Tennis Player of the Month: David Bee

Hot Shots 4.0 Men’s tennis team: Craig Hauger, Dan Schimmelpfennig, Dave Bee (captain), Dave Henry, Dave Kersey, Jim Lewis, Marty Farrell and Randy Planck

David Bee

What do David Bee and Andre Agassi have in common? Well, they both learned tennis at a very young age and they both married women that can handle a tennis racket, but that’s a story for another day.

David was born in Doncastle, England, where both of his parents played tennis. It was there, at the age of five that David began to play and continued into his mid-thirties. It was also where he met his wife Jean who lived a few blocks away and was on his paper route. Not many people can say they saw The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and the Moody Blues before they were The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Moody Blues. David and Jean saw all of them as bands that played in local clubs before the “British Invasion” hit the U.S. and they went on to become music icons.

As David’s career as a chemical engineer progressed, his need to travel for work and a growing family required him to put playing tennis on hold. Being a chemical engineer required David to be involved in the design, construction and operation of industrial plants in London, Romania, Newfoundland and eventually the United States.

Once in the U.S., David’s career focused primarily in the oil refinery industry, which took him and his family to Kansas City, Colorado and California. It was here in the U.S. that David was able to play tennis again. His doubles partner in California, Dale Taylor, had moved to PebbleCreek, which led him and Jean to visit and eventually move to our community in 2005.

David is currently the captain of our men’s 4.0 team, The Hot Shots. He has also served on the Tennis Club board as Social Director. In addition to being a chemical engineer, David is also a Certified Financial Planner. David is an excellent example of how tennis is “the sport of a lifetime.”