Grover Wallace Cummings

Grover Wallace Cummings, at age 82, passed away peacefully surrounded by his children, on May 14th, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Grover was born on December 18th, 1942, in Toledo, Ohio, where he played varsity football at Waite High School. In January 1961, he would enlist in the United States Air Force to be trained as a photojournalist. Upon being honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1964, Grover would be a pioneer in the Midwest as an African-American photojournalist at the Toledo Blade newspaper.

He would go on to be recognized for his remarkable ability to capture the essence of life through several national and international competitions while working at the newspaper and working freelance. His photos for the Toledo Blade, the Black and White photo entries, "Street Race" and "Mister Downing" were recognized in 1971 by the Ohio News Photographer Association contest, as well as his 1970 photo "Finger Talk", as part of the Pictures of the Year International Archive, one of only 158 photos honored that year. His photos were also used more recently in the Toledo Blade, in the Monday Memories series, capturing the annual trimming of the Toledo Zoo's Karakul sheep originally taken in July 1972 and also, the September 1968 photo capturing a strike by FLOC - the fledgling Farm Labor Organizing Committee.



Grover also worked for Danberry Co., Realtors in Toledo, Ohio, as a photographer until his retirement.

Grover was preceded in death by his father William Garfield Cummings, mother Annie K (Stinchcomb) Cummings and his five siblings, Lemuel Cummings, William Garfield Cummings, Jr., Shirley Anna (Cummings) Mitchell, Joseph Andrew Cummings, and William "RC" Cummings. He leaves behind his five children, Bernardette Cummings of Atlanta, Georgia, Wade Harrison (Helena) of Decatur, Georgia, Delmond Cummings of Charlotte, North Carolina, Rashonda Cummings of Cleveland, Ohio, and Damen Cummings (Vickiana) of Charlotte, North Carolina; eight grandchildren, Marcus, Wade (Chloe), Aurelia, Kenneth, Mahkayla, Johnavon, Julissa, and Julien; and his three great grandchildren, Jericho, Destiny, and Pharaoh. He also leaves many other beloved family members and friends.