About Mary

The Songs of J. Will Callahan, Tin Pan Alley's Blind Lyricist is Mary Jane Doerr's second book. Her first book Bay View, An American Idea was awarded the 2010 State History Award from the History Award from the Historical Society of Michigan.

A free-lance writer for the Petoskey News-Review for nearly 40 years, covering historical and cultural activities, she was able to interview local citizens about historical events and had access to historical records. During this time, she also published with newspapers throughout Michigan and the U.S.

Ms. Doerr wrote the article on the history of the Detroit Opera House for the 1996 Grand Opening Program, the Bay View Chapter in the Historic Glimpses published by the Little Traverse Historic Museum, and the essay Hemingway's Bay View for the Hemingway Project, a biographical account of longtime Bay View violinist Austrian Jew Hugo Gottesmann for the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan. She has made presentations to various groups throughout Michigan.

She holds a Master's Degree in Education from Wayne State University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University. She is a retired Special education teacher and was an ESL (English Second Language) tutor at Oakland Community College.

Ms. Doerr is a Level II Alpine Ski Instructor with the Professional Ski Instructors of America. She teaches at Pine Knob Ski and Snowboard School and the Blizzard Ski and Snowboard School. She has also taught on the staffs at Taos Sky Valley in New Mexico, and Boyne Highlands in Harbor Springs.