From: Alex Kennedy <joealexkennedy@com>
Date: Fri, Dec 25, 2009 at 11:25 AM
Subject: to Mom and Dad
To: dwiswell@
In the past months that I have been living here I have found no sign to back up the charges pressed against Susan Wiswell and Donald Wiswell. I am sure that the charges pressed against both of them are untrue, and all accusations of past charges should be removed for everyone's best interest. They are loving and caring parents, and do not deserve to be accused falsely further, and never should have been falsely accused. I have read the document of charges pressed against Susan Wiswell, published in 1998. I noticed that the accusations were the same as the ones that my mother (Tamara Kennedy) had led me to believe since I was a child. I am perfectly fine and I am in better condition than ever, therefore all harassment and accusations should cease, for the benefit of my family and myself. I am very happy in their presence and wish for all the harm toward them to stop.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Don Wiswell - Washington County Playhouse
Don Wiswell - A portrait of the artist by his friends
March 26, 1997
When I heard that Don Wiswell had been named managing director of The Maryland Theater, I called to congratulate him and set up an interview I hoped would shed some light on his artistic vision and background. Among other things, what I hoped to find out about Wiswell, best known locally for his work with the Washington County Playhouse, was how he got interested in the theater as a young man.
Was it performing in a school play, or seeing a professional production on stage? Who are his favorite performers and what shows has he acted in? And on the more serious side, how do you persuade people who can rent a video for $3 a night that there's a good reason to pay three times that much to see a live production?
Stories written in 1986 when he took over the Washington County Playhouse with Bruce Levin said that Wiswell, a Laurel, Md. native, had majored in theater at Georgetown and Towson State universities and had been active in restaurant and theater operation for the past 17 years. He had also been active in more than 75 productions on more than 250 stages across the U.S.
This was interesting stuff. But unfortunately, the theater's board, for reasons they did not explain, had Wiswell call me back with word that the staff would not be doing interviews at this time. A bit incomprehensible, like their fumbling away of a $15,000 grant from the Washington County Gaming Commission, but not an insurmountable obstacle.
Before he was associated with the theater here, Wiswell owned the Keynote Dinner Theater in Frederick. Armed with a dozen names of his former associates there, I went looking for some insight into whether this guy has the background and the moxie to restore the polish to what has been called "the crown jewel of downtown Hagerstown."
Not everyone was eager to talk. Some told me that the Weinberg Center in Frederick is going through a crisis of its own - squabbles between its director and others - and the artistic community has gotten a little bit leery about talking to the press. Fair enough. I've been working on the other side of the mountain for 24 years, so why should they open up to someone they don't know?
Fortunately, I did find two former Wiswell colleagues who were willing to talk to me. They're Bill and Karen Stitely, who acted in many productions at the Keynote, and shared memories of what, for them, were obviously some very good times.
Karen, who said she acted in Keynote's first and last production, said that Wiswell turned what had been a rundown, empty seafood house into a profitable dinner theater with a big subscriber base with hard work, a passion for quality productions and a knack for making customers feel they were part of the family.
Because there was no zoning for dinner theaters, she said, he first had to work with the county commissioners there to develop that. Once open, he worked on developing his customer base.
"He worked with tour groups very well and got to know every single person's name as a subscriber, and he made it a very fun atmosphere," she said.
"One thing he did that the actors didn't always agree with, is that he had us come out to the lobby and shake hands with the people after the performances. In that way, it became a very accessible theater experience," she said.
In a later interview, Bill Stitely explained that some actors feel that they should maintain the illusion, so to speak, by not coming into the audience in character.
But even though Wiswell realized that bending that tradition was good business, the Stitelys said there was no skimping on quality in the productions themselves.
"He always had a clear focus of the play or the musical, and he was very strong on characterization, which you would know if you had seen him as Ben Franklin in "1776" or the sheriff in "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," she said.
Bill Stitely agreed that Wiswell's strong suit was working with the public. His approach to people who attended was "very personal. They were special guests and were made to feel very special."
Wiswell had a nice touch with actors as well, he said.
"Usually it was the little things with me. He would tell me to do something, and then say, `Turn a quarter of a turn so the audience gets to see you do this,' " he said.
"He was very comfortable to perform with on stage. If you ever got lost he could cover you and help you get back to where you wanted to be," he said.
Now let's see if I can sum up their comments: Wiswell is a good businessman who knows how to work with the public, other businesspeople and with performers. From the Stitleys' description of him, he's got the stuff to succeed at the Maryland Theatre. Board members, if they're smart, will get out of the way and let him do just that.
Bob Maginnis is the editor of the Herald-Mail's Opinion page.
March 26, 1997
When I heard that Don Wiswell had been named managing director of The Maryland Theater, I called to congratulate him and set up an interview I hoped would shed some light on his artistic vision and background. Among other things, what I hoped to find out about Wiswell, best known locally for his work with the Washington County Playhouse, was how he got interested in the theater as a young man.
Was it performing in a school play, or seeing a professional production on stage? Who are his favorite performers and what shows has he acted in? And on the more serious side, how do you persuade people who can rent a video for $3 a night that there's a good reason to pay three times that much to see a live production?
Stories written in 1986 when he took over the Washington County Playhouse with Bruce Levin said that Wiswell, a Laurel, Md. native, had majored in theater at Georgetown and Towson State universities and had been active in restaurant and theater operation for the past 17 years. He had also been active in more than 75 productions on more than 250 stages across the U.S.
This was interesting stuff. But unfortunately, the theater's board, for reasons they did not explain, had Wiswell call me back with word that the staff would not be doing interviews at this time. A bit incomprehensible, like their fumbling away of a $15,000 grant from the Washington County Gaming Commission, but not an insurmountable obstacle.
Before he was associated with the theater here, Wiswell owned the Keynote Dinner Theater in Frederick. Armed with a dozen names of his former associates there, I went looking for some insight into whether this guy has the background and the moxie to restore the polish to what has been called "the crown jewel of downtown Hagerstown."
Not everyone was eager to talk. Some told me that the Weinberg Center in Frederick is going through a crisis of its own - squabbles between its director and others - and the artistic community has gotten a little bit leery about talking to the press. Fair enough. I've been working on the other side of the mountain for 24 years, so why should they open up to someone they don't know?
Fortunately, I did find two former Wiswell colleagues who were willing to talk to me. They're Bill and Karen Stitely, who acted in many productions at the Keynote, and shared memories of what, for them, were obviously some very good times.
Karen, who said she acted in Keynote's first and last production, said that Wiswell turned what had been a rundown, empty seafood house into a profitable dinner theater with a big subscriber base with hard work, a passion for quality productions and a knack for making customers feel they were part of the family.
Because there was no zoning for dinner theaters, she said, he first had to work with the county commissioners there to develop that. Once open, he worked on developing his customer base.
"He worked with tour groups very well and got to know every single person's name as a subscriber, and he made it a very fun atmosphere," she said.
"One thing he did that the actors didn't always agree with, is that he had us come out to the lobby and shake hands with the people after the performances. In that way, it became a very accessible theater experience," she said.
In a later interview, Bill Stitely explained that some actors feel that they should maintain the illusion, so to speak, by not coming into the audience in character.
But even though Wiswell realized that bending that tradition was good business, the Stitelys said there was no skimping on quality in the productions themselves.
"He always had a clear focus of the play or the musical, and he was very strong on characterization, which you would know if you had seen him as Ben Franklin in "1776" or the sheriff in "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," she said.
Bill Stitely agreed that Wiswell's strong suit was working with the public. His approach to people who attended was "very personal. They were special guests and were made to feel very special."
Wiswell had a nice touch with actors as well, he said.
"Usually it was the little things with me. He would tell me to do something, and then say, `Turn a quarter of a turn so the audience gets to see you do this,' " he said.
"He was very comfortable to perform with on stage. If you ever got lost he could cover you and help you get back to where you wanted to be," he said.
Now let's see if I can sum up their comments: Wiswell is a good businessman who knows how to work with the public, other businesspeople and with performers. From the Stitleys' description of him, he's got the stuff to succeed at the Maryland Theatre. Board members, if they're smart, will get out of the way and let him do just that.
Bob Maginnis is the editor of the Herald-Mail's Opinion page.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Tamara Kennedy goes to Federal prison for parental kidnapping
By AP
Associated Press
Maryland Today
Originally published June 05, 2009
Mother gets prison term for kidnapping son
BALTIMORE (AP) — A woman who fled with her son from Maryland to Mexico more than 10 years ago has been sentenced in Baltimore to a year and a day in federal prison for parental kidnapping.
U.S. District Judge Andre Davis also ordered on Friday that Tamara Kennedy be on supervised probation for one year after her release.
Kennedy is in her late 50s. She pleaded guilty in April to kidnapping Joseph Kennedy from Hagerstown in September 1998 to hinder his father’s visitation rights.
In 1999, a judge granted sole custody of the boy to his father, Donald Wiswell.
Kennedy was arrested with her son in December while trying to renew their passports at the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Baltimore Sun - January 23, 2009
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-kidnap0123,0,5955584.story
Md. woman indicted on parental kidnapping charges
The Associated Press
6:36 PM EST, January 23, 2009
A Maryland woman accusing of fleeing 10 years ago with her son to Mexico after a custody dispute was has been indicted on an international parental kidnapping charge, according to court documents.
Tamara Kennedy was indicted Thursday on the single federal count returned in U.S. District Court.
Kennedy, a U.S. citizen, and her now 14-year-old son, Joseph Anthony Kennedy, vanished from the United States in 1998. In 1999, the Washington County Circuit Court gave sole custody of Joseph to his father, Donald Wiswell.
Kennedy was found Dec. 24 while trying to renew passports for herself and her son at the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara. Kennedy was turned over to Mexican immigration officials for being in the country illegally. Mexican immigration officials turned Kennedy and her son over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
Marcia Murphy, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Baltimore, said Friday that Tamara Kennedy was in federal custody, but was not being held in Maryland. She did not know if Kennedy has a lawyer.
Murphy also said because both Donald Wiswell and Joseph Kennedy are considered to be victims, no further information will be released about them.
According to a 1997 criminal complaint, Tamara Kennedy claimed abuse was being committed by Wiswell's wife and asked for suspension of visitation rights for Wiswell. In May 1998, a judge ruled that Kennedy's claims were not credible and reinstated visitation rights to Wiswell.
Kennedy failed to appear in court for a custody hearing in September 1998. In 2005, Maryland State police began an investigation into the alleged abduction.
Several months ago, authorities found out the two were in Mexico, Det. Hoover said. He would not elaborate about how authorities learned the Kennedys were in Mexico.
Maryland State Police have been involved in the case for some time, and several months ago obtained a federal warrant naming Tamara Kaye Kennedy as wanted on a kidnapping charge, Hoover said.
Sgt. Ron Riggin, Maryland State Police, who had been working on the case was not available Friday.
At the time of the disappearance, Wiswell and Tamara Kennedy were involved in a custody dispute.
Washington County Circuit Court was closed Friday, but online records indicate that Tamara Kennedy was found to be in contempt of court on Jan. 20, 1999, because she failed to respond to notices from the court. A Washington County Circuit judge on Jan. 21, 1999, issued a bench warrant for her.
The records also show that several notices of a 1999 hearing date that the court sent to Tamara Kennedy were returned by the post office.
A July 30, 1999, entry and another on Sept. 15, 1999, in the custody cases online record show that Washington County Circuit Judge W. Kennedy Boone III awarded legal custody and sole physical custody of Joseph Kennedy to Wiswell. The online record goes on to say that because Tamara Kennedy represents a risk of flight with the child, the child be returned to his father, visitation with his mother shall only be permitted with appropriate limitations after consideration by a hearing to be scheduled before this Court.
Md. woman indicted on parental kidnapping charges
The Associated Press
6:36 PM EST, January 23, 2009
A Maryland woman accusing of fleeing 10 years ago with her son to Mexico after a custody dispute was has been indicted on an international parental kidnapping charge, according to court documents.
Tamara Kennedy was indicted Thursday on the single federal count returned in U.S. District Court.
Kennedy, a U.S. citizen, and her now 14-year-old son, Joseph Anthony Kennedy, vanished from the United States in 1998. In 1999, the Washington County Circuit Court gave sole custody of Joseph to his father, Donald Wiswell.
Kennedy was found Dec. 24 while trying to renew passports for herself and her son at the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara. Kennedy was turned over to Mexican immigration officials for being in the country illegally. Mexican immigration officials turned Kennedy and her son over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
Marcia Murphy, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Baltimore, said Friday that Tamara Kennedy was in federal custody, but was not being held in Maryland. She did not know if Kennedy has a lawyer.
Murphy also said because both Donald Wiswell and Joseph Kennedy are considered to be victims, no further information will be released about them.
According to a 1997 criminal complaint, Tamara Kennedy claimed abuse was being committed by Wiswell's wife and asked for suspension of visitation rights for Wiswell. In May 1998, a judge ruled that Kennedy's claims were not credible and reinstated visitation rights to Wiswell.
Kennedy failed to appear in court for a custody hearing in September 1998. In 2005, Maryland State police began an investigation into the alleged abduction.
Several months ago, authorities found out the two were in Mexico, Det. Hoover said. He would not elaborate about how authorities learned the Kennedys were in Mexico.
Maryland State Police have been involved in the case for some time, and several months ago obtained a federal warrant naming Tamara Kaye Kennedy as wanted on a kidnapping charge, Hoover said.
Sgt. Ron Riggin, Maryland State Police, who had been working on the case was not available Friday.
At the time of the disappearance, Wiswell and Tamara Kennedy were involved in a custody dispute.
Washington County Circuit Court was closed Friday, but online records indicate that Tamara Kennedy was found to be in contempt of court on Jan. 20, 1999, because she failed to respond to notices from the court. A Washington County Circuit judge on Jan. 21, 1999, issued a bench warrant for her.
The records also show that several notices of a 1999 hearing date that the court sent to Tamara Kennedy were returned by the post office.
A July 30, 1999, entry and another on Sept. 15, 1999, in the custody cases online record show that Washington County Circuit Judge W. Kennedy Boone III awarded legal custody and sole physical custody of Joseph Kennedy to Wiswell. The online record goes on to say that because Tamara Kennedy represents a risk of flight with the child, the child be returned to his father, visitation with his mother shall only be permitted with appropriate limitations after consideration by a hearing to be scheduled before this Court.
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