Michigan author profiles Ann Marston
Education is way of life for Alana Paluszewski, and with her new book, Shooting Star: The Amazing Life of Ann Marston, she shares with readers a wonderful lesson in women's history.
A respected historian and author, Paluszewski has been employed for 18 years at her alma mater, Roosevelt High School, in Wyandotte, Michigan. She is co-sponsor of the Geoaddicts, the school’s travel adventure club and has accompanied students to England, France, Spain, Italy, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to research and writing, she merges her hobbies of travel, photography and horticulture into lectures about famous gardens of the world.
Michigan Women's Forum asked Mrs. Paluszewski to share a little about how and why she came to write about a talented, internationally renowed archer whose life was cut short by a stroke.
How did you first become interested in writing and in writing about historical subjects? Why was Ann Marston such a compelling subject for you? What impressed you most about her life and accomplishments?
Ann and I lived in the same hometown of Wyandotte, Michigan, and she was a local heroine. Although we never met, I did see her perform in person and on television. After she lost her sight, it impressed me that she continued to work although she was blind. I was a teenager when she died so young, and I always remembered her story.
When I wrote the Pride of Wyandotte, a local history book on Roosevelt High School in 2003, I included a section on distinguished graduates that featured Ann. Ann’s elderly mother was unable to communicate, so after her death I approached the remaining family member about writing Ann’s life story. She was very cooperative and shared all information and artifacts relating to the subject.
How big a project was this and how long did you work on the book?
Since this was an untapped resource, it was up to me to catalog and organize data that included many boxes full of articles, to evaluate home movies and recordings, and to read Ann’s personal journals. It took a full year to develop a timeline, conduct interviews, and complete my own research. It took another two years to write this book.
From the photo on the book’s cover, it’s easy to see Ann was a stunning woman. What opportunities (or challenges) did her physical beauty create? Did she experience any challenges because of her gender?
Ann grew up in a time when women athletes were few and far between. It was fortunate for Ann that she was so naturally talented, beautiful, and charming. Ann was in the limelight her entire life and she easily impressed everyone. She was the British National Cadet champion at age 10. When the family immigrated to America in 1949, Ann broke all standing juvenile archery records, and she continued into the Adult division.
She was diagnosed with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes when she was about 12 years old, and was insulin-dependant. To retain her image of a healthy athlete, no public mention of the disease was ever made.
Ann Marston was more famous than most people realized. In 1953, Life magazine did a feature on her skills, and she appeared on Ed Sullivan’s show, Talk of the Town, when she was 14 years old. She also performed on The Morning Show, You Asked for It, Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney, and many other national and local shows. Captain Kangaroo had her on his show eight times. By the time she was a senior at Wyandotte Roosevelt High School in 1955, she was already very famous, and was one of the first cover girls on Sports Illustrated magazine.
Ann was well-aware that she was a role model for girls in the 1950s and 1960s, and used her position to educated the public about the benefits of physical fitness, and encourage females of all ages to participate in archery and other sports.
Your book tells how Ann’s father sparked her interest in archery, what role did Ann’s mother play in her life?
Her mother was always the driving force for the family. She coordinated their very busy cross-country schedule and handled all the finances, even though Ann was supporting the family. She orchestrated Ann’s archery and performance career as manager, and vicariously enjoyed Ann’s celebrity status.
As Ann reached her mid-20s, she began to resent her mother’s interference and control. She was eager to enjoy life on her own terms.
Eventually Ann pulled away from archery and concentrated on her new business as a talent agent for rock and roll bands in the Detroit area during the mid-1960s. A highlight was when she met The Beatles in 1964.
Just as she reached a high level of business success, Ann completely lost her sight in 1969 due to complications of diabetes. She became somewhat dependant again on her parents. In spite of her limitations, she continued supervising her band business until the day she died of a stroke in 1971.
Ann won many archery awards, but she was also a child model and held the title of Miss Michigan. Any idea what accomplishments meant the most to her?
Ann was a child prodigy, and was accustomed to succeeding in all areas of her life, but her numerous accomplishments in archery were personally important to her. Ann won the Womens’ Free Style national competition in 1954 at age 15, three years earlier than the normally required age of 18, and earned that trophy four times in her career. It was a huge achievement for such a young lady, and she continued to be a strong rival and respected athlete for many years.
She was competitive by nature, and enjoyed all of the challenges that she faced. But, she was especially proud to represent the state of Michigan in the 1960 Miss America Pageant and for that year of her reign.
Ann’s early death must have been difficult for her family. How did that affect your research?
I was somewhat shocked to learn that for over 30 years Mrs. Marston kept Ann’s room untouched; left as it was on the day that Ann died. She never really got over the loss of her only child, and often spoke as if Ann was still alive. It was sad to learn of her intense personal grief, and to reflect on how difficult it must be to lose a child at any age.
How did delving so deeply into Ann’s story affect you?
Although it is not impossible to write about someone you have never met, I was very conscience of the fact that Ann needed to be portrayed as a complex, vibrant person. I interviewed over one hundred of Ann’s friends, archery and business associates, and family members who gave me the insight necessary to develop her unique character in print.
Most importantly, Ann’s diaries allowed me to know her intimately. It was often very moving to share her personal thoughts and emotions.
Our paths crossed many times, even though we never met. The best part of writing “Shooting Star” is that many of Ann’s friends are now my friends, too.
What do you hope to convey to your readers through Shooting Star?
We will continue to be inspired by Ann’s incredible accomplishments and courage. She always kept a very positive attitude, whether she was accepting a championship trophy, wearing another crown, or challenged by family conflict or loss of sight. She was a splendid athlete, a leader, and an educator. Ann Marston was posthumously inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1977, and the Archery Hall of Fame in 1978.
I was honored to be the person selected to preserve her life story.
Ann’s blindness and death was a direct result of the primitive care available to patients in the 1950s and 1960s, but Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes continues to be a major health concern in this country. Continued education, research and financial support is imperative to find a cure. Contact the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at http://www.jdrf.org
Shooting Star: The Amazing Life of Ann Marston is published by Momentum Books, a Michigan-based publisher specializing in regional non-fiction. Their catalog also includes Death’s Door, by Steve Lehto, which won the 2007 Michigan Notable Books award. Learn more on their Web site. Order your copy of Shooting Star: The Amazing Life of Ann Marston
