It was a special day which Dieter STEFFEN celebrated together with his wife Gudrun and their son Bela in a quietly small circle. Without contact restrictions in Corona times however the space in the house would hardly be enough for the crowd of congratulators on May 8th : the former vice president of the DTTB turns 80.
The birthday boy regrets that important companions cannot be by his side today.
“I had planned many guests from sport and politics ” Dieter Steffen reveals his original plans in an interview with his home newspaper NW (Neue Westfälische). The TTC Mennighüffen of which Dieter STEFFEN is honorary chairman ensures that friends and companions are still close to him on his 80th birthday. “His club” organised greetings via video to surprise him in which among others the World Doubles Champions of 1989 Jörg ROßKOPF and Steffen FETZNER congratulated him.
The retired headmaster of the Mennighüfen-Ost primary school was chairman of “his” TTC Mennighüffen for a remarkable 56 years until 2019. He was head of the local table tennis district Herford for 49 years and also assumed responsibility in the highest committees of the German Table Tennis Association (DTTB). From 1986 to 2010 Dieter Steffen also represented the DTTB on the ETTU Youth Committee including as Vice-Chairman from 1991 to 2003 and then as Chairman until 2010. Without the support of his wife Gudrun a commitment in this scale would not have been possible as Dieter Steffen points out: “She has always supported me although it has certainly not always been easy for her.”
He is responsible for the success of many DTTB youth players. Among other things he was driving the development of the national boarding schools in Duisburg and Heidelberg the forerunners of Germany’s national table tennis centre DTTZ in Düsseldorf. For his work he received The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany as well as the highest award of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia “the sports badge”. Dieter STEFFEN is also the holder of the golden pin of honor of the German Table Tennis Association and a DTTB Honorary member as well as a ETTU Honorary member.
But those who thinks that at the age of 80 Dieter STEFFEN would now spend his time with passion mainly in his tranquil home are wrong. Steffen not only plays actively in the fifth team of his club he also still conducts the primary school’s table tennis afternoon program which he founded 16 years ago. Currently Steffen is also chairman of the local sports district “Kreissportbund Herford” whose commemorative publication for the 75th anniversary he is currently preparing. People who congratulate him on his 80th birthday should not be surprised when they ask about the condition of the jubilee when Dieter STEFFEN also answers today: “I am busy working.”
