David Ervin Cummins

Captain David E. Cummins, formerly of the United States Navy, the son of a Naval Officer, was born in Washington, D.C., on 24 August 1921. Because of his father’s career, he lived in various seaports of the United States before beginning his own military career in 1939 by joining the Naval Reserve while attending Severn Prep School in Severna Park, MD. His company (3rd) was called to active duty in October 1940. They were sent to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He was released from active duty July 1942 to attend the United States Merchant Marine Academy at King’s Point. His section was A-243 that graduated in December 1943. However, due to sea time requirements, he had to wait until January 1944 to graduate. Pissed him off. He received his Ensign, USNR commission in 1944. During the Second World War, Captain Cummins saw duty in USS Rapidan (A0 18) and was serving aboard the USS Pensacola (CA 24) at the close of hostilities. Then to F D Roosevelt (CV 42). From Roosevelt he was sent to George Washington University in Washington, D.C., for the Five Term Program for Naval Officers. From there he went to a mine sweeper, USS Wheatear (AM-390) where he had every job except CO and XO. During the early Korean War, he served as a member of the Staff, Commander Naval Forces Far East. Mostly at the USN Liaison Officer at Haneda, AFB. Thence back to Guantanamo Bay for duty in the Fleet Training Group in Damage Control. Captain Cummins served as Operations and Executive Officer aboard the USS Laffey (DD 724) and commanded the USS John Willis (DE 1927) and the USS Nicholas (DD 449). He was also Executive Officer of the USS Providence (CLG6), a guided missile cruiser and Seventh Fleet Flagship. While in these ships he visited many parts of the world and saw many things. The things he saw and heard convinced him that God is Man Made and Man made too many of them. A real God would never permit such things as he saw. He was a Plank Owner at the Atlantic Fleet ASW Tactical School in Norfolk, VA. Captain Cummins was Scheduling Officer with the Staff Commander Anti-Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. He served as head of the East Asia and Pacific Branch of the Political Military Affairs Division of the office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C. In 1968, he served as Commander Destroyer Division 102 at Newport, Rhode Island and has also been the Head of the Africa and Middle East Branch of the European, Middle East and African Division of the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, D.C. He held this last position from 1970 until his assignment as Chief of Navy Staff in the Canal Zone in 1972. Captain Cummins retired 1 May 1974 and that afternoon was in Sarasota, Florida. There he attended Manatee Junior College for two years and received a degree in Real Estate. Learning not to be in sales, he obtained a position with R W Gormley and Associates as an appraiser. One of his many assignments was the right of way work for the widening of Bee Ridge Road, Swift Road, 17th Street and Bahia Vista. He was in with Gormley for 16 plus years, leaving in December 1993. Since 1994, he devoted significant time to genealogy to complete many of his lines back to the immigrants. He died on January 11, 2017. He is survived by his wife of almost 73 years, Glenn Philbrook Cummins, and his three children: Dorothy Cummins Schmitendorf (James), Susan Cummins Allbritton (Slagle) and David E. Cummins IV (Bogna), two grandchildren, Tyler Allbritton (Jen) and Blake Allbritton (Sarah), and two great grandchildren, Tate and Chase Allbritton. He was cremated and it is hoped his ashes box will be committed to the Atlantic Ocean by a USN ship on the way to a six month deployment; perhaps another USS Nicholas.