White Coat
In 1913, Dr. Corbin moved his medical office to the rural community of Pulaski, Virginia. Dr. Corbin was the only African American doctor in the area during this time. At first, Dr. Corbin primarily served African Americans in Pulaski, but as word spread about his medical practice, he began to serve white patients as well as Black patients.
Jacqueline Corbin Pleasants' Certificate of Marriage
In 1940, Jacqueline married Dr. Alfred William Pleasants Jr. in Pulaski on June 10. The couple settled in Lexington, Virginia, where they had three children: Althea Kitola Henderson, Carmen Pleasants Pearson, and Alfred William Pleasants III. After she died in 2013, Jacqueline Virginia’s Senate and House of Delegates recognized Jacqueline, enacting a joint resolution to honor and celebrate her memory. This resolution listed her many contributions to the community of Lexington which include, but are not limited to, the “League of Women Voters, the local mental health association, Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital Women’s Auxiliary, the Lylburn Downing School band boosters, the Six O’Clock Club, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,” and the treasury of the local Democratic Party
Jacqueline Corbin and Alfred Pleasants Jr. Marriage Certificate circa 1940 (courtesy of Ancestry.com)
Tip Jar
In his later years, Mahatma Corbin gained the reputation of being a good tipper. Mahatma, a generous and cheerful tipper, left hearty gratuities, brightening servers' days with kindness and appreciation.
Horse
During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, Corbin’s medical expertise and care for his community were evident as he traveled by horseback to care for patients as the influenza pandemic spread throughout Pulaski. Dr. Corbin and four other doctors in the area worked tirelessly for several weeks to stop the spread of the disease. Ultimately, ninety-two Pulaskians died during the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, but the outbreak could have been significantly worse on townspeople if not for the efforts of Dr. Corbin.
Named Participant List
The image of the named participant list reads, "Mahatma N. Corbin, and infant by P.C. Corbin, his father and next friend."
Corbin et al. v. County School Board of Pulaski County, VA. et al. Plaintiff List (courtesy of the District Court of the United States for the Western District of Virginia Roanoke Division)
While Mahatma was attending high school, his father launched the Corbin et al. v. County School Board of Pulaski County, VA. et al. lawsuit on his behalf. Traveling several miles from Pulaski to attend Christiansburg Institute in Montgomery County, deprived Mahatma of the ability to participate in extracurriculars. In an oral history interview, his sister Jacqueline testified to this, saying that CI students traveled “on broken down buses that had been discarded for the other students, and they would have to leave home in the dark. And they would get back at dark.” The lawsuit aimed to reveal how this arrangement violated the Fourteenth Amendment by failing to provide equal protection for students like Mahatma.
Dr . Percy Casino Corbin
Doctor Percy Corbin served as the President of the Pulaski chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1947, Dr. Corbin pursued legal counsel from the NAACP, Oliver Hill, Spotswood Robinson, and Martin A. Martin. This network of individuals filed a lawsuit against the Pulaski County School Board. This lawsuit involved Dr. Corbin, his son Mahatma, 23 other parents, and their 54 children to argue that the school board had violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Dr. Percy Casino Corbin circa 1921 (courtesy of Encyclopedia Virginia)
Medicine Bottle
In 1918, the influenza pandemic started spreading in the United States, likely originating from soldiers returning from Europe during World War I. By the summer of 1918, the deadly virus began infecting Virginia’s residents, lasting for 13 months. The virus infected approximately 25 percent of the US population, and roughly 670,000 people died. In Virginia, over 300,000 people caught the virus, with 15,679 reported deaths. Rural communities like Pulaski suffered greatly during the pandemic. Doctor Percy Corbin played a crucial role, being the only Black physician in Pulaski, caring for both Black and white residents to slow the spread. Supposedly, Dr. Corbin was said to have invented a cure for the flu; “he never lost a patient,” said his daughter Jacqueline.
Mahatma Corbin '53
Mahatma Navarro Corbin was born on November 18, 1931, to parents Dr. Percy and Evelyn Corbin. While Mahatma was attending high school, his father launched the Corbin et al. v. County School Board of Pulaski County lawsuit on his behalf. Traveling several miles to Christiansburg Institute deprived Mahatma of the ability to participate in extracurriculars. The lawsuit aimed to reveal how this arrangement violated the Fourteenth Amendment by denying equal protection for students like Mahatma. Later in life, Mahatma enlisted in the Air Force and served four years as a Basic Airman in Greenland.
Mahatma Corbin circa 1953 (courtesy of The Virginia Chronicle)
Helping Hands
Following their father's footsteps, the Corbin children entered into human service and helping professions. Jacqueline Corbin Pleasants was deeply involved in her local community in Lexington, Virginia, working with Girl Scouts, the League of Women Voters, the local mental health association, and Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital Women’s Auxiliary. Maurice Corbin worked in the US Army Medical Corps owned two private medical practices in the D.C. Metro area, was a professor of psychiatry
at Howard University, and served on the Saint Elizabeth's Hospital and the D.C. Government’s Commission of Mental Health staff. Percy Corbin Jr. enlisted in the Army on February 17, 1941, during World War II. Mahatma Corbin worked diligently even after retirement from the Air Force, spreading joy in his everyday work interactions. Overall, the contributions of Dr. Corbin and Ms. Evelyn Corbin’s children exemplify a deep dedication to service.
World War II Draft Card
As listed on his World War II Draft Card, Dr. Corbin was self-employed, seeing patients in his home and around town. The Corbin home was located on Randolph Avenue, downtown. This was a particularly controversial living arrangement for a Black family in the early 1900s. Jacqueline Corbin Pleasants, daughter of Dr. Corbin, alluded to this in her 1995 oral history interview: “I hate to say that, but some of our own folks didn’t like us because we lived downtown.” The family had paved streets, running water, and electricity, causing other Black Pulaski residents to have “attitudes,” said Pleasants. Also listed on the draft card is Dr. Corbin’s age; he was fifty-three years old at the time.
Percy Casino Corbin WWII Draft Registration Card (courtesy of Ancestry.com)
Corbin
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Transcript
White Coat
In 1913, Dr. Corbin moved his medical office to the rural community of Pulaski, Virginia. Dr. Corbin was the only African American doctor in the area during this time. At first, Dr. Corbin primarily served African Americans in Pulaski, but as word spread about his medical practice, he began to serve white patients as well as Black patients.
Jacqueline Corbin Pleasants' Certificate of Marriage
In 1940, Jacqueline married Dr. Alfred William Pleasants Jr. in Pulaski on June 10. The couple settled in Lexington, Virginia, where they had three children: Althea Kitola Henderson, Carmen Pleasants Pearson, and Alfred William Pleasants III. After she died in 2013, Jacqueline Virginia’s Senate and House of Delegates recognized Jacqueline, enacting a joint resolution to honor and celebrate her memory. This resolution listed her many contributions to the community of Lexington which include, but are not limited to, the “League of Women Voters, the local mental health association, Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital Women’s Auxiliary, the Lylburn Downing School band boosters, the Six O’Clock Club, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,” and the treasury of the local Democratic Party
Jacqueline Corbin and Alfred Pleasants Jr. Marriage Certificate circa 1940 (courtesy of Ancestry.com)
Tip Jar
In his later years, Mahatma Corbin gained the reputation of being a good tipper. Mahatma, a generous and cheerful tipper, left hearty gratuities, brightening servers' days with kindness and appreciation.
Horse
During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, Corbin’s medical expertise and care for his community were evident as he traveled by horseback to care for patients as the influenza pandemic spread throughout Pulaski. Dr. Corbin and four other doctors in the area worked tirelessly for several weeks to stop the spread of the disease. Ultimately, ninety-two Pulaskians died during the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, but the outbreak could have been significantly worse on townspeople if not for the efforts of Dr. Corbin.
Named Participant List
The image of the named participant list reads, "Mahatma N. Corbin, and infant by P.C. Corbin, his father and next friend."
Corbin et al. v. County School Board of Pulaski County, VA. et al. Plaintiff List (courtesy of the District Court of the United States for the Western District of Virginia Roanoke Division)
While Mahatma was attending high school, his father launched the Corbin et al. v. County School Board of Pulaski County, VA. et al. lawsuit on his behalf. Traveling several miles from Pulaski to attend Christiansburg Institute in Montgomery County, deprived Mahatma of the ability to participate in extracurriculars. In an oral history interview, his sister Jacqueline testified to this, saying that CI students traveled “on broken down buses that had been discarded for the other students, and they would have to leave home in the dark. And they would get back at dark.” The lawsuit aimed to reveal how this arrangement violated the Fourteenth Amendment by failing to provide equal protection for students like Mahatma.
Dr . Percy Casino Corbin
Doctor Percy Corbin served as the President of the Pulaski chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1947, Dr. Corbin pursued legal counsel from the NAACP, Oliver Hill, Spotswood Robinson, and Martin A. Martin. This network of individuals filed a lawsuit against the Pulaski County School Board. This lawsuit involved Dr. Corbin, his son Mahatma, 23 other parents, and their 54 children to argue that the school board had violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Dr. Percy Casino Corbin circa 1921 (courtesy of Encyclopedia Virginia)
Medicine Bottle
In 1918, the influenza pandemic started spreading in the United States, likely originating from soldiers returning from Europe during World War I. By the summer of 1918, the deadly virus began infecting Virginia’s residents, lasting for 13 months. The virus infected approximately 25 percent of the US population, and roughly 670,000 people died. In Virginia, over 300,000 people caught the virus, with 15,679 reported deaths. Rural communities like Pulaski suffered greatly during the pandemic. Doctor Percy Corbin played a crucial role, being the only Black physician in Pulaski, caring for both Black and white residents to slow the spread. Supposedly, Dr. Corbin was said to have invented a cure for the flu; “he never lost a patient,” said his daughter Jacqueline.
Mahatma Corbin '53
Mahatma Navarro Corbin was born on November 18, 1931, to parents Dr. Percy and Evelyn Corbin. While Mahatma was attending high school, his father launched the Corbin et al. v. County School Board of Pulaski County lawsuit on his behalf. Traveling several miles to Christiansburg Institute deprived Mahatma of the ability to participate in extracurriculars. The lawsuit aimed to reveal how this arrangement violated the Fourteenth Amendment by denying equal protection for students like Mahatma. Later in life, Mahatma enlisted in the Air Force and served four years as a Basic Airman in Greenland.
Mahatma Corbin circa 1953 (courtesy of The Virginia Chronicle)
Helping Hands
Following their father's footsteps, the Corbin children entered into human service and helping professions. Jacqueline Corbin Pleasants was deeply involved in her local community in Lexington, Virginia, working with Girl Scouts, the League of Women Voters, the local mental health association, and Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital Women’s Auxiliary. Maurice Corbin worked in the US Army Medical Corps owned two private medical practices in the D.C. Metro area, was a professor of psychiatry
at Howard University, and served on the Saint Elizabeth's Hospital and the D.C. Government’s Commission of Mental Health staff. Percy Corbin Jr. enlisted in the Army on February 17, 1941, during World War II. Mahatma Corbin worked diligently even after retirement from the Air Force, spreading joy in his everyday work interactions. Overall, the contributions of Dr. Corbin and Ms. Evelyn Corbin’s children exemplify a deep dedication to service.
World War II Draft Card
As listed on his World War II Draft Card, Dr. Corbin was self-employed, seeing patients in his home and around town. The Corbin home was located on Randolph Avenue, downtown. This was a particularly controversial living arrangement for a Black family in the early 1900s. Jacqueline Corbin Pleasants, daughter of Dr. Corbin, alluded to this in her 1995 oral history interview: “I hate to say that, but some of our own folks didn’t like us because we lived downtown.” The family had paved streets, running water, and electricity, causing other Black Pulaski residents to have “attitudes,” said Pleasants. Also listed on the draft card is Dr. Corbin’s age; he was fifty-three years old at the time.
Percy Casino Corbin WWII Draft Registration Card (courtesy of Ancestry.com)