William Montague Cobb - A Tribute

Calleda “Renaissance Man” repeatedly by those gathered to recognize his achievements, Dr. W. Montague Cobb was honored with the naming of the “Dr. Montague Cobb Way” on the campus of Howard University on March 27, 2022. Dr. Montague Cobb Way is located at 6th and W Streets, NW, and falls between Howard University’s College of Medicine and College of Dentistry.

Brother Cobb was born in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 12, 1904, and entered Omega Chapter on Nov. 20, 1990, at the age of 86.

Brother Cobb graduated from Dunbar High School in 1921. At Dunbar, his Latin teacher was Brother Clyde McDuffie, a charter member of Alpha Omega Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., the chapter at which Brother Cobb would later serve as Basileus. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Amherst College in Massachusetts in 1925. He was initiated into the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., through Gamma Chapter in 1922.

In 1926, Brother Cobb chartered Kappa Psi Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. as an intermediate chapter for the professional students at Howard University. From 1926 until 2000, Kappa Psi Chapter initiated undergraduates from Georgetown, George Washington, and American and Catholic universities. It became Washington, D.C.’s second graduate chapter in 2000.

Brother Cobb taught for numerous years at Howard University, where he earned his medical degree in 1929 and became the university’s first distinguished professor in 1969 and professor emeritus in 1973. Brother Cobb earned his Ph.D. in anthropology from Case Western Reserve University in 1932, making him the first African American in the country to earn a Ph.D. in anthropology and the only one until after the Korean War.

From 1934 to 1937, Cobb served as Basileus of Alpha Omega Chapter. He also served as president of the NAACP (1976-1982), the American Association of Physical Anthropologists (1957-1959), and the Anthropological Society of Washington (1949-1951). He was also president of the National Medical Association (1964-1965) and chaired the Department of Anatomy of Howard University’s College of Medicine from 1969 to 1974.

Brother Cobb advocated for health improvements and civil rights for all, and his efforts led to the expansion of access to health care. He testified before Congress leading up to the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. He was also present at the signing of the bill into law, being personally invited to the ceremony by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

In addition to Howard University faculty members and administrators, and the Brothers of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., including the fraternity’s Grand Keeper of Records and Seal, Brother Mark E. Jackson, other organizations who sent representatives to the ceremony honoring Brother Cobb were: the W. Montague Cobb Institute; National Medical Association; and the Washington, D.C. City Council. Many of Brother Cobb’s family members were also in attendance for the program.

Grand KRS Mark Jackson

“This is a grand occasion,” said Grand KRS Jackson. “If today’s program had a subscript, it would probably read, ‘A tribute long overdue.’”

Brother Jackson said, “He was a giant in Omega and a trailblazer. Dr. Cobb walked amongst our founders, and like our founders, Dr. Cobb personified our beloved Cardinal Principles of Manhood, Scholarship, Perseverance, and Uplift. Dr. Cobb’s legacy continues today. For his legacy lives within me and you. And just as importantly, his legacy lives through the Omega Foundation, the Dr. William Montague Cobb Educational Foundation, which supports District of Columbia students and prepares them for success in global citizenry. Since its inception, the foundation has positively impacted thousands of students in Washington, D.C... Additionally, I like to think of it in this fashion, ‘because he was, therefore I am.’ I stand on his shoulders. A tribute long overdue.”

Amy Wilkinson, the granddaughter of Brother Cobb, said, “In addition to being an educator, civil rights leader and advocate, prolific writer, historian, researcher and recipient of numerous awards, Montague Cobb was a renaissance man and a character. He had many pursuits and talents. He played the violin, a raconteur, actor, painter, and collector of beautiful objects. Additionally, he took a movie camera with him wherever he went to record historical events, like the March on Washington and various family activities. He had a great wit and sense of humor. He was always working to move forward, make things better, end discrimination in medicine, make health care affordable to millions of people, and make the world a better place.”

Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr., professor and chair of pathology at the Howard University College of Medicine, called

Cobb “a giant” at the university. “No one word could describe him, or one organization could tell his full story. He was a professor, scholar, researcher, mentor, leader, activist, humanist, thought leader, and brother,” he added. “We were able to carve out just a small piece of real estate and name it after [Dr. Cobb], where people walking by can look up and wonder who that man was. And then when they find out, they will realize it is hallowed ground that they stand upon,” Mitchell said.

Howard University’s Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Anthony Wutoh, Ph.D., R.Ph., said, “If you only knew of Dr. Cobb as a faculty member in the College of Medicine, that he authored of more than 1,000 publications, that he taught over 6,000 anatomy students, that he was a star cross-country athlete and a star boxer who won championships you have only scratched the surface of knowing who this man was,” said Wutoh.

Kenyan McDuffie, Esq., Ward 5 Council Member, said Cobb “left an imprint on Washington, D.C., this country, and the world. He manifested in life the essence that calls on us all to serve as guides leading those who come after us. His legacy helps us all to be true, live strong and bold to battle the wrongs of this world.”

Thomas Hienbockel, Ph.D., professor, and interim chair of the Department of Anatomy at Howard University College of Medicine, called Cobb a “doctor father” and “academic father” who “shepherded” many to their degrees and “keenly observed” them on their career paths, “as a parent would do.”

Dr. Randall Morgan Jr., president and CEO of the W. Montague Cobb Institute, said, “Dr. Cobb serves as the compass along the journey for many following the same path seeking solutions for health disparities and healthcare inequities.”

Dr. Rachel Villanueva, president of the National Medical Association, said Dr. Cobb “impacted all facets of African American life in our country through his leadership in civil rights and his activism in policy issues. His legacy means so much to many, and we owe him so very much. His reach far exceeded that of medicine and science. But for us at the NMA, his career and life personify the mission and vision of our organization.”