ROANOKE, Va. – The City of Roanoke is set to celebrate a true trailblazer in local medicine Friday morning. The city will unveil a historic marker honoring Dr. Elbyrne Grady Gill, one of the region’s first and most influential medical specialists.
The ceremony kicks off at 9:30 a.m. on the 700 block of South Jefferson Street in Elmwood Park, right by the Main Branch Library. Mayor Joe Cobb and local historian Rev. Nelson Harris, who helped make the marker a reality, will be among those speaking at the event.
Recommended Videos
Dr. Gill made his mark as a pioneer in ophthalmology, opening the Gill Memorial Ear, Eye, Nose and Throat Hospital in 1926. It was one of the first specialty hospitals of its kind in Virginia. Over his career, Gill also served as a charter member of the Roanoke Lions Club and chaired the Roanoke Board of Health for an impressive 25 years.
In 1957, Dr. Gill established Virginia’s first eye bank through the Lions Club, expanding access to vision-saving care across the state.
The new marker was made possible thanks to funding from the Carilion Clinic Foundation and the Dr. E.G. Gill Blue Ridge Lions Sight Foundation, Inc.