Stewart D. Brown, Sr. (1881-1952), a Royston native, returned home after years of the best training to practice surgery, bringing modern techniques and ingenious methods. He served his townspeople unfailingly for 40 years, performing 35,000 operations. With no hospital facilities, he pioneered by traveling from house to house, accompanied by his trained help, for 14 years, across a territory that stretched to seventy-five miles or more. He then opened a small hospital of his own, which was soon outgrown. Also active in educational and civic affairs, he rendered a lasting service to his home town.