March 24, 2003
Wyandotte Distinguished Graduate

Inductee

Marston, Ann - 1956
 

Ann Marston - Class of 1956

 

Her family's post-war move from London, England to the United States in 1948 brought Roosevelt graduate Ann Marston to Wyandotte to live. At that time, she was already Britain's National Junior Champion in Archery. Within a week of her arrival in the United States, she captured the American Junior Archery Championship.

Four years later, in 1952, Ann joined the ranks of Roosevelt students and participated in many activities at the school, including Band, Student Union, G.A.A. Wy-News, and the National Honor Society. She was also elected Actress of the Year by her graduation class of 1956.

Ann was an accomplished dancer, ice skater, horsewoman, and skin diver, but archery was her focus. She performed archery exhibitions in school assemblies and tutored Michigan State College Archery students. By the age of 15, she had broken all women's archery records worldwide. She was featured in many magazines while still in high school (Seventeen, Life, Saturday Evening Post), including a cover story in Sports Illustrated.

Once Ann was graduated from Roosevelt, she starred in a 39-week television series, demonstrating her archery techniques. In 1959 she was elected to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, at the time, the youngest recipient and only the second woman to be honored.

In 1960, Ann was crowned Miss Michigan; in 1961, she went to Hollywood to make a movie short about archery for Paramount Studios, "Bow Jests," which was shown at theaters worldwide.

Despite her busy schedule, Ann served the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, visiting patients while traveling the country. She also acted as Worthy Advisor to an Eastern Star Rainbow Girls Chapter for several years.

Ann's career took her around the world, performing her archery exhibition at the London Palladium, New York's Apollo Theater, and Las Vegas' Tropicana, as well as numerous rodeos and fairs. In 1962, Ann was performing at a rodeo when an escaped bull trampled her. She sustained broken ribs and spinal and closed head injuries, but continued to perform after her recovery. In the Mid-1960's she began working for local radio station WKNR and successfully managed and promoted local rock musicians.

In 1969, Ann lost her sight, most likely the result of diabetes from which she had suffered since she was 12 years old. She retired to a quieter life in her adopted hometown of Wyandotte. In 1970, she was named Michigan's Woman of the Year.

In 1971, at the age of 32, Ann Marston died from a massive stroke. Though young, she had led a full life as an athlete, humanitarian, and internationally known celebrity. Truly she is a distinguished graduate of Theodore Roosevelt High School.