Material donated by Joseph B. Cumming in 2009

Joseph B. Cumming III (February 26, 1926-March 9, 2020) Born in Augusta, from one of its first families (an ancestor Thomas Cumming was the first Intendant or Mayor of Augusta), Cumming was known primarily for his work as a Newsweek reporter and Atlanta bureau chief from 1957-1979. He taught journalism at West Georgia College, now the University of West Georgia, from 1981-1991. His output as a writer spanned many genres. He won the Poetry Book Award from the Dixie Council of Authors and Journalists in 1983 for his collection of poems Family Secret. In an undated letter contained in this collection Cumming wrote that he considered “Out of the Wilderness” to be crucial to his being hired at Newsweek in 1957. Since he had been paid for writing “Out of the Wilderness” it helped establish his credentials as a professional writer.