[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 37 (Thursday, February 28, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E231-E232]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PASSING OF MRS. FANNIE MAE EVANS CORBETT AND IN RECOGNITION OF HER MANY 
                CONTRIBUTIONS TO EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. G.K. BUTTERFIELD

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 28, 2019

  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Madam Speaker, I rise in memory of a great woman and 
legend within the Wilson, North Carolina community, Mrs. Fannie Mae 
Evans Corbett. Mrs. Corbett passed away on Tuesday, February 19, 2019. 
She was 86 years old.
  Born in Pitt County, North Carolina on May 23, 1932, Mrs. Corbett was 
the fourth of five children born to Bessie Evans and Sylvester Powell. 
Mrs. Corbett learned the meaning of hard work at a young age, spending 
much of her developmental years working in the cotton and tobacco 
fields. In 1955, Mrs. Corbett moved to Wilson, North Carolina, where 
she married and raised her family. After becoming a single mother of 
four children, Mrs. Corbett set out to improve her economic outlook by 
returning to school to earn her high school diploma and an associate's 
degree from Wilson Community Technical Institute.
  Mrs. Corbett's influence in Wilson was transformational. In 1968, 
Mrs. Corbett became one of the key founders of the Wilson Community 
Improvement Association (WCIA). Mrs. Corbett led WCIA's growth from a 
local grassroots organization to a proactive movement that was a model 
for community development corporations across the country. Mrs. 
Corbett's indelible contributions to Wilson include coordinating voter 
registration drives across East Wilson and engaging the youth in 
educational and recreational programs. In 1973, under Mrs. Corbett's 
leadership, WCIA established the Wilson Senior Citizen Center, which 
was the first nutritional feeding program in Wilson County.
  While championing the value of homeownership, Mrs. Corbett advocated 
for programs that would make owning a home an attainable goal even to 
those with modest means. In 1991, WCIA received a $1.2 million grant 
from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to build 68 
homes for low- and moderate-income people. Over 200 families applied 
for residency in the subdivision, Adventura East. After purchasing more 
land, WCIA completed an additional 30 units. Today, the Adventura East 
I & II subdivision is home to 148 families. In 1993, with WCIA's 
affordable housing momentum building, the organization acquired Sunset 
Terrace, a 104-unit housing complex. Two years later, WCIA

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successfully purchased and restored Beacon Pointe Apartments in Wilson. 
In 1997, WCIA restored and renovated Mercy Hospital, which was built in 
1913 as one of three African American hospitals in North Carolina.
  Mrs. Corbett's service to her community has received national and 
international recognition and awards, including the prestigious Nancy 
Susan Reynolds award, the Citizen Award for Outstanding Service to 
Citizens of Wilson, and the Pioneering Award for Exemplary Service in 
Community Economic Development. Mrs. Corbett has also been featured in 
several publications and books, including ``To Right These Wrongs'' and 
``Greater Freedom.''
  Mrs. Corbett leaves to cherish her memory, four children, Barbara 
Claudette Blackston of Wilson, North Carolina; Christopher Evans of 
Apex, North Carolina; Donald Ray Evans of Portsmouth, Virginia; and 
Alvin Quintin Corbett of Eastampton, New Jersey; and a host of 
relatives, friends, and loved ones.
  Madam Speaker, as a devoted mother, friend, and public servant, Mrs. 
Fannie Mae Evans Corbett's passing will surely be felt by all whose 
lives she touched. She will forever be missed, but never forgotten in 
the City of Wilson and across the State of North Carolina.

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