Dean Johnson’s career in advertising began as an intern at an ad agency upon graduation from high school in 1950. He worked at the agency while attending art school at night where he studied design.

During his time in the Service (U.S. Army, 1953-1956) he was sent to photo school and was a photographer for Stars & Stripes and other newspapers in Germany for nearly two years. During that time more than 250 of his photos were published – many over the wire services – AP and UP, some in Saturday Evening Post.

Six years of evening school on the GI Bill at a Fairleigh Dickinson University he focused on Business and Marketing – a very useful supplement to his graphics training.

Dean has published 7 books – a 6 volume series titled American Table Tennis Players of the Classic Age, 1931-1966, which were co-authored with Tim Boggan; and an autobiography: How the Years passed By. His upcoming book, A Table for Two, is a reference to his experiences with the sport of table tennis which dates back to 1957.

During his 60+ year business career, 40 years were spent operating his own ad agency.

Dean’s current activities in table tennis focus on promoting the health benefits of the sport to seniors and school students. In coordination with the charity, PingPongGives, he gives demonstrations at senior centers and schools throughout Hampton Roads and he’s on the Board of Directors of the Charity.

One of the goals of his upcoming book is to carry the message of the many health benefits of table tennis to a wider audience and to keep alive the legacy of the golden age of table tennis and the super talents of the game who contributed to it.