Anissa Jones

[bkohatl]

Anissa's best friend is one of my best friends; and through her and others I feel like I have really come to know the real Anissa Jones(many thanks Bill Ratekin for his wonderful song; I am honored to count you among my friends too). I have created some web pages in Anissa's memory.

http://www.geocities.com/bkohatl2001/Anissa1958.html
http://www.geocities.com/bkohatl2001/index.html
http://www.geocities.com/bkohatl2001...nTheWater.html

One of Paul Jones'(Anissa's brother) best friend's fathers said to me something that I have felt since the first time I watched E! True Hollywood Stories: even if what they said was true, they were still wrong to do that show. While much of it was true: Anissa hated being a celebrity more than anyone can ever know, much of what they said wasn't true. Some of it was pure lies. But the biggest lie of all is that to believe that show you have to see Anissa as a perpetual victim: weak, pitiful and pathetic. That is a lie.
Anissa was smart. She wrote poetry, short stories and wonderful letters. She was toubled and sometimes unhappy, but she was never the person they say she was. Most people say she was very shy, except among her friends, and she had a lot of friends. And she was usually the quietest person in any room she was in. One story about drugs convinces me that she is about as good a friend as you could ever have. I am not happy about the drugs in her life. But this story shows she would put her own freedom at risk to protect someone she cared about. She was as good a friend as you could ever have... I like her and respect her; that is the way I will always treat her memory.
What happened August 28 was a tragic accident, no more, no less. And so stupid. But remember without one Doctor from Torrance nothing would have happened that night and E! never even mentioned him. To me, he murdered Anissa, exactly the same was Carroll O'Connor spoke of the man responsible for his son Hugh's death. Carroll called him a partner in murder; I called this Doctor "A Merchant Of Death". A Venice policeman told me that this Doctor would give drugs to any kid with enough money to buy them; that is my definition of a pusher. This policeman told me that LAPD believes that between 30-35 kids OD'd from drugs that this doctor provided; Anissa is just one of them. And E! didn't even mention him. No one has ever explained why this truly evil man gets a free pass. You should see the articles about him in the LA Times archives. And he lost a malpractice suit over Anissa's death, and he was indicted for criminal distribution of controlled substances. Only his death before trial saved him from jail.
She led not the life of some Victorian waif, not the life of some Shakespearean tragic leading lady. She was a child of our generation: a child of a vicious divorce, her story is a divorce story and everyone was guilty. I think some people should be ashamed of themselves.
Sometimes it gets lost, but ours is the Wonder Years Generation. Anissa was a wonderful part of it. Through Family Affair, but the person she was in real life is the person I like....
And I remain convinced that the people on it waited until Brian Keith died, because he would have blown a fuse over it. He was an Ex-Marine and did not suffer fools lightly. I know how he felt because I have read some of his letters and cards.

There have been Twilight Zone moments which I don't understand and can't even begin to fathom; which either are odd coincidences or totally inexplicable.
On August 28, 2001, I remembered 60 minutes was on. I used to watch it all the time. But a lot of things have been going on in my life, so I hadn't seen it in months. I turned it on and guess who was on it: Eric Clapton talking about Tears In Heaven. I have bought several copies of that song and given them to Anissa and Paul's friends. That song is how I feel. It was an incredibly odd coincidence to have that interview on that date.
I was at a house where the gas company was called out to check for a gas leak. Pacific Gas has thousands of employees. The guy that came was introduced to me. When he found out my name was Brian Keith O'Hara he "about had a cow". His Dad was an Ex-Marine drinking buddy of Brian Kieth's. They met because Brian hired his father to paint his house. He told me what a wonderful guy Brian was, especially to a kid. I already knew that, but I am always glad to hear it from someone new.
He also told me about an odd Twilight Zone Moment he had. He was called out to Malibu to check for a gas leak in early 1997. He didn't know whose house it was. As he was being taken to the kitchen, guess who he runs into: Brian and his son Rory. Brian takes a look at him and says I know you, don't I? They hadn't seen each other since the late 1970's. They met in the early 1960's when his Dad did the painting for Brian. Brian would take him his horse back riding. This was after Michael died, but before he adopted Rory. Brian hugged him and they spoke for hours. Just like he and I did. And he gave me a wonderful quote too. We both agree our childhoods were "The Wonder Years", but ours was a generation that went to too many funerals and not enough weddings.

[Pitooey]

I'm glad someone is speaking for Anissa Jones. I use to see this show as a young girl and was very saddened to hear when she passed. Her and Rusty Hammer. I will be reading the sites that you have put up on her. I'm glad she's being remembered.