Dr. David Connolly Hall was the bronze medalist in the 800-meter run at the 1900 Paris Olympics. Dr. Hall, a native of Quebec and a student at Brown University (Class of 1901), became Rhode Island’s first Olympic medalist. In a trail heat at Paris, he established the long-time Olympic record in the 800-meters of 1:56.2 on a grass track, but in the finals a competitor stepped on his heel causing Hall to lose a shoe. Hall finished the race in third place, but the gold medal time of 2:01.2 was far slower than Hall’s earlier pace. During his Brown career Hall was a two-time New England champion and set a national record in the half-mile run.
When his track days were over, Hall earned a doctorate in medicine at the University of Chicago in 1907. He went west to teach at the University of Washington where he became physical education director, professor of hygiene, and director of student health services. The David C. Hall Health Center on campus is dedicated in his honor.
Dr. Hall, an avid mountain climber, interrupted his college teaching career in World War I to command thirty-three ambulance companies in the Italian theater of combat. As Lt. Colonel Hall, he was highly decorated by the nation of Italy for his war service. Dr. Hall died in Seattle in 1972 at the age of ninety-seven.