Generations at Greenwich Hospital
When a baby is born at Greenwich Hospital, it is a joyous occasion. If that baby happens to be the great-granddaughter of one of the hospital’s founders, it is an exceptional celebration. Melinda Hall entered the world under the watchful care of skilled medical professionals because her great-grandfather had helped establish the hospital and served on its Board of Directors. Moreover, her mother attended the hospital’s nursing school and completed her training there. From its inception in 1903 to the present day, an expanse of time has passed, yet it contracts greatly when seen by family generations.
Our Founding
Greenwich Hospital was founded, in the ideal of visionary philanthropy, by two physicians: husband and wife Drs. Fritz and Harriet Baker Hyde. When they moved to Greenwich, they recognized the need for a local hospital and rallied the support of prominent local figures. The founding group, including William P. Hall, A. Foster Higgins, Edward Brush, Herbert B. Stevens and George Lauder, met on March 2, 1903. This meeting marked the formation of the Greenwich Hospital Association, the indomitable assembly that would bring the vision to life. Within two years, they were officially incorporated and had purchased Octagon House on Milbank Avenue.
The new 24-bed hospital opened in 1906. Formally named Greenwich Hospital, it was known as Milbank Avenue Hospital. In addition to the Hydes, Drs. Charles Smith and John B. Solley comprised the attending medical staff with a head nurse, a matron, ten consulting doctors, a graduate assistant and seven volunteer student nurses.
Family Ties
One of those founders, William Phillips Hall, amassed his fortune through family business ties to Follmer, Clogg and Company’s umbrellas and parasols, and, in his own right, as a railroad transportation executive and electrical engineer. He invented signal mechanisms to improve railroad safety and founded Hall Signal Company. Success afforded him a golden life with residences on Fifth Avenue and in Greenwich, but his legacy is philanthropy, including Greenwich Hospital.
“Investing in Greenwich Hospital was a way to have a premium hospital in the area,” says his great-granddaughter Melinda. Soft-spoken with a gentle demeanor, she is not the expected descendant of a mover and shaker of the Gilded Age. “It was difficult work, but they were very determined to make this happen. It was part of their commitment to distributing wealth in a way that was practical and helpful. I think that was an ideal they held.”
In time, Greenwich Hospital would mean a great deal to Melinda’s mother, Collett Hall, who attended its nursing school and did pediatric nurse training. “All her life, she talked about nursing school and the friends that she had made,” says Melinda. The school, which ran from 1907 to 1975, offered a first-rate education, graduating skilled nurses for the region and the hospital. Collett remained actively involved in the alumni association, attending reunions and staying connected with classmates.
When Collett passed away in 2021, Melinda found herself ruminating on her life. “I was thinking about Greenwich and about my mother’s career. She was in her fifties when she got a master’s degree, and she remained in nursing until her eighties, as an RN and then a nurse consultant.” Collett even delivered Melinda and her four siblings at Greenwich Hospital, which had relocated from Milbank Avenue to Perryridge Road, thanks to local philanthropist Elias C. Benedict. Naturally, Melinda was pleased to learn about her connection to one of the hospital’s founders, William Phillips Hall.
Timeless Compassion
Melinda wishes she could have been in the room to listen to the circle of founders, who, at the cusp of one turn of the century, would plant the seed of a community hospital that would grow past the next turn.
“Philanthropists have a lot thrown at them,” she says. “I can understand that it might be overwhelming or force them to make a lot of choices, but to make a hospital the way that William, and his family and their friends, did is incredibly useful, and my mother had a very sentimental connection to it.”
Being the daughter of a nurse, Melinda understands the challenges of the profession. “No matter what, they show up and care for others,” she says, remarking on their knowledge and compassion during critical moments like medical emergencies, childbirth, and end-of-life care. “It means a lot that that good will is out there and that expertise is prized.” Reflecting on a recent minor surgery, she adds, “My surgery was successful, and everything is fine, and 25 people made that happen. That’s 25 I know about; honestly, there’s probably 300 people I don’t know about. I’m just happy this health care is available and that experts right here have done it countless times. And I’m really proud that my mother was a nurse.”
Lasting Legacy
The legacy we build may not be the one we anticipate. Mr. Hall, a success in business, is fondly remembered for his generous contribution to Greenwich Hospital. Today, that hospital provides advanced health care as part of the Yale New Haven Health System. Affiliated with Yale School of Medicine, it is also a teaching hospital with an internal medicine residency program. Alongside providing cutting-edge medicine, Greenwich Hospital also keeps its commitment to its founding principle to humbly serve the community and the families who live here.