Martin M. Cummings

CUMMINGS MARTIN M. CUMMINGS, M.D. Martin M. Cummings, MD, Former Director National Library of Medicine, scientist and medical educator, dies at Age 90. Dr. Martin Cummings died on September 1, 2011 in Sarasota, FL. Cummings was born in Camden, NJ on September 7, 1920. He graduated from Haddon Heights High School in 1937, Bucknell University in 1941 and from Duke University School of Medicine in 1944 where he also served in the US Army. In 1946 Cummings became a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service. He served as Director of the Tuberculosis Evaluation Laboratory at the Communicable Disease Center in Atlanta, Georgia, 1947-1949. Starting in 1949 he held several positions at the US Veterans Administration, serving as director of research services in Washington, DC from 1953-1959. While at the VA he also taught at several medical schools and from 1959 to 1961, he was chairman and professor of the Department of Microbiology at the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine. Cummings was chief of the Office of International Research at NIH, from 1961- 1963, and was the director of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) 1964 - 1983. During his tenure the NLM emerged as a leader in the computer age becoming one of the most advanced scientific libraries in the world. While expanding access to medical information, the NLM became engaged in a major copyright case (Williams & Wilkins Co. v. U.S.) in which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the "fair use" doctrine. Among his many accomplishments Cummings received seven honorary degrees, the Rockefeller Public Service Award and membership in the Institute of Medicine. Additional details of his many accomplishments can be found on the NLM website www.nlm.gov. Cummings retired to Sarasota, FL where he pursued his passion for fishing and continued his medical interests. He obtained grant funding for an innovative program for persons of limited vision, lectured on stem-cell research and served on the Board of Directors for the Smith Health Care Center at Plymouth Harbor where he resided. Dr. Cummings was predeceased by his wife, Arlene (Avrutine). He is survived by his three sons and their wives and one granddaughter, Steven and Mary Lu of Foley, AL, Lee and Pat of Key West, FL, Stuart and Janet of Columbus, NC and their daughter, Jessica of Fairfax Station, VA. A Memorial Service will be held at Plymouth Harbor, Sarasota FL, on October 15. Donations in his honor may be made to the Plymouth Harbor Legacy Fund, 700 John Ringling Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34236. Expressions of sympathy may be mailed to Jessica Cummings, 10611 Daysailer Dr., Fairfax Station, VA 22039. A Memorial Service will be held at Plymouth Harbor, Sarasota FL, on October 15. Donations in his honor may be made to the Plymouth Harbor Legacy Fund, 700 John Ringling Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34236. Expressions of sympathy may be mailed to Jessica Cummings, 10611 Daysailer Dr., Fairfax Station, VA 22039.