Oak Bluffs Town Column: Jan. 30

Skip Finley
Wednesday, January 28, 2015 - 2:41pm

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There are so many memorial benches lining the Inkwell and Pay beaches all the way down to the Steamship Authority that one loses count over such a distance. It could be the changing waterscape that distracts; waving at friends going by, the way the sun sits in the midst of billowy clouds, wondering if a glint on the sand below is a lost treasure needing inspection. Truth be known, it’s probably just ADD. Recently a bench plaque attracted my attention: “Ronald Chance Brown, MD, from Slaveship to Steamship.” This eloquent — brilliant even — phrase piqued my interest. Was this relevant to Oak Bluffs’ history as an African American resort as lauded by the Smithsonian Institute? A paean to an unknown historical figure?

After some Googling, I came to my senses and contacted Priscilla Sylvia (Mrs. Sylvia if you attended the Oak Bluffs School) who, in her role with the Friends of Oak Bluffs, handles the sale of memorials. Despite a crashed computer, some years ago she was kind enough to take time to locate information on Dr. Brown so I could contact and get the story from his daughter Yasamin.

Born Sept. 25, 1948, Ronald Chance Brown earned his MD from Yale in the early seventies. Having visited the Vineyard as a child, in the eighties he bought his family their first home in Edgartown, and the second on Tuckernuck here in Oak Bluffs. He loved the Vineyard, where uncharacteristically unshaven and donning a dashiki, he spent much of his vacation hanging out at the Inkwell. Always neatly attired with a bow tie at work, friends would tease him saying he looked more like an African medicine man than the doctor he was. That may have occasioned the phrase that caught my eye. His pastor shared a story of when, having asked about the bow tie, Dr. Brown said he could get one too. The bow tie story drew much needed levity at his funeral service when the pastor recounted indeed, why would he want one? While he loved the Vineyard and found peace here, Dr. Ronald Chance Brown died of a self-inflicted gunshot in August 2002 due to the demon of depression. There’s a mile of memories on those benches.

From 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30, the Martha’s Vineyard Museum hosts the opening reception for Oak Bluffs Portraits: As Time Goes By, the first of three exhibits prepared by Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School students. The show, open for the whole month of February, was produced by Chris Baer’s photography class and re-creates archival photographs they discovered of Oak Bluffs. According to museum education director Ann DuCharme the creative students had a hand in everything related to curating this exhibit of their interesting work. The students staked out the hidden and less traversed spots of downtown Oak Bluffs and encouraged strangers to be included in the new versions of classic pictures. The exhibit displays several different themes with people and places changing over time, highlighting the connections the students made between modern times and the archival photographs. In March, the Spotlight Gallery will feature an exhibit from Elaine Weintraub’s Irish history class entitled An Gorta Mor and Martha’s Vineyard, and in April, Corinne Kurtz and the history club will debut Mystery Quilt, about a mystery quilt from 1890 signed by 14 Vineyard women. Each exhibit is free to the public. Stop by the As Time Goes By reception this evening from 5 to 7 p.m.

On Saturday, Jan. 31, meet new adult technology services librarian Allyson Malik at the Oak Bluffs library from 1 to 2 p.m. Welcome, Allyson.

February is Black History Month and the Unitarian Universalist Society of Martha’s Vineyard begins the month on Sunday presenting Lucy Hackney who will speak about her personal friendship with Rosa Parks, the lady of whom it can be said started the civil rights movement. Mrs. Parks tailored Lucy’s wedding dress but couldn’t attend the wedding in the segregated church. She remained close to Lucy and her family throughout her life. Lucy’s father, attorney Clifford Durr, helped bail Mrs. Parks out of jail for refusing to move to the back of the bus. Lucy’s mother worked to abolish the poll tax and her brother in law Hugo Black voted to end school segregation as a member of the Supreme Court. Peter McLean, Dan Waters and Monica Van Horn are the musical guests. The service begins at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 1.

If you would like to establish a memorial with a brick at the bandstand in Ocean Park, a bench, or a lantern, you can get information at friendsofoakbluffs.org.

Go Pats!

Keep your foot on a rock.

Send your Oak Bluffs news to: Skip@mvgazette.com.

Comments (9)

Clarence Waldron, CEO of CW Media , Chicago

Really enjoyed reading the story about Dr. Ronald Brown. I visited the Vineyard three years ago and one of the first things I wanted to do was to see the benches. Your story brought back a lot of great memories. It was a brilliant tribute to Dr. Brown. I only wished you could have given a little bit more information about depression and suicide. This was a good moment to educate your readers. There are so many Americans suffering from this illness. Despite his battle with depression, Dr. Brown accomplished so much and gave so much to humanity. That is his legacy.

February 4, 2015 - 2:20pm

MUMTAZ B BROWN

I grew up in the 1960s in East Orange, N.J. The boys from neighboring Montclair, N.J. often found their way to our neighborhood for dates and parties. We met on a blind date one bright afternoon in May 1968. I was 16, he was 18 and was soon off to Rutgers College and then Yale Medical School, while I soon graduated from high school, and then off to Howard University and Rutgers Law School. We married in 1974, developed our careers, had two children and vacationed on Martha’s Vineyard where we planned to retire. We were married for 28 years when I lost my best friend and lover. The memorial bench referenced in this article is dedicated to my husband, Ronald Chance Brown, M.D., who died at age 53 after a life-long battle with depression. Since then I have been an advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention, which includes participating in a PBS documentary called Struggling in Silence: Physician Depression and Suicide, sponsored by The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. (See http://www.afsp.org/preventing-suicide/our-education-and-prevention-programs/programs-for-professionals/physician-and-medical-student-depression-and-suicide.) “Suicide is a serious public health problem that takes an enormous toll on families, friends, classmates, co-workers, and communities, as well as on our military personnel and veterans. 40,600 Americans took their lives in 2012, … making it the country’s 10th leading cause of death ... Uncovering the reason for an individual suicide death is complex and challenging. What we know from research is that 90% of people who die by suicide have a potentially treatable mental disorder at the time of their death—a disorder that often has gone unrecognized and untreated. Male physicians have a 70% higher suicide rate than males in other professions; female physicians die by suicide at a 400% higher rate than females in other professions…Physicians frequently fail to recognize their own depression and that or their colleagues. Even when they do recognize that they are depressed, many physicians avoid treatment. One tragic result is suicide. “Struggling in Silence: Physician Depression and Suicide is a the one-hour documentary featured on public television stations nationwide featuring interviews with doctors who speak candidly about their battles with depression, and medical experts who discuss the factors that frequently prevent physicians from seeking help. Also featured are families that have been touched by a physician’s suicide.” (http://www.afsp.org/understanding-suicide.) Thank you Skip Finley for thinking of my husband and celebrating his life. Thank you also for allowing me to start this very important conversation. Mumtaz Bari-Brown West Orange, NJ and Vineyard Haven, MA

February 4, 2015 - 3:31pm

Paula C. Sociedade, Newark, NJ 07052

The process of death and dying is always very complicated and painful. Sudden deaths such as suicide results in an overwhelming sense of loss, a life legacy of anger and questioning, significant anxiety and fear. To quote from Mr. Ron Rolheiser, a Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate and resides in Canada (www.ronrolheiser.com): "We tend to think that if a death is self-inflicted it is voluntary in a way that death through physical illness or accident is not. For most suicides, this isn't true. A person who falls victim to suicide dies, as does the victim of a terminal illness or fatal accident, not by his or her own choice. When people die from heart attacks, strokes, cancer, AIDS, and accidents, they die against their will. The same is true for suicide, except that in the case of suicide the breakdown is emotional rather than physical--an emotional stroke, an emotional cancer, a breakdown of the emotional immune-system, an emotional fatality." As a practicing psychologist I could not agree more with the aforementioned discussion. Suicide must be understood as an illness; if untreated or misdiagnosed it can become the end result of a disease of the central nervous. "A tragic breakdown within the emotional immune-system" (Mr Rolheiser). Additionally, it is imperative that individuals get help early on in order to reduce the risk of a potentially fatal disease. Most mental health disorders are treatable. Early detection and treatment is very important in helping reduce the incidence of suicide.

February 19, 2015 - 4:31pm

Mae Turner-Moody, Hermosa Beach, California

First let me say thank you Mr. Finley for the attention you've brought to the all too brief but impactful life of Dr. Ronald Chance Brown. "Ronnie", Mumtaz and I have been friends since high school and remained so until his death. Unfortunately, I don't get to visit the vineyard as often as I would like but when I do I always stop for a few peaceful moments at Ronnie's bench normally I'm with friends who knew him as well or better then I did. Our moments start out with a prayer for our friend but end up with laughter as we remember something he said or did! I also hope you will consider doing a more detailed article on depression ...in particular it's far reaching and never ending effect on those left behind. Sincerely, Mae Turner-Moody Hermosa Beach, California

February 5, 2015 - 2:27pm

Joyce Parks, Chicago

I am so glad I read this story. A friend shared it with me. I did not know Dr. Brown, but he sounds like an amazing man who accomplished so much in his life. I hope that we, as a country, can do more to help people who are battling depression. It starts with awareness; stories like this one, that bring the issue to the forefront. I hope your paper will re-visit this topic soon with more information. Educate us. Help those who are in pain.

February 5, 2015 - 9:58pm

Yasamin Brown, New Jersey

Ronald Brown sowed such great seeds of support and kindness during his lifetime that his family reaped a harvest of love and support when he passed.

February 5, 2015 - 10:01pm

Julia Elam, Rockville, MD

I am so glad that his article was written about Dr. Brown but would have loved to read more about Dr. Brown and his legacy. I attended Yale School of Public Health with his daughter Yasamin. I was super excited to see Dr. Brown’s memorial bench when my sister and I visited Martha’s Vineyard for the first time in May 2014. His quote is very powerful and made me reflect upon his legacy and the fact that he fought through challenges such as racism and broke down barriers for countless other people of color. I brought my 7 week old baby on the trip and I’m so happy she also got to see Dr. Brown’s bench. I hope there will be more to come about his legacy.

February 6, 2015 - 8:03pm

Deborah West Jones, Altadena, California

Reading your article brought back many memories of a very dear friend Dr. Ronald Chance Brown was "Ronnie" to those of us fortunate to have known him. I too enjoy sitting on the bench saying a prayer and just reflecting on a life well lived when visiting the Inkwell and my dearest friend Mumtaz Bari Brown. I would just like to share something that touched me deeply at Ronnie's homegoing celebration. The pastor shared that we all have a thorn and Ronnie's was depression. What really brought me comfort was when the pastor said that God's grace is suffienct. I agree with all the previous comments that depression is something we all need to be more aware of in order to provide support and hopelfully where possible prevention. We all continue to reep the benefits of Ronnie's love.

February 10, 2015 - 8:16pm

Jeanette F. Brummell, South Orange, NJ

I recall learning of Ronnie’s suicide while at work and bursting into tears. I worked with a doctor at the time who tried to comfort me by reducing this event to what he called “chemistry”. I thought this was too scientific, too matter of fact. I hugged our pastor after Ronnie’s services, and thanked him for a eulogy that helped us understand Ronnie’s thorn and God’s grace. It provided both a spiritual understanding and release. I would later come to understand a similarity in the professional response of the doctor and pastor. I can still feel the emotion of that time and am moved by the strength of the family as they have worked to heal. Today, having worked on a writing competition for high school students, I was stunned by the number of entries concerning suicide. For so long suicide was an unspoken of condition yet it streams through our humanity, affecting young and old. I am moved that Ronnie’s Bench would cause us, yet again, to reflect on this dreaded illness. I know that through this sharing, each of us in our own way will reach out to help others. That is a blessing.

February 14, 2015 - 9:25am

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