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Ricky Seemiller
Courtesy of Tim Boggan Ricky Seemiller, with brother Danny’s grip, started playing 30 years ago, and, like anyone else, began by paying his dues. After losing the U-13’s in both the 1971 Eastern’s (to N.Y.’s Timmy House) and the 1971 National’s (to N.J. ‘s Mike Stern), Ricky graduated–lost the U-15’s at the Toronto CNE (to…
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Danny Seemiller
Courtesy of Tim Boggan March 2, 1968–let’s start there; 13-year-old Danny, having come up out of the basement where he learned to play with his older brother Bill, lost in the PA Team Championships to both Erich Haring and Mal Anderson, later more respected officials than players. But by the 1969 USOTC’s, 15-year-old unranked Danny,…
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Sol Schiff
Courtesy of Tim Boggan Solomon “Sol” Schiff, born June 28, 1917, says he “learned the game [in 1925] on a lunch table at P.S. 151 on East 91st St.” By 1928 at P.S. 30 in Yorkville, he was playing with a wooden bat on another improvised lunch table. Later he joined the 92nd St. YMHA…
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David Sakai
Courtesy of Tim Boggan Although Dave began playing at a Waterbury, CT Y with a sandpaper racket, he quickly learned the game, progressed rapidly, and at the 1964 U.S. Open, showing excellent ball control, won the U-15’s over Glenn Cowan in the semi’s and Mark Radom in the final. He also beat Dell Sweeris in…
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Errol Resek
Courtesy of Tim Boggan Errol Resek came to the U.S. toward the middle of the 1960’s from the Dominican Republic where others in his family—father Alberto, brother Albertico, and particularly sister Priscilla—were also accomplished players. In contrast to Errol, Priscilla had a very short career, but at the 1967 U.S. Open she reached the final…
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Marty Reisman
Courtesy of Tim Boggan Given his long and from time to time almost magically resuscitated table tennis life, and being blessed, or damned, as he is with an insatiable urge to promote himself, Reisman has to be the most hyped player in our esteemed Hall. So how separate fact from fiction, the man from the…
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Jessie Jay Purves
Courtesy of Tim Boggan Until 1933, only men were permitted to play in the National Championships of both the Parker Brothers’ American Ping-Pong Association (APPA) and its rival, the Sept., 1931-formed NYTTA. However, as early as 1930, Cecile Stewart, wife of the USTTA’s first President, Bill Stewart, won the Chicago District Open Women’s Championship; and…
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Sally Green Prouty
Courtesy of Tim Boggan The 1938 World Championships would be played in London, at Wembley, and, since all four members of last year’s winning U.S. Corbillon Cup Women’s Team–Ruth Aarons, Dolores Kuenz, Jay Purves, and Emily Fuller–were not interested in representing the U.S. this year, especially since they’d have to pay all, or at least…
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Eddie Pinner
Courtesy of Tim Boggan USTTA Table Tennis Topics columnist Reba Kirson (later Monness) said that the “most exciting” match in the Feb., 1939 Pennsylvania Open was the final of the Boys’, won by Eddie Pinner over Roy Weissman, -18, 12, -20, 18, 19. Weissman, who, like Pinner had learned his table tennis under the tutelage…
US Table Tennis Hall of Fame
Recognizing athletes and contributors in the sport of Table Tennis in the United States