Service Details
Private services will be held.
Somers– Dr. Donald D. Kummings, 77, passed away at home on November 10, 2017 after a courageous battle with cancer. His wife, Patricia Kummings, was by his side.
Don was born on July 28,1940 to Herman and Estelle (nee: Easterwood) Kummings in Lafayette, Indiana.
In 1962, Don received a B.A. in Creative Writing from Purdue University and in 1964 received a M.A. in English, with a minor in Philosophy. In 1971, he received his Ph.D. in English and American Studies from Indiana University.
In 1963, he married Gayle Savage. They had two children, Kevin Scott, born on August 6,1963, and Jeremy William, born on December 30, 1971. The couple divorced in 1980.
He married Patricia Finnelly Larson in Racine on March 20,1987. Throughout their 30 years of marriage they traveled extensively, including trips to Africa, Eastern & Western Europe, Russia, Asia, South America, Central America and the Middle East.
Don dedicated his life to teaching and taught for a total of 43.5 years. He taught at Purdue University, Adrian College in Michigan, Indiana University at Bloomington, and at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside for 36 years.
While at Parkside, Don was recognized for his scholarly achievements and received many honors and awards. He was considered one of the nation’s leading experts on Walt Whitman and authored three books about the poet and his works. He also wrote a collection of his own poems in the book, The Open Road Trip: Poems. Don’s contributions to the campus and community also included assisting in the founding and operation of the UW-Parkside Foreign Film Series.
Don is survived by his wife, Pat; his brother, John of Eaton Park, Florida; his son, Jeremy and daughter-in-law, Jill (Murray) of Minneapolis; three grandsons, William, Eamon and Lincoln; his step-children, Laura (Keith) Stummer, Wanda (Todd) Stingley, Eric Larson and Diana (Saunders) Kohn; six step-grandchildren, Erin, Megan, Elyse, Adam, Blair and Zhenya. His parents and his son, Kevin, preceded him in death.
There will be a private family service and a public celebration of life for friends and colleagues that will be announced at a later date. For more information about Don’s life and the upcoming celebration, please go to www.donaldkummings.org.
Carol Mitchell-Jones says
I am so sorry for the lost of Professor Kummings. He was my English Professor in 1977 and taught English Composition with conviction and passion. I just adored him and his style of sharing wisdom. R.I.P. Professor.
David Gehring says
My thoughts and prayers to the family. I had Professor Kummings for quite a few classes while pursuing my English major at UW-Parkside from the late 80’s and I not only enjoyed the lectures and being introduced to various writers and stories I never read or knew about, but I really enjoyed hearing his personal stories about his life.
Mary Lenard says
There are still a few of us actively teaching in the UW-Parkside English department who remember working with Don. I respected him immensely. He was one of the department’s strongest scholars–a noted authority on Walt Whitman–but he also had a passionate commitment to undergraduate education. In addition to his scholarly work, Don was a published poet. He taught courses on American literature and American poetry, but also introductory courses on literary analysis, and creative writing courses. He earned Parkside’s “Triple Crown” of faculty awards–over the course of his career winning the awards for teaching, service, and research/creative activity.
During my first year at Parkside in 1998, I remember a student showing me a paper, covered with comments in red ink, that she had gotten back from Don. I was so impressed that as a senior prof, he was still taking the time and effort to comment on writing style in addition to the paper’s content. In 2017 many of us are more likely to use rubrics or electronic comments (personally, I favor pencil or green ink instead of a red pen), but we still try to follow Don’s example by giving similarly detailed feedback to our own students. Our goal is still to hone students’ critical thinking, writing, and reading skills. As literatures and languages faculty, we are now in a time in which we struggle to keep the humanities and higher education going in a hostile environment. It helps to know that as we do our work here at UWP, we are building on a strong legacy of talented and dedicated faculty like Don Kummings, who dedicated themselves to educating generations of SE Wisconsin students.
Jenna Oatsvall says
I am saddened to hear of Professor Kumming’s passing. I had him in literary analysis at UWP. He always gave considerate, valuable feedback on all our work. I’m grateful for the impact he had on my education. My sympathies go out to the family.
Nick Borns says
Professor Kummings always gave balanced analysis and feedback on any assignments, which I came to appreciate over the three years of my English studies. Truth be told, it was rather unexpected. I was a transfer student and focused on a science major when I switched mid-degree to English with a writing concentration. Though I nearly regretted the change, his constant attention and challenge gave me new purpose each week to demonstrate my analysis. The world will miss his presence, but we’re all heirs to his writing and teaching. I will never forget anything he taught, from Literary Analysis to the study of “Old Walt.” Thank you for the challenge, Professor Kummings!
Carole Gottlieb Vopat says
I am shocked and saddened to read of Don’s death. We were close friends at the beginnings of our careers, and colleagues since 1970. He was a complex, many-layered, and beautiful man. My heart goes out to you, Pat, at your tragic loss.
Kristy says
It truly struck me when I read of Professor Kummings’ passing. I had the great fortune to be a student in his class at UW-Parkside, and I will never forget the way he encouraged me to see more in a few lines of a poem than others would see in an entire novel. In remembering his passion for literature, I am reminded why I also went on to become an English teacher. “Some people are so much sunshine to the square inch.” -Whitman. God bless, Professor.
Sharon Geibel says
I am sorry to hear that Professor Kummings is no longer with us and my thoughts, prayers, and sympathy go out to his family. The class I took with him at UW-W Parkside as an English major in 2003 left quite an impression on me. We were reading short stories and in particular, The Lost Phoebe. My own father was a naturalist and loved the phoebes around his home. My father is also no longer with us, and I purchased his home. Whenever I hear the phoebes, I think of Professor Kummings and that story, every single time.
Brandy (former student) says
Professor Kummings was influential and inspirational. His enthusiasm in the classroom was fun and interesting. I am sorry for the families loss. His legacy will live on in all the lives he touched, and all the writers and literary lovers he influenced.
Jay McRoy says
Don was so welcoming of me when I joined the English Department in 2001. I will always remember his warmth, laughter, and generosity.
Kaitlyn Ulmer says
He was a wonderful teacher and will be greatly missed. He was the first professor who graded my work not just by content but also writing style and grammar. When I have taught, I have always followed his intensive grading style.
Amy Elizabeth MacDonald says
Professor Kummins was a great teacher and kind man. He will be sorely missed.
Fay Akindes says
Don’s office was a few doors down from mine at UW-Parkside. Although we were in different departments, he was generous with his time particularly when I was a junior faculty working toward tenure. He shared insights on research — to write a book or journal articles? .. I recall riding the Coach bus from Kenosha’s Brat Stop to O’Hare with Don and Pat. They were off on a European adventure; so happy… Peace to Don; deep sympathy and long hug to Pat.
Walter Graffin says
Many others have already cited Don’s stellar record as a teacher and
mentor, his scholarly accomplishments, his contributions to the larger
Parkside community. All of these I second. But there’s more to say.
He was a model for what an English professor should be and do. He believed in the importance of good writing and in the value of a wide
range of reading. He taught the attention to detail and clear analysis that is the basis for understanding not only of the books students read but also many of the problems they will face in life. So
it was that he believed in the English major as of very useful course of study. Over the many years he served, he made the English department and the students he taught better and wiser.
But, usually, I don’t think of Don the award winning teacher or Don
the poet, or Don the author of a truly impressive piece of scholarship, “Walt Whitman, An Encyclopedia.” I think of him as my friend. For many years he and I and Peter Martin were a band of brothers. I also think of the many times Don and I and friends played games, went to
plays, dined at interesting restaurants—in short, we had fun. Just as he made Parkside better, he made my life better. So I will miss him, and I will never forget him.
Pat Jensen says
I am so sad to hear of Dr. Kummings passing. He was my advisor in the mid-to-late 1980’s when I received my English degree from Parkside. His guidance and kindness will never be forgotten. It was because of an elective class I took with him that I changed my major from business to English. He made me a better writer and human. My condolences to the family.
Dennis Cunningham says
I took two or three classes with Dr. Kummings in 1973 and ’74, and enjoyed them thoroughly. In addition to his being a great teacher, I loved that he shared occasional stories about his life. He was warm and personable and opened up my eyes to new and distinct perspectives. He recommended Indiana University, Bloomington for graduate school and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience there. It was there that I met and fell in love with my future wife, Kathy. I think about him frequently and miss him. I hope we can meet again in the after life.