George Hendry’s table-tennis prowess hardly faded with age. In the 1992 U.S. Open, when he was 72, the onetime junior champion sensationally beat Peruvian star André Wong, earning a spot in the final 32. As Hendry warmed up for his next match, his opponent, a clueless Japanese 20-something, asked him to return to his seat before the game began. “The guy couldn’t believe he had to play this old man,” recalled table-tennis club official Rich Doza.
Hendry became obsessed with table tennis as a teenager in St. Louis, said The New York Times. He proved to be a natural at the sport and became one of the country’s top players at the age of 15. His success landed his picture on the Wheaties box, earning him $25 a month and a box of the breakfast cereal every day for two years.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On the senior circuit, said the St. Louis Riverfront Times, Hendry regained his “throne atop the sport.” He won 35 national seniors championships in the following years and in 1990 took home the world championship for players aged 70 and over. He played his last national championship in 2009, at the age of 89.
-
The mystery of flight MH370The Explainer In 2014, the passenger plane vanished without trace. Twelve years on, a new operation is under way to find the wreckage of the doomed airliner
-
5 royally funny cartoons about the former prince Andrew’s arrestCartoons Artists take on falling from grace, kingly manners, and more
-
The identical twins derailing a French murder trialUnder The Radar Police are unable to tell which suspect’s DNA is on the weapon
-
James Van Der Beek obituary: fresh-faced Dawson’s Creek starIn The Spotlight Van Der Beek fronted one of the most successful teen dramas of the 90s – but his Dawson fame proved a double-edged sword
-
Catherine O'Hara: The madcap actress who sparkled on ‘SCTV’ and ‘Schitt’s Creek’Feature O'Hara cracked up audiences for more than 50 years
-
Bob Weir: The Grateful Dead guitarist who kept the hippie flameFeature The fan favorite died at 78
-
Brigitte Bardot: the bombshell who embodied the new FranceFeature The actress retired from cinema at 39, and later become known for animal rights activism and anti-Muslim bigotry
-
Frank Gehry: the architect who made buildings flow like waterFeature The revered building master died at the age of 96
-
R&B singer D’AngeloFeature A reclusive visionary who transformed the genre
-
Kiss guitarist Ace FrehleyFeature The rocker who shot fireworks from his guitar
-
Robert Redford: the Hollywood icon who founded the Sundance Film FestivalFeature Redford’s most lasting influence may have been as the man who ‘invigorated American independent cinema’ through Sundance
