Born on Apr. 12, 1724, on today’s South Elm Street and dying on October 19, 1790, Lyman Hall moved beyond a medical career to become an important figure in the American Revolution. A 1747 graduate of Yale College, he first served others as a minister, teacher, and medical doctor in Stratfield, now Bridgeport, and then in Wallingford before joining a Puritan community in Dorchester, South Carolina, and soon after in Sunbury, Georgia. There he became a successful doctor, a wealthy rice planter, and an early community leader. As a delegate from Georgia to the Continental Congress, he signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and played a strategic role in aligning Georgia with the revolutionary cause. His influence also included important contributions to the drafting of Georgia’s constitution, helping shape the state’s government. Earlier, in Wallingford, he had established himself as a respected physician and contributed to local advances in healthcare and education. His commitment to education also led to an instrumental role in founding Franklin College, now the University of Georgia, reflecting his belief in knowledge as a foundation of a flourishing society.