DR. WILLIAM MONTAGUE COBB HISTORY
The Foundation, named after Dr. William Montague Cobb, born in Washington, D.C., attended Dunbar High School, an academically rigorous but segregated school for black students. After earning a B.A. from Amherst College in 1925, Cobb obtained a medical degree from Howard University in 1929, followed by two years of postgraduate work in anatomy and physical anthropology at Western Reserve University in Ohio. He received a Ph.D. in biological anthropology in 1932, the first African American to earn a doctorate in that emerging field of study. His thesis was a comprehensive survey of skeletal materials available for research in the United States. Cobb was best known for his research in physical anthropology, the growth and development of the African American, and aging in the adult skeleton. He acquired over 100 honors and citations, including many of paramount distinction. Dr. Cobb served as president of the NAACP (1976-1982), the American Association of Physical Anthologists (1957-1959), and the Anthropological Society of Washington (1949-1951). He also served as editor of the Journal of National Medical Association for 28 years (1949-1977). Cobb chaired the Department of Anatomy of Howard University College of Medicine from 1947-1969. He was the author of 1,100 publications on diverse topics and taught over 6,000 anatomy students. His influence as an organizer and advocate for health improvements and civil rights was felt and acknowledged by leaders in government, the military, medicine, and the general public. Cobb was a firm believer in raising the bar and helping individuals to achieve their goals through education.
We are charted as a 501(c)3 organization in the District of Columbia in 2014 governed by volunteer Board of Directors, community leaders who lead the Foundation in support of students pursuing higher education and for those students enrolled in an accredited Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program.
