Smyrna times., 1935-02-21
Founder of Piedmont Paper

teenth Century there were a
large number of former Della
wareans in Alabama, Della
ware syndicate having bought
much land there and having de-
veloped the town of Piedmont,
which came to be known as Del
aware's Southern City" Leaving
the Morning News, Mr. Cummins
went there in 1890 and started the
Piedmont Inquirer, a weekly. Sub
the Staunton, Va, Daily News, and
later joined the staff of the Phila-
delphia Press for two years. He
returned to the Morning News in
1892 as managing editor. At that
time he was representing the Phil
adelphia Record in Delaware. In
1907 MIR. Cummins joined with
Robert S. Baird, Clement B. Hal
lam, now managing editor of the
Journal-Every Evening. and Gill
bert S. Jones. The four organized
a company which bought the Even
ing Journal. The paper thrived
under the new management. Mr..
Cummins was vice-president of the
company and editor of the paper
for five years. When the paper
was sold in 1912, Mr.. Cummins
again returned to the Morning
News, this time as editor the post
he held until recent formation of
the News-Journal editorial board.
On Pulitzer Committee
A charter member of the Amer
lean Society of Newspaper Editors,
Mr. Cummins served on several
committees and represented the so
ciety as one of the Pulitzer Prize
judges. For the past year he was
president of the Del-Mar-Va Press
Association. At one time he was
president of the Chesapeake sec
tion of the Associated Press, which
includes member from Maryland
and Delaware. The American Leg
ion and the American Chemical
Societies honored him by appoint
ing him as a judge in the State
wide essay contests at one time.
Among the many other organiza-
tions of which he was a member
are: Washington Lodge of Masons,
Delaware Consistory, University
Club, the City Club of Philadel-
phia, the University Club of Phila-
delphia, the National Arts Club of
New York, the American Academy
of Political and Social Science, the
Delaware Society of the oSns of
the American Revolution, of which
he was a charter member and first
secretary; the Social Service Club,
of which he was once president;
the Exchange Club, the Torch
Club, the Church Club of Della
ware, the Wilmington Lodge of
Elks, of which he was a charter
member and first Exalter Ruler;
the Phi Kappa Psi Alumni Asso-
citation of Philadelphia, of which he
was president for many years; the
Philadelphia Alumni Association of
Lafayette College, of which he was
president in 1927; the General
Alumni Association, of which he
was president in 1928, and the
journalistic fraternity, Pi Delta
Epsilon, of which he was an hon
orary member.
Many Attended Rites in Smyrna
The funeral service held at his
late residence, 2407 Delaware av-
enue, Wilmington, as well as the
St. Peters Cemetery, Smyrna, was
attended by most of Wilmington's
newspaper workers, including some
from down state. Among the lat
ter were Herman Taylor of Dover,
and r. D. Hoffecker, publisher Of
The Smyrna Times. Besides news
paper men there were a large num-
Der of other men who were friends
of the editor. The simple cere-
monies were conducted by the Rev
Charles w. Clash, of Emmanuel
Episcopal Church, and the Rev.
William H. Darbie, of St. Johns
Episcopal Church AS the service
started, the entire News-Journal
plant ceased operations for a full
minute. The employees stood in a
silence beside their typewriters and
lineotypes out of respect to the
memory of Mr.. Cummins Both
at the residence and in st. Peters
cemetery, there was nothing more
than the prescribed Episcopal rit-
uaI So many persons attended
the services in Wilmington that
numbers OF them were unable to
get into the house. Flowers were
sent by many individuals and