Milton K. Cummings
Encyclopedia
Milton Kyser Cummings had a noteworthy career in two highly diverse fields: cotton broker and space-defense industry executive. Sometimes called the "Number One Citizen of Huntsville" and a "Symbol of the New South," he was recognized as a humanitarian, leader in opportunities for minorities and the handicapped, and advisor to government officials and congressmen. The Cummings Research Park
, the second largest park of this type in America, was named to honor him.
, where his father, Charles Wesley Cummings, was the superintendent of a cotton gin
. The elder Cummings was a second-generation native of Huntsville, Alabama
, and soon moved his family back to that city. Afflicted with osteomyelitis
, Milton lost a lower leg when he was four years old. He attended school in Huntsville and, coping well with an artificial leg, became an excellent tennis player. While still in school, he worked as an errand runner in the office of a cotton broker where his father was employed. Impressed with Milton’s determination, intelligence, and handicap adjustment, the broker offered him a full scholarship to attend college as he finished high school at age 16. Feeling obliged to help support his family, he declined the offer of college but asked for employment in the brokerage firm. His father died a few years later, leaving Milton responsible for the family while still a teenager.
and Limestone
Counties in northern Alabama were (and still are) two of the largest cotton producers in the state. Cummings soon became well known to the farmers, buying their bailed cotton and selling it to the huge spinning and weaving cotton mill
s in Huntsville. Respected by all of the people involved as an ‘honest broker,’ Cummings was soon the most successful cotton merchant in the region.
In 1953, Cummings became dissatisfied with cotton brokering. In his words, “I didn’t feel that President Eisenhower
, Agriculture Secretary Benson
, or even the American farmer really understood the agricultural problems of the day. Their policy showed they favored lower farm prices and uncontrolled production, inviting disaster for cotton, and for farmers in general.” His projection was verified by declining cotton profitability.
Convinced that he should change from brokering to investing, Cummings, starting in 1953, devoted his financial expertise to managing personal investments in the stock market
. For the next several years, with his own stock ticker
and constant attention to the market, he exhibited a genius for buying and selling at just the right time. In this, Cummings was highly successful and soon amassed a considerable fortune.
, who at that time was leading the space program development for the Army Ballistic Missile Agency
(ABMA) at Redstone Arsenal
. Convinced that the space field was where Huntsville business was headed, Cummings immediately made a major investment in BECO stock.
Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite
of the Earth, was launched by the Soviet Union
on 4 October 1957, energizing America to do likewise. After the failure of their Viking rocket in its first satellite launch attempt
, this mission was taken away from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
and given to the von Braun team at ABMA. On 31 January 1958, America's first satellite, Explorer I
, was placed into orbit. BECO had an involvement in this historic effort, providing support in the design and testing of both the vehicle and the payload.
As the Nation watched via live television, Huntsville had an unequaled celebration. This previously unknown community in Alabama was suddenly at the center of the free-world's space race with the Soviet Union. The government laboratories on Redstone Arsenal, together with Huntsville's emerging industries, immediately acquired recognition as a center for high-technology. Cummings then knew that he was right in his business projection.
On 6 May 1958, the BECO Board asked Cummings, then the Board Chairman and largest investor in its stock, to serve 90 days as President. He accepted, but actually remained in that position for eight years. In Cummings' words, "Once I had the opportunity to more closely examine Brown Engineering, I became convinced of its great potential and accepted a permanent position." In a short time, he placed the firm on a sound financial footing. The stock was initially traded as over-the-counter
, then, underwritten by Goodbody & Company
, 110,000 shares became publicly traded under the symbol "BCO" on the American Stock Exchange
in April 1964. At that time, there were about 1,400 stockholders, including almost 500 BECO employees.
Wernher von Braun had suggested to Cummings that Huntsville needed a central research park for the emerging space and defense industries. A large section of former farmland was found on the western edge of Huntsville, adjacent to the developing campus of the University of Alabama Huntsville Graduate Center (later to become the University of Alabama in Huntsville
) and near to Redstone Arsenal. Through purchases and options, rights to hundreds of acres of this land was secured by Cummings (primarily to forestall speculators), and the Huntsville City Council was persuaded to designate 3000 acres (1,214.1 ha) as the Huntsville Research Park.
BECO became the first occupant in the new park, opening a large complex in early 1962, and was soon followed by Lockheed, Northrop, Boeing, TRW, IBM, and other national firms. In 1973, shortly after Cummings’ death, this was renamed the Cummings Research Park
; it has now grown to become the second largest research park in America and one of the largest in the world.
Cummings’ vision for BECO was that it would be involved in the full spectrum of space and defense activities, from initial research, through engineering development, to final manufacturing and testing. As the new BECO campus in the Research Park was developed, areas devoted to all of these activities were established. Engineering centered on a capability for space vehicle design, but there were also general capabilities in electronics, mechanical, civil, and other engineering disciplines. Manufacturing soon had digital-controlled machines, and was the largest local source for precision parts, printed circuits, and full system fabrication. In-house research was a newcomer to BECO capabilities; the Brown Engineering Research Laboratories had a two-story building devoted to analytical and experimental activities, including optics, propulsion, radar, computers, aerodynamics, and other high-technology areas.
Through adding well-qualified and experienced technical and administrative personnel, Cummings led BECO’s growth from about 215 employees when he took over to over 3,700 when he retired in 1966.
of booster rockets. In May 1961, President John F. Kennedy
proposed the national goal of "landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth by the end of the 1960s,” and the Apollo program was underway.
During the first half of the 1960s, there was tremendous growth in the number of contractor firms and their activities at MSFC. In 1965, NASA directed MSFC to simplify the administration and obtain a single prime-support contractor for each of its laboratories. Cummings obtained permission from von Braun for BECO to propose on support to two of these major efforts. The company won the most sought-after efforts, those for the Propulsion & Vehicle Engineering Laboratory and for the Research Projects Laboratory. BECO was also a major subcontractor for two other laboratories.
From the beginning of the Apollo Program in early 1961 through the first manned landing on the Moon by Apollo 11
on 20 July 1969, BECO (becoming Teledyne Brown Engineering in 1967) played a major, highly diverse role, providing approximately 20,000,000 manhours of engineering, scientific, manufacturing, and administrative support. In 1969, Cummings received the NASA Public Service Award for his leadership. The citation reads as follows: "For his outstanding contributions as a key leader of the government-industry team that made possible the exceptional success of the Apollo Program."
(AMC). Although Cummings was mainly involved with increasing BECO’s work for MSFC, he recognized the potential of business with AMC and established close relationships with many of the leaders. One of these was Colonel (later Brigadier General) Ivy O. Drewry, Manager of the new Anti-Ballistic Missile
(ABM) program. In 1967, BECO’s Research Laboratories became the support contractor for the emerging Nike-X
ABM system. (Starting in the 1970s, the Safeguard Program
, descendant of Nike-X, would become one of the company’s largest contracted activities.)
Another AMC leader was Carl E. Duckett
, at that time Director of the Missile Intelligence Directorate. Duckett and Cummings immediately had a mutual respect; both were from relatively modest backgrounds, neither had a college education, both were “people” oriented, and both had highly successful early careers. BECO’s Research Laboratories performed highly classified intelligence studies, and Cummings received the first Top Secret security clearance granted to a Huntsville business executive. Although Duckett left AMC in the mid-1960s for a leading position with the Central Intelligence Agency
, their relationship continued until Cummings’ death.
To ensure continuing vitality, BECO needed to enter new, more widespread markets. Cummings and his close staff made plans for a major change, gaining a national presence by acquiring, merging, or being acquired. After eight years as CEO, Cummings stepped down and, as Board Chairman, concentrated on BECO’s future. In April 1966, the BECO Board elected Joseph C. Moquin, the existing Executive Vice President, to be President.
Late in 1966, Cummings initiated negotiations between BECO and Teledyne, Inc.
, of Los Angeles
concerning the merger of the two companies. This led to BECO’s being acquired in April 1967 to become Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. (TBE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Teledyne, Inc. A TBE board was maintained, with Cummings remaining Chairman until his death in 1973.
player, regularly winning open competitions. During and after World War II, he gave demonstrations to amputees at Army hospitals. He also became an avid golf
er, maintaining a handicap of only a few strokes.
Throughout his career, Cummings was a “people” person. While fully at ease with persons on all social strata, he especially identified himself with the working class. At BECO, he frequently visited the manufacturing facilities, where he knew many of the workers by name. He often expressed the belief, “We are our brother’s keeper,” and so conducted his personal life as well as his business activities.
For Cummings, a lifelong Democrat
, political acumen played an important part in his success. He was a neighbor and close friend of John Sparkman
, long-time member of the U.S. Senate
and very influential in programs at Redstone Arsenal. Bob Jones
of Scottsboro, Alabama
, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, was another of Cummings' Washington friends. At an even higher level, Cummings was a frequent visitor of Lyndon Johnson
in the White House
. As a result, a number of BECO employees received invitations to Johnson's presidential inauguration in 1963.
He was continually involved with fund-raising drives and campaigns for improving health, education, and employment opportunities in the region. The Milton K. Cummings Humanitarian Award was established in his name by the Community Action Partnership-Huntsville/Madison and Limestone Counties, Inc.
In 1963, Cummings and Wernher von Braun successfully lobbied the Alabama Legislature
for funds to establish in Huntsville the University of Alabama Research Institute. The approved Institute initially occupied space in BECO facilities.
Cummings set an example for Southern firms in equal opportunity employment
, long before it was federally mandated. In 1963, he was a principal founder and first President of the Association of Area Companies (AHAC), a Huntsville organization devoted to ensuring equal opportunity of minorities in employment, education, housing, and community affairs. Huntsville led Alabama in all aspects of race relations.
Cummings was also in the forefront of providing employment opportunities for the handicapped. An article in the company’s newsletter describes the contributions being made by 25 physically handicapped employees. Well before any Federal requirements, Cummings had BECO provide full accommodations for these "special resources."
Cummings received recognitions and honors. These included the following: The United States House of Representatives
recognized him through a Memorial Tribute being read into its minutes in 1973. Auburn University
conferred the degree Doctor of Law
s, Honoris Causa
, on Cummings in August 1962. Previously noted was Cummings’ recognition in 1969 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
as an industrial leader in the Apollo Program.
Cummings married Nanny Vastus Ivy in 1936. They had three daughters, Jean, Carol Ann, and Nancy, and William Brooks Wilkinson was his step-son. A Christian
, Cummings was a Deacon for 23 years and then an Elder in the Presbyterian Church.
Cummings Research Park
Cummings Research Park, located primarily in the city of Huntsville, Alabama is the second largest research park in the United States, and the fourth largest in the world. The Research Triangle Park in North Carolina is the only research park in the United States that is larger. Cummings Research...
, the second largest park of this type in America, was named to honor him.
Early years
Cummings was born in Gadsden, AlabamaGadsden, Alabama
The city of Gadsden is the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama, and it is located about 65 miles northeast of Birmingham, Alabama. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 103,459. Gadsden is closely associated with the...
, where his father, Charles Wesley Cummings, was the superintendent of a cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
. The elder Cummings was a second-generation native of Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
, and soon moved his family back to that city. Afflicted with osteomyelitis
Osteomyelitis
Osteomyelitis simply means an infection of the bone or bone marrow...
, Milton lost a lower leg when he was four years old. He attended school in Huntsville and, coping well with an artificial leg, became an excellent tennis player. While still in school, he worked as an errand runner in the office of a cotton broker where his father was employed. Impressed with Milton’s determination, intelligence, and handicap adjustment, the broker offered him a full scholarship to attend college as he finished high school at age 16. Feeling obliged to help support his family, he declined the offer of college but asked for employment in the brokerage firm. His father died a few years later, leaving Milton responsible for the family while still a teenager.
Cotton broker and investor
In his early 20s, Cummings worked in the Shelby Fletcher Brokerage firm and learned the cotton brokering business during the Great Depression. In 1936, Fletcher suddenly died and left $5,000 for Cummings in his will. Using this inheritance, at age 25 he opened a brokerage. MadisonMadison County, Alabama
Madison County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is a major part of the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the...
and Limestone
Limestone County, Alabama
Limestone County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area. Its name comes from Limestone Creek, a local stream. In 2000, the population was 65,676. As of 2010 the county's...
Counties in northern Alabama were (and still are) two of the largest cotton producers in the state. Cummings soon became well known to the farmers, buying their bailed cotton and selling it to the huge spinning and weaving cotton mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
s in Huntsville. Respected by all of the people involved as an ‘honest broker,’ Cummings was soon the most successful cotton merchant in the region.
In 1953, Cummings became dissatisfied with cotton brokering. In his words, “I didn’t feel that President Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, Agriculture Secretary Benson
Ezra Taft Benson
Ezra Taft Benson was the thirteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1985 until his death and was United States Secretary of Agriculture for both terms of the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower.-Biography:Born on a farm in Whitney, Idaho, Benson was the oldest of...
, or even the American farmer really understood the agricultural problems of the day. Their policy showed they favored lower farm prices and uncontrolled production, inviting disaster for cotton, and for farmers in general.” His projection was verified by declining cotton profitability.
Convinced that he should change from brokering to investing, Cummings, starting in 1953, devoted his financial expertise to managing personal investments in the stock market
Stock market
A stock market or equity market is a public entity for the trading of company stock and derivatives at an agreed price; these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately.The size of the world stock market was estimated at about $36.6 trillion...
. For the next several years, with his own stock ticker
Ticker tape
Ticker tape was the earliest digital electronic communications medium, transmitting stock price information over telegraph lines, in use between around 1870 through 1970...
and constant attention to the market, he exhibited a genius for buying and selling at just the right time. In this, Cummings was highly successful and soon amassed a considerable fortune.
Industry executive
In 1957, Cummings was invited to invest in a new stock issue for Brown Engineering Company (BECO), a small industrial firm in Huntsville. Although BECO was almost bankrupt, Cummings recognized its potential of gaining a foothold in the emerging space market. He had become a friend of Wernher von BraunWernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
, who at that time was leading the space program development for the Army Ballistic Missile Agency
Army Ballistic Missile Agency
The Army Ballistic Missile Agency was the agency formed to develop the US Army's first intermediate range ballistic missile. It was established at Redstone Arsenal on February 1, 1956 and commanded by Major General John B...
(ABMA) at Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal is a United States Army base and a census-designated place adjacent to Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, United States and is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area...
. Convinced that the space field was where Huntsville business was headed, Cummings immediately made a major investment in BECO stock.
Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
of the Earth, was launched by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
on 4 October 1957, energizing America to do likewise. After the failure of their Viking rocket in its first satellite launch attempt
Project Vanguard
Project Vanguard was a program managed by the United States Naval Research Laboratory , which intended to launch the first artificial satellite into Earth orbit using a Vanguard rocket as the launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Missile Annex, Florida....
, this mission was taken away from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
United States Naval Research Laboratory
The United States Naval Research Laboratory is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps and conducts a program of scientific research and development. NRL opened in 1923 at the instigation of Thomas Edison...
and given to the von Braun team at ABMA. On 31 January 1958, America's first satellite, Explorer I
Explorer I
Explorer 1 was the first Earth satellite of the United States, launched as part of its participation in the International Geophysical Year...
, was placed into orbit. BECO had an involvement in this historic effort, providing support in the design and testing of both the vehicle and the payload.
As the Nation watched via live television, Huntsville had an unequaled celebration. This previously unknown community in Alabama was suddenly at the center of the free-world's space race with the Soviet Union. The government laboratories on Redstone Arsenal, together with Huntsville's emerging industries, immediately acquired recognition as a center for high-technology. Cummings then knew that he was right in his business projection.
On 6 May 1958, the BECO Board asked Cummings, then the Board Chairman and largest investor in its stock, to serve 90 days as President. He accepted, but actually remained in that position for eight years. In Cummings' words, "Once I had the opportunity to more closely examine Brown Engineering, I became convinced of its great potential and accepted a permanent position." In a short time, he placed the firm on a sound financial footing. The stock was initially traded as over-the-counter
Over-the-counter (finance)
Within the derivatives markets, many products are traded through exchanges. An exchange has the benefit of facilitating liquidity and also mitigates all credit risk concerning the default of a member of the exchange. Products traded on the exchange must be well standardised to transparent trading....
, then, underwritten by Goodbody & Company
Goodbody & Co.
Goodbody & Co. was a United States stock brokerage firm headquartered in New York City.Founded in the 1880s, it was the most prominent victim of the Wall Street paperwork crisis of the late 1960s...
, 110,000 shares became publicly traded under the symbol "BCO" on the American Stock Exchange
American Stock Exchange
NYSE Amex Equities, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange is an American stock exchange situated in New York. AMEX was a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953, it was known as the New York Curb Exchange. On January 17, 2008, NYSE Euronext announced it would acquire the...
in April 1964. At that time, there were about 1,400 stockholders, including almost 500 BECO employees.
Wernher von Braun had suggested to Cummings that Huntsville needed a central research park for the emerging space and defense industries. A large section of former farmland was found on the western edge of Huntsville, adjacent to the developing campus of the University of Alabama Huntsville Graduate Center (later to become the University of Alabama in Huntsville
University of Alabama in Huntsville
The University of Alabama in Huntsville is a state-supported, public, coeducational research university, located in Huntsville, Alabama, United States, is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master's and doctoral degrees, and is organized in five...
) and near to Redstone Arsenal. Through purchases and options, rights to hundreds of acres of this land was secured by Cummings (primarily to forestall speculators), and the Huntsville City Council was persuaded to designate 3000 acres (1,214.1 ha) as the Huntsville Research Park.
BECO became the first occupant in the new park, opening a large complex in early 1962, and was soon followed by Lockheed, Northrop, Boeing, TRW, IBM, and other national firms. In 1973, shortly after Cummings’ death, this was renamed the Cummings Research Park
Cummings Research Park
Cummings Research Park, located primarily in the city of Huntsville, Alabama is the second largest research park in the United States, and the fourth largest in the world. The Research Triangle Park in North Carolina is the only research park in the United States that is larger. Cummings Research...
; it has now grown to become the second largest research park in America and one of the largest in the world.
Cummings’ vision for BECO was that it would be involved in the full spectrum of space and defense activities, from initial research, through engineering development, to final manufacturing and testing. As the new BECO campus in the Research Park was developed, areas devoted to all of these activities were established. Engineering centered on a capability for space vehicle design, but there were also general capabilities in electronics, mechanical, civil, and other engineering disciplines. Manufacturing soon had digital-controlled machines, and was the largest local source for precision parts, printed circuits, and full system fabrication. In-house research was a newcomer to BECO capabilities; the Brown Engineering Research Laboratories had a two-story building devoted to analytical and experimental activities, including optics, propulsion, radar, computers, aerodynamics, and other high-technology areas.
Through adding well-qualified and experienced technical and administrative personnel, Cummings led BECO’s growth from about 215 employees when he took over to over 3,700 when he retired in 1966.
Space business
The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was formed on 1 July 1960, with a staff of about 4,000 former employees of ABMA and Wernher von Braun as Director. Cummings quickly secured a role for BECO in the development of the Saturn familySaturn (rocket family)
The Saturn family of American rocket boosters was developed by a team of mostly German rocket scientists led by Wernher von Braun to launch heavy payloads to Earth orbit and beyond. Originally proposed as a military satellite launcher, they were adopted as the launch vehicles for the Apollo moon...
of booster rockets. In May 1961, President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
proposed the national goal of "landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth by the end of the 1960s,” and the Apollo program was underway.
During the first half of the 1960s, there was tremendous growth in the number of contractor firms and their activities at MSFC. In 1965, NASA directed MSFC to simplify the administration and obtain a single prime-support contractor for each of its laboratories. Cummings obtained permission from von Braun for BECO to propose on support to two of these major efforts. The company won the most sought-after efforts, those for the Propulsion & Vehicle Engineering Laboratory and for the Research Projects Laboratory. BECO was also a major subcontractor for two other laboratories.
From the beginning of the Apollo Program in early 1961 through the first manned landing on the Moon by Apollo 11
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
on 20 July 1969, BECO (becoming Teledyne Brown Engineering in 1967) played a major, highly diverse role, providing approximately 20,000,000 manhours of engineering, scientific, manufacturing, and administrative support. In 1969, Cummings received the NASA Public Service Award for his leadership. The citation reads as follows: "For his outstanding contributions as a key leader of the government-industry team that made possible the exceptional success of the Apollo Program."
Defense business
While a large part of the former ABMA went to form MSFC, there were still major U.S. Army activities on Redstone Arsenal, and BECO had work in some of these. In May 1962, most of the activities were consolidated to become the U.S. Army Missile CommandUnited States Army Aviation and Missile Command
The United States Army Aviation and Missile Command is primarily responsible for life cycle management of army missile, helicopter, unmanned ground vehicle and unmanned aerial vehicle weapon systems. The central part of AMCOM's job involves acquisition and sustainment support for aviation and...
(AMC). Although Cummings was mainly involved with increasing BECO’s work for MSFC, he recognized the potential of business with AMC and established close relationships with many of the leaders. One of these was Colonel (later Brigadier General) Ivy O. Drewry, Manager of the new Anti-Ballistic Missile
Anti-ballistic missile
An anti-ballistic missile is a missile designed to counter ballistic missiles .A ballistic missile is used to deliver nuclear, chemical, biological or conventional warheads in a ballistic flight trajectory. The term "anti-ballistic missile" describes any antimissile system designed to counter...
(ABM) program. In 1967, BECO’s Research Laboratories became the support contractor for the emerging Nike-X
Project Nike
Project Nike was a U.S. Army project, proposed in May 1945 by Bell Laboratories, to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. The project delivered the United States' first operational anti-aircraft missile system, the Nike Ajax, in 1953...
ABM system. (Starting in the 1970s, the Safeguard Program
Safeguard Program
The Safeguard Program was a United States Army anti-ballistic missile system developed during the late 1960s. Safeguard was designed to protect U.S. ICBM missile sites from counterforce attack, thus preserving the option of an unimpeded retaliatory strike. Safeguard used much of the same technology...
, descendant of Nike-X, would become one of the company’s largest contracted activities.)
Another AMC leader was Carl E. Duckett
Carl E. Duckett
Carl Ernest Duckett was the founding father and visionary leader of the Central Intelligence Agency's science and technology operations...
, at that time Director of the Missile Intelligence Directorate. Duckett and Cummings immediately had a mutual respect; both were from relatively modest backgrounds, neither had a college education, both were “people” oriented, and both had highly successful early careers. BECO’s Research Laboratories performed highly classified intelligence studies, and Cummings received the first Top Secret security clearance granted to a Huntsville business executive. Although Duckett left AMC in the mid-1960s for a leading position with the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
, their relationship continued until Cummings’ death.
Maturity and acquisition
By 1966, Brown Engineering Company had matured to become a viable player in the space and defense industry. The quiet influence and leadership of Cummings and the operational and technical expertise of his top staff positioned the Company to obtain vital roles with NASA MSFC; be in on the ground floor of emerging intelligence and missile defense efforts of the U.S. Army; and become recognized for its research activities. Offices and subsidiaries had been opened in several locations in the South and Northeast.To ensure continuing vitality, BECO needed to enter new, more widespread markets. Cummings and his close staff made plans for a major change, gaining a national presence by acquiring, merging, or being acquired. After eight years as CEO, Cummings stepped down and, as Board Chairman, concentrated on BECO’s future. In April 1966, the BECO Board elected Joseph C. Moquin, the existing Executive Vice President, to be President.
Late in 1966, Cummings initiated negotiations between BECO and Teledyne, Inc.
Teledyne
Teledyne Technologies Incorporated is an industrial conglomerate primarily based in the United States but with global operations. It was founded in 1960, as Teledyne, Inc., by Henry Singleton and George Kozmetsky....
, of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
concerning the merger of the two companies. This led to BECO’s being acquired in April 1967 to become Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. (TBE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Teledyne, Inc. A TBE board was maintained, with Cummings remaining Chairman until his death in 1973.
Personal life
Despite his physical disability, as a young man Cummings was a champion tennisTennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player, regularly winning open competitions. During and after World War II, he gave demonstrations to amputees at Army hospitals. He also became an avid golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er, maintaining a handicap of only a few strokes.
Throughout his career, Cummings was a “people” person. While fully at ease with persons on all social strata, he especially identified himself with the working class. At BECO, he frequently visited the manufacturing facilities, where he knew many of the workers by name. He often expressed the belief, “We are our brother’s keeper,” and so conducted his personal life as well as his business activities.
For Cummings, a lifelong Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, political acumen played an important part in his success. He was a neighbor and close friend of John Sparkman
John Sparkman
John Jackson Sparkman was an American politician from the state of Alabama. A conservative Southern Democrat, Sparkman served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate from 1937 until 1979. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President as Adlai Stevenson's running mate in...
, long-time member of the U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
and very influential in programs at Redstone Arsenal. Bob Jones
Robert E. Jones, Jr.
Robert E. Jones, Jr. was a member of the United States House of Representatives from the 8th district of Alabama. He was the last to represent that district before it was removed as a result of the 1970 United States Census. Presently there are seven U.S. House districts in Alabama.-Early...
of Scottsboro, Alabama
Scottsboro, Alabama
Scottsboro is a city in Jackson County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 14,770. Named for its founder Robert Scott, the city is the county seat of Jackson County....
, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, was another of Cummings' Washington friends. At an even higher level, Cummings was a frequent visitor of Lyndon Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
in the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. As a result, a number of BECO employees received invitations to Johnson's presidential inauguration in 1963.
He was continually involved with fund-raising drives and campaigns for improving health, education, and employment opportunities in the region. The Milton K. Cummings Humanitarian Award was established in his name by the Community Action Partnership-Huntsville/Madison and Limestone Counties, Inc.
In 1963, Cummings and Wernher von Braun successfully lobbied the Alabama Legislature
Alabama Legislature
The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the Alabama House of Representatives, with 105 members, and the Alabama Senate, with 35 members...
for funds to establish in Huntsville the University of Alabama Research Institute. The approved Institute initially occupied space in BECO facilities.
Cummings set an example for Southern firms in equal opportunity employment
Equal Opportunity Employment
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the first federal law designed to protect most U.S. employees from employment discrimination based upon that employee's race, color, religion, sex, or national origin . The Title also established the U.S...
, long before it was federally mandated. In 1963, he was a principal founder and first President of the Association of Area Companies (AHAC), a Huntsville organization devoted to ensuring equal opportunity of minorities in employment, education, housing, and community affairs. Huntsville led Alabama in all aspects of race relations.
Cummings was also in the forefront of providing employment opportunities for the handicapped. An article in the company’s newsletter describes the contributions being made by 25 physically handicapped employees. Well before any Federal requirements, Cummings had BECO provide full accommodations for these "special resources."
Cummings received recognitions and honors. These included the following: The United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
recognized him through a Memorial Tribute being read into its minutes in 1973. Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
conferred the degree Doctor of Law
Doctor of law
Doctor of Law or Doctor of Laws is a doctoral degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country, and includes degrees such as the LL.D., Ph.D., J.D., J.S.D., and Dr. iur.-Argentina:...
s, Honoris Causa
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
, on Cummings in August 1962. Previously noted was Cummings’ recognition in 1969 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
as an industrial leader in the Apollo Program.
Cummings married Nanny Vastus Ivy in 1936. They had three daughters, Jean, Carol Ann, and Nancy, and William Brooks Wilkinson was his step-son. A Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, Cummings was a Deacon for 23 years and then an Elder in the Presbyterian Church.