skip navigation

ona lee johnson - inductee #180

hall of fame fast fact:

One Lee Johnson received the United States Tennis Association's Texas Section Community Service Award in 2007. Three years later, she was named the section's Volunteer of the Year.

Ona Lee Johnson

Johnson spent much of her life on and around the tennis court as a player, organizer, ambassador, and volunteer. As Ona Lee Hedrick, she won the Class 2A state championship in singles while at Phillips High School. Because there was no real opportunities for women collegiately in athletics nearly 60 years ago, she went to Baylor where she dominated intramurals.

After marrying Gerald Johnson, an engineer in 1964, they lived in Kansas, Wyoming, and Colorado. While in Wyoming, as an amateur, she was the states No. 2-ranked player.

She moved back to the Panhandle in Borger in 1984, and began playing and winning in women's leagues in Amarillo. She eventually supervised the senior leagues in Amarillo, and from there, directed all the adult leagues.

She was instrumental in the growth of the Amarillo Area Tennis Association. Under her watch, there was a peak of 2,000 playing in adult leagues.

Through the UTSA, she was instrumental in securing a $100,000 grant to promote tennis for 10-and-unders. Johnson became the AATA's first executive director while serving on several Texas and National committees in the UTSA. An umpire as well for five years, Johnson received the Texas Sectional Community Service Award in 2007, and in 2010, was the Texas Section's volunteer of the year.