Before I begin, I would like to congratulate Gao, Bob, and Houshang on their richly deserved recognition this evening.
Every time I am interviewed in the media, I always mention one of the best aspects of table tennis is that we are truly a family sport. Names like Boggan, Seemiller, Chaimson, Sweeris, and Thall are just a few examples of the Hall of Fame Families that have helped define our sport in America.
Tonight we honor Diana Gee, a member of the Gee Family who smashed her way onto two Olympic, four Pan Am, and eight National Teams. This induction is very meaningful as Diana was my mixed doubles partner, teammate and friend. So let’s begin!
Diana Gee’s started playing at the tender age of 7 with her twin sister Lisa under the attentive eye of their father Yim. It started with Monday night league matches at the Cupertino Club and then evolved to tournaments at the San Francisco Club. Yim made sure they had great fundamentals and taught them to play shakehands even though he was a strong penhold player.
Lisa and Diana’s first US Open was 1978 in Oklahoma City. The only way to really tell them apart while warming-up at the Myriad Convention Center was based on their bright red and yellow tracksuit. Anyone watching could see they had all the ingredient of champions in the making.
Well, it didn’t take long for the hours of practice to begin to pay off as Diana won the California State Women’s Championship at the ripe old age of twelve! The following year she would win the National Junior Olympic U-13 Girls Singles and Doubles. Lisa and Diana continued to battle for national titles at the US Open and Closed with each taking their turn beating up on the other. Thank goodness their mom was always on hand to offer words of encouragement to the runner-up.
While still battling in the cadet ranks, Diana qualified #2 for the 1983 Pan America Games in Venezuela as a member of the Women’s Team. This great accomplishment afforded her the opportunity to team up with USATT Hall of Famer and mentor Insook Bhushan. With Insook’s help, Diana left Caracas with 2 gold medals in the Team and Doubles events. Not too bad for your first international trip as a 14 year old!
That December in Vegas, Diana and Insook continued their winning ways by taking the Women’s Doubles crown at the Tropicana for her first major National title.
Insook stepped away from the game in 1984 which permitted the sisters to pair up again and to win the Women’s Doubles crown in Vegas over the hard-hitting team of Cheryl Dadian and Hall of Famer – Kasia Dawidowicz. Lisa doubled up and also took the Mixed Doubles title with Quang Do.
The US Olympic Festival was an event that Diana always shined brightly in. In Baton Rouge the following year, Diana won the first of four singles titles and as fate would have it she would beat Lisa in the finals. The Gee Whizzes as the media like to call them also won the team gold together for the west squad.
That summer the Gees made a major decision to have the girls relocate to the US Olympic training Center in Colorado Springs. This would give Diana and Lisa the opportunity to work closer with National Coach Henan Li Ai and to set their sights on making the Olympics. Henan helped Diana establish her own unique style based on fast attacking and change of pace with medium pips while at the same time provided great psychological support.
Another key individual in Colorado Springs was Bob Tretheway. Bob became a surrogate parent for the twins and made sure they were safe and sound away from home. Bob would also set up internships with the USOC and USATT for the girls. Very few people know that without Lisa and Diana’s early trade-show exhibitions for Brother International, USATT would have never had such a generous sponsor. Diana also took advantage of Larry Hodges for afterschool tutoring as the dorm manager.
The following December Diana hooked back up with Insook to start a string of 7 Nationals Women’s Doubles Championships. Doing a bit of research on this, it appears that Diana is the only player in US Nationals history to have ever won 9 straight national titles in singles, doubles or mixed.
Diana and I also paired up to win our first of five mixed doubles titles. In what was clearly an upset over Danny and Insook, it was these accomplishments and her outstanding sportsmanship that got her named as the USOC/USATT Amateur Athlete of the year in 1985.
Diana finished off her two final years of Palmer High School in 1987, but her real exam would be in Ottawa at the 1988 Olympic Trials. Mark her down with an “A” as she was able to win the key matches to book her ticket to Seoul in singles and doubles with Insook.
The inaugural Olympic Games for table tennis were truly amazing and Bob Tretheway made sure the team had everything it needed to prepare by securing additional sponsorships with Ground Round and FMC. For Insook, the event had to have even more meaning as it was a chance to return to her native Korea. Thanks to the Seagram’s Company each US Olympian was allowed to bring one family member to watch the Games Free of Charge. Here where the lucky boys.
As expected the competition was incredibly high. Almost as high as a Jiao Zhimin of China high-toss that Diana had to face in singles play. While none on the team medaled, everyone played their hearts out and gave it everything they had. Outside of the competition the team had a fun time in Itaewon bargaining or just getting a break from the village food.
While Seoul in ’88 was surely unforgettable, Diana’s career was far from over. She played the World Championships in Dortmund (where the US women finished 12th) and in Chiba City in 1991. Plus she was in 3 finals at the’91 Pan Ams, winning more golds.
OK, here is my one chance to tell a personal story about our mixed finals in Havanna. Fidel was schedule to show as it was Cuba’s best chance for a medal in table tennis. It was over 105 degrees inside with no AC and everyone (even in the stands) were sweating profusely. Single wrist bands were not enough and we would have changed our soaked shirts after warm-up if they would have allowed. The 3000+ Pro Cuban Spectators were screaming on every point won by the home team and booing when we got a point. I was beginning to think I might know how Insook felt playing in Pyongyang. You basically couldn’t hear yourself think it was that loud. In the final game at around 13-all I managed to serve not one, but two balls into the net as they slide off the sweat that had collected in my hand. I can’t repeat the exact phrase that was delivered to me by Diana but suffice to say; now everyone in the stadium was against me, including my partner! Well, we regrouped quickly and managed to save a couple match points and did beat the Cubans to bring home the gold.
Representing the US in the one Olympics wasn’t enough so Diana decided to give it another shot 4 years later while a student at Southern Methodist University. With the help of local players, a supportive school and USATT Hall of Famer, Lily Yip, Diana once again got a chance to participate in the highest level of sport. Qualifying in Doubles with Lily, Diana received a wild card for singles play. While Barcelona Games were more laid back than Seoul, Diana burning desire to play her best was just as strong.
Bob Fox became a welcomed addition to the team in Barcelona after the countless hours of help and support to USATT and with the Olympic Festivals. With the Dream Team on hand there was no shortage of stars at the USOC Village compound and our women’s team fit in nicely with the women of tennis.
1992 would be the final year Diana as an active member on the National team, however she would continue to play and win all three events at the ACUI Collegiate Championships while getting her degree in marketing and organizational behavior from SMU.
Her final international event would be her 4th Pan Am Games in Mar Del Plata, Argentina where she won a bronze in women’s singles and silver in the team event to add her 8th and 9th medals to her collection.
Upon retirement Diana continued to give back to the sport and the Olympic movement. She represented the U.S. at the international Olympic Academy. She served as Athlete Liaison for the 1997 U.S. Summer World University Games Delegation, was an athlete representative for the USOC Athlete Advisor Council from 1998-2000, and worked as an Olympic Ambassador for the U.S. Olympic Team going to Beijing, China in 2008.
Over the past decade, she has worked in account management and administrative roles for various private corporations. Diana is married to Dan McDonnell and is a mother to her 4 year old son, Aidan
Most recently Diana teamed up with her twin sister Lisa to provide table tennis exhibitions for both Lisa’s employer and for Rossmoor Retirement Community in CA as a way to promote table tennis as a healthy exercise option. Diana currently works as a part time instructor for Sun City Lincoln Hills Active and Retirement Community in Lincoln, CA.
It is my great pleasure to welcome into the USATT Hall of Fame, Diana Gee.
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