The sundial in front of the Chapel marks the site of the famous Toombs Oak. A famous senator and Confederate general, Robert Toombs began his distinguished career by being expelled from the university in 1825. As the story goes, he reappeared at commencement and spoke so eloquently under the oak tree that the audience left the chapel to hear him. The incident, first recounted in a speech by Henry W. Grady (class of 1868), sounds just like the mercurial, impetuous Toombs—but, alas, it never happened. Toombs' love for the university did cause him to return many times to the campus, however, and he served on the board of trustees from 1859 until his death in 1885.