William F. Cummins III
Retired Lab nuclear physicist William F. Cummins III, formerly a resident of Fort Bragg, Calif., died Feb. 29, in Decatur, Ga. He was 79.
Born Nov. 20, 1932, in Vicksburg, Miss., he was the eldest of three children of William F. Cummins II and Alice Hunt Magruder. He was the older brother of twin brothers John "Pickett" and Edmund "Ed". The family moved frequently due to the father's work as a U.S. civil engineer, living in Monroe, La., Fort Peck, Mont., and Portland, Ore.
The family eventually returned to Vicksburg, Miss., where Cummins was the salutatorian for his graduation class at Carr Central High School. He attended Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Ga., graduating in 1954 with a bachelor's degree in physics. As an undergraduate, he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and performed with the Georgia Tech Band.
During his sophomore year at Georgia Tech, he met Mary Alice McDowell. After dating for three years, they married after his graduation in 1954. The couple moved to New Haven, Conn. where Cummins attended Yale University, graduating in 1956 with a master's degree in nuclear physics.
One semester shy of earning a Ph. D., he was hired at LLNL, then known as Lawrence Livermore Radiation Laboratory. He spent most of his career working in the field of nuclear fusion. During his last few years at the Lab, he worked for President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative.
He also was a talented musician. During graduate studies at Yale, he performed with the Boston Symphony as a substitute flutist.
He was an avid ham radio operator, active for more than 65 years.
Cummins was an active member of the Willits Amateur Radio Society in Mendocino County, Calif. for many years, enjoying frequent ham radio swap meets and weekly meetings in Fort Bragg.
He also was a member of the San Francisco Bay Area U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, American Physical Society, I.E.E.E and Applied Electromagnetic Computational Society.
During the past few years, he courageously struggled with the debilitating effects of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), lung cancer and Parkinson's disease. In 2010, he relocated to Decatur, Ga. to be near his family.
He is survived by his three children and their spouses; daughter, Alice and and her husband, Rick Bush of Shawnee, Kan., son, William D Cummins and his wife, Donna of Decatur, Ga., and son, Charles and Susan Cummins of Lilburn, Ga.; former wife, Mary Alice Cummins of Atlanta, Ga., brothers, John Pickett Cummins of Lawrenceville, Ga. and Edmund Cummins of Buford, Ga, his half-sister, Gloria Dale Cummins of Kennewick, Wash., five grandchildren; Lee Bush of Milwaukee, Wisc, Jim Bush of Kansas City, Kans., Bonnie Bush of Kansas City, Kan., Caleb and Christopher Cummins of Lilburn, Ga, his great grandson, Benjamin Bush, and many nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by Betty Verchota who he married in 1982. She died in 2009 after a long illness.
A memorial service was held Wednesday, March 7, in Decatur, Ga. Charitable donations may be made to the COPD Foundation, Compassionate Care Hospice, American Parkinson's Disease Assoc., or the American Lung Association.
