Endowed Scholarships

Dick Cummins '45

Investing in the Future

"I think the country — and maybe the world — needs people like Earlham students," says Dick Cummins '45. That's why he and his wife Fran endowed a scholarship fund at the College last year. "Earlham students and graduates start with a reasonable and peaceful mindset, and I think that's very important."

Cummins considers himself a middle of the road thinker. A World War II veteran who served in Japan during the post-war occupation, he says that he was "more of a hawk" than most of his fellow students at Earlham. But over the years, some of Cummins political views have evolved a bit and he has gained more appreciation for the Quaker values the College holds dear. He has also has come to believe that more money and energy ought to be put towards helping those in need, including Earlham students.

He chose to endow a scholarship so that current and future students could gain the particular benefits of an Earlham education. Recalling his own student days, Cummins admits that he first choose the College for convenience sake. He grew up in Richmond and lived at home while attending classes for two years. Cummins then spent three-and-a-half years in the military, receiving training in Japanese language, the history of China and Japan, and military intelligence before serving in rural northwest Japan following the war. It wasn't until he returned from the military that he began to appreciate Earlham's particular qualities. The appreciation has only grown over the years.

"My opinion of the Earlham staff and students is very favorable," he says. "I don't necessarily agree with everything that happens at the school, but that's okay. I think that in the future there will be a graduate of the College who will be extremely influential. And that's good because we need the kind of people that Earlham produces."

Cummins spent most of his professional life in the insurance industry. He worked for 34 years in the "special risk" division of CNA Financial, the insurance giant based in Chicago. He and his colleagues did underwriting of high limit accidental death policies for people in high risk professions, providing insurance for astronauts, race car drivers, United Nations peacekeepers and the like.

Even though Cummins feels that Earlham's Quaker values had a limited effect on him while he was a student, he shares many values with his fellow Earlhamites. He and his wife live in modest comfort in Clearwater, Fla., and one of their singular luxuries has been international travel. They have taken trips to such places as the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and China. They have viewed these trips as opportunities to learn more about the world and have often participated in educational programs through Elderhostel. Cummins also believes that all of us should carefully consider the way we spend our resources.

"There has always been conflict between religions and clans and I suspect there always will be," Cummins suggests during a phone interview from his home in Florida. "But I watch the government spend billions on the war in Iraq and it seems to me that there are better ways try to address the world's problems. And giving to Earlham is one of them."

—Jonathan Graham
Earlhamite Editor
(Posted January 16, 2007)