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Reba Monness
Reba Kirson Monness, a former U.S. Women’s Singles Champion, died unexpectedly in her bed, May 10, 1980, at her home in New York City. She was a dynamic and controversial figure up to the end–having attended the 1979 U.S. Open not as a player but as a still quite voluble spectator, just getting over, she…
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Marcy Monasterial
Courtesy of Tim Boggan
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Dick Miles
Courtesy of Tim Boggan By the late 1930’s and early ’40’s, Ping-Pong parlor-game sets had been around for decades. It was ironic but not particularly surprising then that Dick Miles, perhaps our greatest U.S. Champion, should be introduced to the Sport in this way. “For my 9th or 10th birthday,” says Dick, “a woman friend…
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Jimmy McClure
Courtesy of Tim Boggan Jimmy McClure first appeared on the 1934 American Ping-Pong Association (pro Parker Brothers) National tournament scene at the 7-city round-robin Intercity Matches at the Hotel Morrison in Chicago. Here, with a 16-1 record, he suddenly established himself as a great rival to Sol Schiff as North America’s best player. He was…
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Mark Schussheim Matthews
Courtesy of Tim Boggan Let’s credit not only Parker Brothers but New York City’s Tompkins Square (Ave. A and Tenth St. ) Boys’ Club–led by its star player and all-around athlete (swimming, basketball, the shot-put, volley ball, handball, tennis), Marcus “Mark” Schussheim–for helping to bring Ping-Pong here in the U.S. back into popularity from its…
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Brian Masters
Courtesy of Tim Boggans Brian Masters began playing table tennis at age 10 and two years later he was accepting his first National’s trophy at Caesars Palace from boxing-great Joe Louis. There followed five U.S. Open or Closed Junior Doubles Championships. Some say, being a lefty, Brian was always a better doubles than a singles…
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Patty Martinez
Courtesy of Tim Boggan Patty Martinez began winning tournaments when she was a little girl in San Diego wearing long, ankle-length dresses and patty-caking the ball back with gum-chewing, not to say exasperatingly casual, regularity. Continuing to play with an anachronistic hard-rubber bat, she grew up to win three U.S. Open Women’s Singles Championships, not…
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Attila Malek
Courtesy of Tim Boggan Five-time Hungarian World Singles Champion Victor Barna once advised, “Don’t take up table tennis too young. Fourteen is quite young enough.” Our next inductee to be honored tonight, Attila Malek, who immigrated to the U.S. from Barna’s hometown, Budapest, might have taken the Master’s highly suspect suggestion to heart, for he…
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Ilija Lupulesku
Courtesy of Tim Boggan Ilija “Lupi” Lupulesku was born Oct. 30, 1967 in Uzdin, Yugoslavia. He began playing table tennis at 9, and credits Coach Jon Bosika for convincing him to pursue a career in table tennis rather than soccer. As a 16-year-old, Lupi won the first of his back-to-back European Youth Doubles Championships with…
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Dal-Joon Lee
Courtesy of Tim Boggan Playing for South Korea in the 1958 Asian Games was one, Lee Dal-Joon. He posted a 3-9 record in the Team ties, and in the Singles lost a 19 in the 5th match to Hong Kong’s Lau Suk Fong, a veteran of the ’56 World’s. Not too impressive, nothing to write…
US Table Tennis Hall of Fame
Recognizing athletes and contributors in the sport of Table Tennis in the United States