Ann Marston facts for kids

Ann Penelope Marston (born August 7, 1938 – died March 6, 1971) was an amazing American archery champion. She was also a beauty pageant contestant and later managed rock bands. Ann was the U.S.A. National Archery Champion from 1949 to 1960. She was also the first woman to become a professional archer.

Early Life and Archery Star

Ann Marston was born in England. She won her first archery title there when she was just 9 years old. In 1948, at age 10, she appeared in a short film called Junior Toxopholist. This film showed her practicing archery with her father, Frank Marston.

One week after moving to Wyandotte, Michigan, with her parents in 1949, Ann won her Cadet archery title. She broke many records as a junior archer until 1953. In 1951, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She needed insulin every day for the rest of her life.

Breaking Records

In 1954, at age 15, Ann started competing against adults. She won the National Field Tournament and set three new records. Ann won a total of 11 national archery titles and set many all-time records. She was also a talented singer and a skilled horse rider.

With her bow and arrow, Ann Marston was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine on August 8, 1955. She appeared on many popular TV shows, including The Ed Sullivan Show, Captain Kangaroo, and The Today Show.

She was chosen for the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. Ann was the youngest person ever to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

From Pageants to Music

In 1959, Ann Marston won the Miss Michigan title. She then competed in the Miss America 1960 pageant. Her archery performance helped her win the talent award there. In 1962, she and her father appeared in a short film for Paramount Pictures called Bow Jests. Soon after this, her eyesight began to get worse. Because of this, she had to stop competing in archery.

A Difficult Accident

In 1962, Ann was at a rodeo in Fort Madison, Iowa. An escaped bull trampled her. She was taken to the hospital with three broken ribs and a deep cut on her leg. Her father, who tried to protect her, was also badly bruised. They filed a lawsuit, and in 1965, a jury decided that Ann should receive $12,000 and her father $2,000. They shared the money after paying their lawyers.

A New Path in Music

In late 1963, Ann became a big fan of The Beatles. She wrote a long letter to George Harrison and collected all their albums. She even made a scrapbook about them. The Beatles first performed in Detroit on September 6, 1964. Because she was a local celebrity, Ann had a phone call with John Lennon. She also attended their press conference and saw their concert. This day changed her life. She decided to shift from being a professional archer to promoting rock bands.

In the mid-1960s, Ann became the manager for several rock bands, including the MC5. She also continued to perform as a singer. In 1965, she helped the MC5 get a big break by booking them to open for the Dave Clark 5. Ann realized that her health problems made it hard to help the band become nationally famous. So, she stepped aside as manager, and John Sinclair took over.

Later Life and Legacy

About two years before she passed away, Ann became almost completely blind. This was due to complications from her diabetes. She died from a stroke caused by diabetes when she was 32 years old. Her friend Joe DiMaggio attended her funeral, and Johnny Carson sent flowers. There were 100 cars in her funeral procession.

Ann Marston was honored by being inducted into the Archery Hall of Fame in 1978.