DeKalb General Hospital shortly after opening
Caption

DeKalb General Hospital shortly after opening

This “What’s In A Name” was submitted by Liz Hill and was answered with the help of Fred Mobley at the DeKalb History Center.

The name in question is Wash Lively Circle, a road located on the campus of Dekalb Medical Center in Deactur.GPB's Rickey Bevington tells the story of Wash Lively

It turns out that Wash Lively, instead of being a request to vigorously do one’s laundry, is actually someone’s name.

W.W. “Wash” Lively was a native of DeKalb County and was deeply involved in his community for decades during the 20th century.

Besides being the owner of two companies (Brownlee and Lively Dairy and the Brownlee and Lively Realty Co.) and a member of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Lively was also the Secretary and Treasurer of the DeKalb General Hospital Authority.

This was established to help build and operate the DeKalb General Hospital, today known as the DeKalb Medical Center.

Mr. Lively died in 1987 and Wash Lively Circle was named in his honor.

Click here to find more stories behind curious Atlanta names from our summer 2018 series "What's In A Name?" on 88.5 GPB Atlanta’s All Things Considered.