Unless you are Chinese, you have probably never heard of Barbie Hsu, but in the Chinese-speaking world this Taiwanese actress is famous. That world was shocked to learn of her death from influenza while on a family vacation in Japan.

            Ms. Hsu was young (48), healthy, rich and treated in a country with an excellent health care system. Why did she die?

            People tend to dismiss “the flu” as just another cold, and only a minority of people around the world get their annual flu shot. As of Feb 1, about 45% of Americans have received their vaccination. For younger adults, it is well under 40%.

            Influenza is much worse than the run-of-the-mill winter respiratory virus. While it is not usually fatal except in infants and frail elders, Ms. Hsu’s death reminds us that even healthy people do die from influenza.

            Even if you rarely die, influenza is a very nasty illness. You have a terrible cough, ache all over, and are usually sick for a week or more. In the U.S., for the 2023-24 flu season, there were 18 million flu-related medical visits, 470,000 flu-related hospitalizations, and 28,000 flu-related deaths.

            This year, there have been a larger than average number of influenza cases, office visits and hospitalizations. It looks as if this will be the worst flu season since 2009-2010.

            What should you do?

            Get your flu shot! While far from perfect, the immunization does reduce your chance of catching influenza by about 40% and reduces your risk of being sick enough to require hospitalization by 60%. It is not too late to get the shot.

            Given the surge in cases, you should also consider wearing a mask when you are in crowded indoor environments.

            If you are sick, please stay home! Sharing life’s bounties is good. Sharing your respiratory virus is not.

            Good hand hygiene is also important.

            Remember – the life you save could be that of your best friend or favorite aunt.

            Edward Hoffer MD is Associate Professor of Medicine, part-time, at Harvard.

What Does The Doctor Say?

By Dr. Edward Hoffer

For Presidents Day, we look back on our favorites of the 47 and remember what they accomplished. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was known to frequent Marion during the summers. Even while in office, he would visit the town for pleasantries and (well-known and believed in the area) even some form of treatment for his battle with polio, kept hidden from the public. Franklin and his wife Eleanor seemed to love the town. His favorite past times were swimming, due to its alleviation of many of his disease’s symptoms, and sailing. He could often be seen from the shore partaking in both.

            Being President of the United States is a difficult position and brings with it its own baggage of stress. For FDR, that is coupled with the chronic deterioration of his body to polio and WWII. Roosevelt was first diagnosed with polio in 1921 at the age of 39. He had just left his position of Assistant Secretary of the Navy and would become Governor of New York 8 years later, and President 12 years later.

            FDR’s schooner, the Amberjack II, would often accompany him to Marion. When sailing, Coast Guard and Secret Service boats would accompany him. He was known to “evade” these vessels for fun and sport. In one instance, according to the US Naval Institute, Roosevelt sailed into encroaching fog, leaving his escort searching for him for a few hours.

            Three months after being sworn in as President in the summer of 1933, Roosevelt captained the 45-foot twin-masted Amberjack II from Marion. On a 10-day, 400-mile voyage, he, and his presidential escort, set sail from the town and headed for one of his summer homes, this one on Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada. The US Navy Institute also says: “The trip marked the first time Secret Service agents and Navy commanders experienced sailing with—or tailing behind—the new President, a sport that became commonplace during Roosevelt’s 12 years in the White House. Presidential guards traded in their suits and ties for oilskins and life jackets as they did their best to keep up with America’s new sailor-President.”

            Not long into the vacation, the stormy seas may have led FDR to make a surprise stop in Nantucket. Here, nearly the whole town arrived to welcome the president. Many even rowed out to get a close-up look. Though he did choose to take a stop on the island, Roosevelt stated he “did not intend to set foot on dry land for two weeks.”

            This would not be the only of his presidential sea-excursions. Even with the slow deterioration of his health and the ramping stress of his job, Roosevelt longed for the sea and, though we can’t know for sure, seemed to love Marion. We at least know he had a lot of fun I the town.

By Sam Bishop

            On Monday, May 12 at the Town Meeting, Marionites will vote on whether or not to approve of the proposed historic district in their town. A 2/3 majority vote is necessary for the bylaw to pass. With all the talk of the town’s historic significance and maintained distinctive architecture, the preservation of Marion’s past and present “look” has been a mainstay of numerous town meetings and discussions. With that, it is prudent to discuss history in order to better understand said importance as well as have an informed vote this May.

            What we today call “Marion” and the “Tri-Town” was not long ago part of various Wompanoag summer hunting grounds. At the time, the area was referred to as “Sippican,” the name of a local tribe possibly meaning “the land of many waters.” When English colonists arrived in the area in 1678-1679 (about 60 years after the founding of Plymouth), they adopted this name for their settlement. The small village of Sippican was a part of Rochester, as was issued by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This was the case until 1852, when Mattapoisett, Rochester, and Sippican became separate towns.

            Following the separation, in 1852, Sippican was renamed “Marion” after Revolutionary War commander Francis Marion. Francis was from the South and was an officer in the Continental Army’s 2nd South Carolina Regiment, though he would later be promoted to General. Marion specialized and favored asymmetrical warfare and guerilla tactics. This conserved material and personnel while throwing off conventional British strategy. Due to this and the successes garnered, he was promoted to Brigadier General of the South Carolina Militia. Towards the end of the war, Marion would work as a politician in South Carolina’s state government. Following the Treaty of Paris, Marion returned to his plantation, “Pond Bluff,” where he discovered it was destroyed by British troops and his slaves liberated or moved elsewhere. He would continue to run this plantation until his death in 1795 at the age of 63. Currently, there are 16 states with towns named after Francis Marion, with many more counties named for him spread across the country.

            For much of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, the town relied on fishing, whaling, and trade. Not unlike other South Coast settlements. While Mattapoisett focused on shipbuilding and repair, Marion’s focus was on producing captains. According to the Sippican Historical Society, 87 captains lived in Marion. The wealth of these captains would translate into larger, more extravagant homes. Prominent whaling/captain families include Luce, Gibbs, Delanos, and Briggs. Captain Bejamin Spooner Briggs of the Mary Celeste was captain when the ship was discovered adrift and abandoned in the Atlantic in 1872 on its voyage from New York to Genoa.

            When Rockefeller and others worked to make it easier to pull oil out of the ground than to get it from whale carcasses, the whaling industry on the South Coast died in the mid/late-19th century. Due to this and many other towns failing to diversify their economy away from the industry, the South Coast experienced an economic decline. This decline would persist throughout the century until the normalization of late-Victorian era tourism. Following the Civil War, the town was fairly stagnant with forces of old, that being old ship captains, maintaining the status quo.

            The town needed a force of change – that would be Elizabeth Sprague Pitcher. Pitcher was born in 1791 off of Main Street. Pitcher longed to learn and teach and later became a schoolteacher in a schoolhouse in town. In 1862, she married Stephen Tabor, a clockmaker from Acushnet, and moved to New Bedford. Elizabeth Pitcher Taber would have three children, all of whom would die before the age of five. Her five brothers would also die either at sea or of illness. Finally, Stephen Tabor would die in 1862. This would leave Elizabeth without close family, though she still had amassed wealth. She and her husband had keenly invested in the railroads crossing the nation. In 1870, an 80-year-old Tabor would migrate back to Marion.

            Funding and supervising various works, Tabor would see the construction of Tabor Library with a museum on the second floor. According to Sippican Historic Society, “Her funds paved roads, built stone walls, and planted trees. After sea captains built the Congregational Church, she donated an organ and constructed a stone chapel across the road for a children’s Sunday School.” She also largely paid for the construction of Town Hall and would pay for the Music Hall post-mortem. She had found purpose in helping uplift her birthplace. Her magnum opus would be the academy. In 1876, Tabor Academy was founded. The school would host its first class the following year. Elizabeth was passionate about education and believed the town’s residents were entitled to easily accessible and free schooling. In 1888, at the age of 97, Elizabeth Pitcher Tabor would die living at the academy. She is buried with her husband and children in Acushnet.

            Tabor’s impact would indeed help facilitate the town’s tourism industry. Ironically, the industry that made her her wealth also would bring many to Marion – the railroad. Many would leave Boston or New York and voyage to a small village by the sea. The Century Magazine was first published in 1881 and its editor, artist Richard Watson Gilder, would host musicians, writers, and other prominent American figures at what is today Old Stone Studio. This would bring national fame to the town. Due to this fame, prominent vacationers and “snowbirds” include President Grover Cleavland, Author Henry James, President Franklin Roosevelt, Journalist Geraldo Rivera, and even actor James Spader.

            The town of Marion today contains within it 350 years of history standing atop nearly 5000 years of native stories. The area is rich with tales of old and diverse in ideas and profession. The town has had its ups and downs but has stood the test of time, continuing to change and adapt. Even with the change, the town has been able to maintain its heritage and uniqueness, something many regions struggle with or are forced to abandon.

By Sam Bishop