A lead paragraph to an Adult Spotlight that appeared on this same USTA Southern California website about decorated tennis teacher Dee Henry some 10 years ago said it best:

To serve in tennis and life; that’s the essence of Dee Henry.

The legendary former longtime Biola University women’s tennis coach Henry recently passed away, and in the days that followed, tributes rolled in far and wide for the many who were touched by Henry’s warmth as a person, devotion to the sport and for being a tireless promoter and pioneer of wheelchair tennis.

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) stated: “Henry truly committed her entire life to the betterment of our sport, beginning her coaching career in 1971 with Biola and coaching the Eagles for the next 45 years while also serving youth and underprivileged players in her community.”

Henry was a member of the ITA Board of Directors and, “Made a meaningful impact on the sport of college tennis and pushed her teams to not only make a lasting impact on the court but in the community as well.”

The honors were numerous for Henry. She was honored by the USTA Southern California Section with service awards in 1987, 1993, 1996, and 2001 for her outstanding work with adults and juniors. Henry also earned many USPTA California Division honors, including being named the 1997 Coach of the Year, the 2001 Handicap Pro of the Year, and the 2008 Special Needs Coach of the Year. Henry earned the USTA Southern California Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, the USPTA Pete Brown Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014, and the ITHF’s Tennis Educational Merit Award for outstanding service to tennis in 2016. 

Perhaps her biggest honor came in 2006 when she was named the recipient of the prestigious Eve Kraft Community Service Award by the USTA.

But it was Henry’s work with players confined to wheelchairs that will be her lasting legacy. The year was 1978 when Henry visited a talk at Vic Braden’s academy and heard a talk by wheelchair tennis visionary Brad Parks.

“During the (Braden Academy) training, I saw Brad Parks demonstrate that Wheelchair tennis players can compete with stand up players,” Henry told the USTA SoCal in 2020.  “We were encouraged to introduce tennis to individuals in wheelchairs.”

Henry, a USPTA Elite Pro who ended her teaching tenure at an Emeritus Professor, said at the time of her retirement her focus after her 49-year teaching career ended would be on the continued growth of the La Mirada Community Tennis Association, a 501c non-profit that provides clinics and instruction to challenged athletes, including wheelchair players.

A few years ago, Biola offered Henry a year-long sabbatical last year and she spent it traveling from San Diego to Fresno and even Virginia working with special needs athletes.

Henry once reflected back on her career and credits the ITA for giving her the nudge to begin so many years of service to those who would not have a chance to experience the sport of a lifetime.

“As a collegiate tennis coach, they asked every coach to give something back to the game,” Henry said at the time. “That was 30 years ago and when we had our first clinic. We started with a young boy named Scott Barron, who was just 2 years old, and he brought a buddy with him. I saw a kid walking on crutches and I got him to come. So that’s how it all kind of all started. From there we began to do Up-Down tournaments and it just bloomed and blossomed.”

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 29 at 10 a.m. at the Whittier Area Community Church in Whittier (8100 Colima Road, Whittier, CA 90605). For those unable to travel, a live stream will be available.