The beginnings of Charlotte table tennis @ 1978, can be traced to J.C Smith professor and eventual vice president Dr. James Law, Duke Power chemist T.P. Lee, and UNCC student Rick Mundy .  After Law
arranged 6 city sponsored tables and a time slot at Tuckaseegee Park, they soon had 15 to 20 regular
players showing up for leagues and tournaments. 
Some early members included: Alvin Woods, Gregory Smith, Al Hess, Fred Hautsch, Dr. Dan Hoffman
& Kathy Straw.  Eckhardt Mecklenburg signed on in the early 80’s to help TP Lee organize open play and
run tournaments when Rick Mundy moved to Virginia Beach becoming TTTC president.  
Dr. Law passed away in 1996.

In the late 80’s, Helmi Felfel took over bringing 8 new Stiga tables and his promotional skills to the club. Membership peaked at over 100. Regulars included Tom Griffin, Dave England, Tom Miller Walter Barrett,
Frank Zimmerman and Trez Robertson. The Helmi Felfel era was both successful and frustrating as membership was up, but 1 and 2 hour waiting list to play was not uncommon.  Tom Davis assumed
leadership when Helmi moved away, and membership reverted back to a more manageable level for Tuckaseegee Park of 20 –30 players.

During the 90’s, tournament players venue of choice was Danny Hills SFFL (Sports Fitness For Life) first
Saturday of every month round robin event, 1 hour north in Clemmons NC.  Dominating players of the
time along with Danny were Bernard Hsu, Marcus Horth, Rick Mathews, Joey Hu and Charlottes own
Guillermo Rosales and Gary Bertram.  Augusta to the west offered more competition including Pete and
Derek May, Peng Xin and Ty Hoff as well as Anderson College SC team members Nigel Christopher,
Michael Hyatt and Greg Riley.

Tom Davis moved away in 1997 and John Pahl stepped in to run tournaments lead expansion. The club was sponsored in 2000 by Stiga in a program offered by Paddle Palace and received 9 new Elite tables. Equipment was spread over 3 sites with 8 at Tuckaseegee Park for Sundays, 6 at Elon (521) on Thursdays, and 4 at Leroy Springs on Tuesdays.  Tuckaseegee Park was the most popular site with up to 40 people showing up to play. Pahl recruited Tom Miller, Ray Filz, Dave England and “you’re only as old as you feel” TP Lee to help organize.  Tournaments grew over the years drawing players from Georgia, Virginia and South Carolina.  Charlotte club member Nigel Christopher dominated most events. Home club tournament players included Guillermo Rosales, Amir Amidi, Elias Gomez, Ira Goodman, Van Vu, Leo Lemire and John Funk.

Even though there were 16 tables in play, organizing and managing the schedule at 3 facilities was an
exercise in futility. Various basketball leagues took precedence, disrupting any chance at a stable schedule
to keep new & established players. It seems we were spending more time managing the schedule than
enjoying the game, frustrated with playing second fiddle to every other sport.
 
In 2004, Ray Filz made initial contact and sparked the interest of Charlotte Park and Rec Commisioner Larry Huelsman in an effort to gain support for the ever expanding club. Working together with the Badminton Club at  this point made for an ideal match in our quest for the holy grail, our own facility.  As the newly built downtown rec center would leave the old Hawthorne building vacant, our cause gained momentum with Park and Rec Director Wayne Weston in favor of a proposal that our clubs become the primary tenants. Lola Massad and CW McIver helped cement the deal assuring that the best interests of the community were represented. After satisfying citizen and park and rec advisory boards,
this first of its kind cooperative agreement became reality and we were scheduled to move in July 1st, 2005.

The Club became incorporated as a non-profit in 2005 (ID#0784612), under State sections 105-125
& 105-130.11(a)(6); & Federal 501(c)(3) status. Donations or sponsorships gladly accepted.

Activities include open and organized play 4 days a week, a  Newgy robot, a doubles league, bimonthly
usatt tournaments, coaching and a pro shop. The club has 10 quality tables and barriers in the main
gym, and 3 tables for warm up, drilling, practice and robot training in multipurpose rooms.
Organizers and facility managers include: John Pahl, Tom Miller, T.P. Lee, Bill Engelbreth, Pablo Perez
and Femi Ogundipe.