Joseph Cameron Alston was an American badminton

Badminton

Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...

 player who won major titles between 1951 and 1967.

Career

Despite a career in the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...

 which sometimes interfered with his avocation

Avocation

An avocation is an activity that one engages in as a hobby outside one's main occupation. There are many examples of people whose professions were the ways that they made their livings, but for whom their activities outside of their workplaces were their true passions in life...

, Alston is the only male player to win each of the sport's three basic events, singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, at both the U.S. National Badminton Championships

U.S. National Badminton Championships

The U.S. National Badminton Championships is a tournament organized by USA Badminton and held annually to crown the best badminton players in the United States....

 (closed to foreign competition) and the U.S. Open Badminton Championships

U.S. Open Badminton Championships

The U.S. Open Badminton Championships is an annual badminton tournament first held in 1954 when the American Badminton Association opened the U.S. National Badminton Championships to foreign competition. For the full list of winners see List of U.S. Open Badminton champions.-21st century:-External...

 (open to foreign competition). He and long-time partner Wynn Rogers

T. Wynn Rogers

T. Wynn Rogers was an American badminton player who won numerous U.S. national titles from the late 1940s to the mid 1960’s.-Career:...

 were ranked number one nationally in men's doubles for fourteen consecutive years (1951—1964). In 1957 Alston won the Men's Doubles at the prestigious All-England Championships

All England Open Badminton Championships

The All England Open Badminton Championships, or simply All England, is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious badminton tournaments. Played annually, it developed after the success of world's first badminton tournament held in Guildford in 1898...

 with Malaya's Johnny Heah

Heah Hock Aun

Heah Hock Aun, often known as Johnny Heah, is a former Malayan badminton player, known for his accuracy and touch, who excelled internationally during the 1950s. He won men's singles at the Scottish Open in 1952, and was runner-up in men's singles to the celebrated Eddy Choong at the prestigious...

 and remains the only American to share this title. Noted for his speed and crisp shot-making, Alston was a member of seven consecutive U.S. Thomas Cup

Thomas Cup

The Thomas Cup, sometimes called the World Men's Team Championships, is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation , the sport's global governing body...

 (Men's International) teams between 1952 and 1970. He was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

 on March 7, 1955. His wife, the former Lois Smedley, was an outstanding badminton competitor in her own right and played on the world champion U.S. Uber Cup

Uber Cup

The Uber Cup, sometimes called the World Team Championships for Women, is a major international badminton competition contested by women's national badminton teams. First held in 1956-1957 and contested at three year intervals, it has been contested every two years since 1984 when its scheduled...

 (Women's International) team of 1957. Both are members of the U.S. Badminton Hall of Fame

Badminton Hall of Fame

The Badminton Hall of Fame honors players who have shown exceptional skill at badminton, all-time great coaches and referees, and other major contributors to the game.There is also a USA Badminton Hall of Fame and a Badminton Canada's Hall of Fame ....

, now called the Walk of Fame. One of their sons, Tony Alston, was a leading U.S. player in the 1980s.

Major Achievements

Tournament	Event and year
US Open U.S. Open Badminton Championships The U.S. Open Badminton Championships is an annual badminton tournament first held in 1954 when the American Badminton Association opened the U.S. National Badminton Championships to foreign competition. For the full list of winners see List of U.S. Open Badminton champions.-21st century:-External...	Men's Singles (1955), Men's Doubles (1955, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1967), Mixed Doubles (1954)
US Championships U.S. National Badminton Championships The U.S. National Badminton Championships is a tournament organized by USA Badminton and held annually to crown the best badminton players in the United States....	Men's Singles (1951), Men's Doubles (1951, 1952, 1953) Mixed Doubles (1953)
All-Englands All England Open Badminton Championships The All England Open Badminton Championships, or simply All England, is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious badminton tournaments. Played annually, it developed after the success of world's first badminton tournament held in Guildford in 1898...	Men's Doubles (1957)
World Invitational	Men's Singles (1956)