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US Army Women’s Foundation honors Edna Cummings — App State alumna and military trailblazer

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Retired Col. Edna W. Cummings ’78, center, is inducted into the U.S. Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame. Cummings is the first African American female graduate of Appalachian State University’s ROTC program. Photo submitted

“While living on military bases, I admired the professionalism and confidence that the members of the Women Army’s Corps seemed to have. I feel the military gave me the opportunity to impact a few lives and contribute to the nation and my community.”

Retired Col. Edna W. Cummings ’78

By Jan Todd
Posted March 20, 2020 at 4:33 p.m.

BOONE, N.C. — Retired Col. Edna W. Cummings ’78 — the first African American female ROTC graduate from Appalachian State University — was inducted into the U.S. Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame on March 11.

Cummings, who was honored for her “exceptional contributions to women in the Army,” has been instrumental in obtaining long overdue recognition of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion — the world’s first all-black female battalion that was sent from the U.S. to serve in parts of Europe during World War II.

“While living on military bases, I admired the professionalism and confidence that the members of the Women Army’s Corps seemed to have. I feel the military gave me the opportunity to impact a few lives and contribute to the nation and my community.”

Retired Col. Edna W. Cummings ’78

A native of Fayetteville, Cummings had a distinguished 25-year military career, during which she was a leader and role model in positions first open to women, including the following:

  • ROTC leadership instructor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
  • Reserve forces advisor to the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
  • Chief of emergency operations for the Office of the Chief of Army Reserve.
  • Watch officer in the Pentagon’s Army Operations Center.
  • Specialist in emergency preparedness and human capital management at the Pentagon and the First U.S. Army facility in Fort Gillem, Georgia.

She now operates Cummings and Cummings LLC, a consulting firm in the Washington, D.C., area that specializes in management and proposal services for federal and commercial clients.

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The medal Appalachian alumna and retired Col. Edna W. Cummings ’78 received as part of her 2020 induction into the U.S. Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame. The U.S. Army Women’s Foundation recognizes and honors the service of women in the Army and supports the Army Women’s Museum in Fort Lee, Virginia. Photo submitted

View larger image

Retired Col. Edna W. Cummings ’78, center, met with a group of Appalachian students who traveled to Washington, D.C., in summer 2019 for “Washington at Work: Women, Power and Politics,” a Summer Sessions course sponsored by the university’s Department of Government and Justice Studies. Photo submitted

Through her involvement with the Buffalo Soldier Educational and Historical Committee — a nonprofit organization that preserves and promotes the history of African American military units — Cummings helped raise funds for a monument honoring the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, dedicated in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in November 2018.

In early 2019, Cummings served as the producer of the documentary film “The Six Triple Eight,” which explores the battalion’s work in clearing the backlog of mail in Europe — over 17 million pieces — to help soldiers stay in touch with their loved ones back home. Cummings said she is now working with Congress to award the unit a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor in the U.S.

Cummings, who was part of a military family, said she chose Appalachian for its ROTC program.

“While living on military bases, I admired the professionalism and confidence that the members of the Women’s Army Corps seemed to have,” she said. “I wanted to become an Army officer and joined ROTC as a freshman. I feel the military gave me the opportunity to impact a few lives and contribute to the nation and my community.”

She said the sense of obligation and concern for community drives her continued participation at Appalachian, where she earned a B.S. in social sciences–education with an undergraduate teaching certificate.

Cummings served on the Appalachian State University Foundation Inc. Board of Directors from 2014–18. She also helped establish the Appalachian Warrior Fund to provide scholarships for honorably discharged and disabled veterans and their children and became active in Appalachian’s African American Alumni Network to provide scholarships to underrepresented students.

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Appalachian Warrior Fund established to assist veterans and their children
Appalachian Warrior Fund established to assist veterans and their children
Jan. 23, 2015

The scholarship fund is for honorably discharged and disabled veterans and their children who have been admitted and enrolled at the university.

Read the story
ROTC’s first commissioned black woman
ROTC’s first commissioned black woman
Diversity and Inclusion at Appalachian
Nov. 12, 2012

After graduating from Appalachian in 1978, Edna W. Cummings embarked on a distinguished career in the U.S. Army. The first commissioned African-American female ROTC graduate at Appalachian, Cummings rose through the military ranks to that of colonel, retiring in 2003.

Read the story

About the Reich College of Education

Appalachian State University offers one of the largest undergraduate teacher preparation programs in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. The Reich College of Education enrolls more than 2,000 students in its bachelor's, master's, education specialist and doctoral degree programs. With so many teacher education graduates working in the state, there is at least one RCOE graduate teaching in every county in North Carolina. Learn more at https://rcoe.appstate.edu.

About the Department of Military Science and Leadership

One of seven departments housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, Appalachian’s Department of Military Science and Leadership is home to the Mountaineer Battalion. Established in 1969, the program provides students with training to develop self-discipline, physical stamina and poise, as well as the organizational and motivational skills that contribute to success in any career. Students who complete the ROTC program earn credits for a minor in military science and leadership and are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army, Army Reserves or Army National Guard upon graduation. Learn more at https://rotc.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

“While living on military bases, I admired the professionalism and confidence that the members of the Women Army’s Corps seemed to have. I feel the military gave me the opportunity to impact a few lives and contribute to the nation and my community.”

Retired Col. Edna W. Cummings ’78

Appalachian Warrior Fund established to assist veterans and their children
Appalachian Warrior Fund established to assist veterans and their children
Jan. 23, 2015

The scholarship fund is for honorably discharged and disabled veterans and their children who have been admitted and enrolled at the university.

Read the story
ROTC’s first commissioned black woman
ROTC’s first commissioned black woman
Diversity and Inclusion at Appalachian
Nov. 12, 2012

After graduating from Appalachian in 1978, Edna W. Cummings embarked on a distinguished career in the U.S. Army. The first commissioned African-American female ROTC graduate at Appalachian, Cummings rose through the military ranks to that of colonel, retiring in 2003.

Read the story

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Share your feedback on this story.

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

The migration of materials from other sites is still incomplete, so if you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Additional feature stories may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Photo galleries and videos published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian

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Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

The migration of materials from other sites is still incomplete, so if you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Additional feature stories may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Photo galleries and videos published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
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