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Herwald Lawrence
Courtesy of Tim Boggan I met the legendary Herwald Lawrence only once–at Sandor Glancz’s funeral. This was only a year before Lawrence himself was to die of cancer on Christmas morning, 1974 at age 72. Ironically, in a tribute he paid to Sandor, he said he hoped that a Table Tennis Hall of Fame would…
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Yvonne Kronlage
Courtesy of Tim Boggan 2013 Mark Matthews Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient In her 1985 USTTA Executive Committee Election Campaign Statement, Yvonne Kronlage showed very clearly her disillusionment at the continued passionate effort she’s made, and will continue to make, to further the sport, but always with so little personal recognition. She feels she’s so often…
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General Sportcraft Co., LTD
Courtesy of Tim Boggan The General Sportcraft Company Ltd. was founded in 1926 by Walter Holdstein. Its first ad to appear in Topics was for the Feb., 1934 issue and featured the imported French Reina ball, “the official ball of the New York Table Tennis Association” that would be used in their 1934 National’s. With…
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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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Steve Isaacson
Courtesy of Tim Boggan Back in the 1950’s, Chicago’s Steve Isaacson was twice U.S. Intercollegiate Table Tennis Champion—and, at the same time, uniquely, U.S. Intercollegiate Bowling Champion. Four decades later, at the Illinois Senior Olympics he was being named Outstanding Senior Amateur All-Around Athlete in Illinois. At last count he’d won 40-some Illinois State Table…
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Azmy Ibrahim
Courtesy of Tim Boggan This Profile, Autobiography really, will be largely written by Azmy—familiarly known to those who’ve talked with him or read his columns for 20 years as “Dr. Azmy”—I’ve edited it. “It all started when I was not more than seven years old. My brother was the table tennis player, and he wanted…
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Harvard Table Tennis Company
Courtesy of Tim Boggan Harvard—Harvard Specialty Manufacturing Company—out of Cambridge, Massachusetts, began advertising in Topics with the Oct. and Nov., 1937 issues (“We manufacture Table Tennis equipment of a quality that has never been excelled”). Then they abruptly stopped advertising, only to start up again in the Feb., 1938 issue. Unlike other manufacturers, Harvard tried…
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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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Chuck Hoey
Courtesy of Tim Boggan At the 1991 Chiba, Japan World’s a Mr. Yu Tanaka had hoped to spur the establishment of an ITTF Museum in the Nagano Prefecture by arranging a large Hall-of-Fame-like exhibition in the Chiba Stadium. ITTF President Ichiro Ogimura had wanted this Museum, and though there was an international call for display…
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Bill Hodge
Courtesy of Tim Boggan Bill Hodge came to the Game late—in 1958, at age 22. While working at a supply company warehouse, he began spending his lunch hour playing t.t. That led him to join the Columbus, Ohio Club and to begin playing seriously in tournaments. At the 1968 Ohio Closed, for example, he and…
US Table Tennis Hall of Fame
Recognizing athletes and contributors in the sport of Table Tennis in the United States