Cummings, William M., 1917-1995.

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William M. Cummings was born November 18, 1917 in Kansas City, Missouri, but his family moved to Redwood Falls, Minnesota in 1919 and to St. Paul in 1923. Cummings held a number of different jobs after dropping out of high school. He worked for the Work Projects Administration as a page at the St. Paul Public Library and as a field research worker on the Annals of Minnesota for the Minnesota Writers Project (1938-1941); at the Cudahy Meat Packing Plant (1941-1942); at the Gopher Ordnance Plant in St. Paul and Twin Cities Ordnance in New Brighton (1942-1943); and as a route salesman for Bireleys (1944-1947) and Whistle Bottling Company (1947-1957).

In 1957 Cummings moved with his family to Berkeley, California where he held jobs as an animal caretaker at the University of California-Berkeley (1961-1967) and as a custodian for the Berkeley Unified School District (1967-1980) until he retired.

Despite his lack of formal education Cummings maintained a lifelong interest in book collecting, specializing in works by or about Henry David Thoreau, bird watching, natural history, and travel.

Cummings married Betty Rogers (October 26, 1937) and they had five children: James Walter (August 22, 1938), Ellen Elaine (June 8, 1941), Claudia Lynn (February 26, 1951), Thomas William (July 23, 1956), and Laura Blanche (December 28, 1960). Cummings was divorced (September 23, 1977) and married Paula Iverson (November 6, 1977). The second marriage ended in divorce (1980) and Cummings married Janet Kautenberg in February, 1981. Janet died in February 21, 1993, and Cummings married Jackie Israel on September 9, 1993. Cummings died in San Diego, California on April 19, 1995.

Biographical data was taken from the collection.

From the guide to the William M. Cummings diaries and related papers., 1924-1995., (Minnesota Historical Society)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf William M. Cummings diaries and related papers., 1924-1995. Minnesota Historical Society
creatorOf Cummings, William M., 1917-1995. William M. Cummings diaries and related papers, 1924-1995. Minnesota Historical Society, Division of Archives and Manuscripts
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Bennett family. family
associatedWith Bennett family. family
associatedWith Berkeley Unified School District. corporateBody
associatedWith Berkeley Unified School District (Berkeley, Calif.) corporateBody
associatedWith Cummings family. family
associatedWith Cummings family. family
associatedWith Gold family. family
associatedWith Gopher Ordnance Works (U.S.) corporateBody
associatedWith Gould family. family
associatedWith Gould family. family
associatedWith Kilvert, Robert Francis, 1840-1879. person
associatedWith Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. person
associatedWith Twin City Ordnance Plant (New Brighton, Minn.) corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Work Projects Administration (Minn.). corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Work Projects Administration (Minnesota). corporateBody
associatedWith Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Minnesota corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
San Diego (Calif.).
Saint Paul (Minn.)
Englewood (Fla.).
Sanibel (Fla.)
Santa Barbara (Calif.).
Berkeley (Calif.)
San Diego (Calif.)
Ireland
Saint Paul (Minn.)
Stillwater (Minn.)
Tallahassee (Fla.)
Ireland
Tallahassee (Fla.).
Stillwater (Minn.).
California
Great Britain
Santa Barbara (Calif.)
California--Berkeley
Minnesota--Saint Paul
Florida
Englewood (Fla.)
Great Britain
Minnesota
Berkeley (Calif.).
Europe
Europe
Sanibel (Fla.).
Subject
Bird watching
Bird watching
Book collecting
Fossils
Fossils
Nature study
Nature study
Nature study
Nature study
Public schools
Public schools
Retirement
Shells
Shells
Voyages and travels
Working class whites
Working class whites
Working class whites
Working class whites
World War, 1939-1945
Occupation
School custodians
Truck drivers
Activity

Person

Birth 1917

Death 1995

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