Tahl Leibovitz
Tahl Leibovitz told an interviewer that he’d started going to New York City’s South Queens Boys Club when he was 14-15 years old. They had two tables there, and everyone was playing with sandpaper or wood rackets. Tahl liked the sound of the ball and the long rallies. Mostly he liked that there was some…
US Table Tennis Hall of Fame
Recognizing athletes and contributors in the sport of Table Tennis in the United States