News

In Memoriam: Thomas Cummings Jr.

The Nashville, TN native built a national sign company after having landed the iconic Holiday Inn account.

Published

15 years ago

January 29, 2009

Jacob Rieskamp Signs of the Times January 2009 Issue

Thomas L. Cummings Jr., the founder and long-time CEO of Nashville, TN-based Cummings Inc., died at age 89 after an extended illness.

Thomas, whose father served as Nashville’s mayor from 1938 to 1951, started his company with $9,500, a month after he was discharged from the Army in 1946, after having served in the South Pacific. He wanted to, and did, establish a sign company with national reach.

In 1952, Cummings designed and built signage for the fledgling Holiday Inn chain, with its green and gold marquee and blinking arrow. Subsequent clients included Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Chevron and Bank of America. In 1967, Cummings & Co. went public with an initial stock offering; Tom Cummings repurchased its stock in 1983. The company had changed its name to Cummings Inc. in 1968.

Cummings retired from his company in 1999.

Cummings is survived by sons Thomas L. Cummings III and Timothy James Cummings; daughters Tammy Cummings Haggard and Tina Cummings Huggins; eight grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren. His wife, Ann James Cummings, passed away in 2005 after 57 years of marriage.

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