An award-winning journalist, Jeanne Theismann began her career at WTNH-TV in New Haven, Conn., where she was a news reporter and anchor as well as co-host of the daily “Good Morning, Connecticut” program. She went on to work for Seaway Communications, the first minority-owned U.S. broadcasting company before moving to Tokyo, where she spent several years working as a writer and editor for the Yomiuri Shimbun, the world’s largest daily newspaper.
During her time overseas, Jeanne traveled extensively, covering the third Indochina War between Vietnam and Cambodia as well as the Seoul and Sydney Olympic games. She began several relief projects for children and refugees and has personally delivered more than five tons of medical supplies to orphanages throughout the world. She serves as a visiting professor at the Ukrainian Catholic University, in L’viv, Ukraine.
Jeanne serves on the board of directors for First Night Alexandria, the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and the Alexandria Sportsman’s Club. She is a member of the National Press Club, American Legion Post 24 and Rotary International, and is the media representative for the City of Alexandria’s Local Emergency Planning Commission. She loves travel, technology and trivia and dreams of one day writing headlines for the New York Post.
Recent Stories
All in the Family for Alexandria
SSA to honor generations of giving.
’Twas the night before Christmas, literally, when a man walked into the Senior Services of Alexandria office and handed an envelope to then-executive director Janet Barnett. The year was 2007 and the man was Ron Bradley. “Ron asked how he could help the seniors of Alexandria,” Barnett said. “When I explained that the city did not provide meals to seniors on holidays, Ron stepped in with $10,000 to fund a holiday meals program. But he had a condition — that they could not be ordinary meals. He wanted our seniors to enjoy a festive meal just like we do at home.”
Alexandrian WWII Veteran Remembers The Battle of the Bulge
‘We Were Annihilated’
It was one of the best kept secrets of World War II. When 20-year-old U.S. Army Medic Robert Wineland arrived in the village of Laudersfeld, the wooded countryside of far eastern Belgium was relatively peaceful, a quiet buffer zone disrupted only by occasional artillery fire and brief skirmishes between opposing infantry patrols. But on Dec. 16, 1944, the sleepy Ardennes front was about to wake up.
Citizens to the Rescue
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy accepting applications.
The Fairfax County Citizens Fire and Rescue Academy, a free nine-week program to learn about the work of firefighters and paramedics, will begin its next session March 12, with the deadline for online applications closing on Feb. 16.
Alexandria: Amazing Grace
APD mourns loss of first female police K-9.
For more than a year, it looked as if she would defy the odds, but on Christmas Eve, Gracie, Alexandria’s first female police K-9, lost her battle with kidney cancer. “Gracie was not only an outstanding police dog, she was a great family dog,” said APD K-9 officer Steven Escobar.
Warm Welcome in Alexandria
Owner Laurent Janowsky, left, welcomes California winemaker Merry Edwards to La Bergerie restaurant Dec. 9.
Ushering in the New Year in Alexandria
First Night fireworks light up Alexandria.
Fireworks lit up the sky over the Potomac River to usher in 2015 as part of the 20th anniversary of First Night Alexandria.
Alexandria Civil Rights Pioneer Ferdinand Day Dies
The force behind the philosophy of “Every Student Counts.”
When Ferdinand Day was born in 1918, Virginia had just passed its first compulsory school attendance law for children ages 8-12. But with legalized segregation, funding for the education of African American students was sorely limited, with only four black public high schools in the entire state. It would take decades before one existed in Alexandria.
Secret Santas in Alexandria
Departmental Progressive Club collects toys for Jefferson-Houston families
Members of the Departmental Progressive Club stopped by Jefferson-Houston Elementary School Dec. 15 to deliver more than 100 toys for students in need. “We are so thankful for what the Departmental Progressive Club has done,” said Jefferson-Houston principal Chris Phillips. “Each toy here means one more kid will wake up happy.”
Alexandria: Bows, Baskets and Bikes
The Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association held its third annual Bows, Baskets and Bikes event Nov. 20, bringing together area event planners and hotel partners to help build bicycles for needy families and announcing its new partnership with Volunteer Alexandria.
Hope for the Holidays in Alexandria
’Tis the season of giving: of gifts, of parties and of thanks. But what should be a time of hope and happiness too often can be a time of despair for Alexandria’s vulnerable and low income families.