Jan Markstaller
Janice Hilda (Jan) Markstaller from Washington High School was selected as the 1954 Rose Festival Queen of Rosaria. Jan was born in Portland on October 18, 1936, and died on October 29, 2018. Jan's paternal grandparents, Christian Markstaller and Amalia Müller, were born in the Volga German colonies of Rosenheim and Reinwald. As Rose Festival Queen, Jan joined television host Ed Sullivan in a parade on Union Avenue (now MLK Blvd.).
The 1954 Rose Festival court from left to right: bottom row, Princesses Joanne Broom, Girls Poly; Maureen Doherty, Lincoln; Marilyn Larsen, Roosevelt, Elaine Lord, Franklin; top row, Princesses Donna Goode, Cleveland; Jan Markstaller, Washington; Barbara Manly, Jefferson, and Thelma Lowenthal, Grant. Published in "The Oregonian" on June 6, 1954.
Ed Sullivan and Portland Rose Festival Queen Jan Markstaller, riding together in an automobile for an event put on by the Hollywood Boosters for the 1954 Portland Rose Festival. Sullivan and Markstaller both wave from a vehicle with a sign attached to a door reading “Queen Jan”. The car is on Union Avenue (now MLK Blvd.) The Fred Meyer and Rotary Bred Store can be seen in the background. Source: Oregon Historical Society Digital Collections, Reference code OrgLot1284_2288_1.
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Last updated August 4, 2025