Mr. Cummings was born to W.B. and Alice Holmes Cummings in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Jan. 19, 1926. He was raised in New Rochelle, N.Y., where he attended Isaac Young High School.

In 1943, at the age of 17, Bill, as he was then known, enlisted in the Army Air Corps. Mr. Cummings trained as a mechanic, tail gunner and worked in the control tower at airfields around the U.S. and in the Pacific.

As a student at Amherst College, Bart, as he became known to his fraternity brothers at Psi Upsilon, pitched varsity baseball and played in the line for the Amherst football team. He graduated in 1951.

After college, Bart Cummings found work in Connecticut as a buyer for U.S. Rubber and consulting with Alexander Proudfoot & Co. A job with National Sugar brought Bart to New York City at the end of the 1950s. He met Margaret Murray Smith there, while on holidays in Vermont and Fire Island, and they were married in 1961.

Mr. Cummings spent most of his working life at New York Federal Savings & Loan, eventually rising to the position of president. He retired in 1989, moving first to Bradford, Vt., and then 10 years later to Tryon, where he was active in the Rotary Club and golfing.

William Barton Cummings is survived by his wife of 47 years, Margaret Murray Cummings; two children, Robert and Allison. Also surviving are two grandchildren, Gavin and Audrey Davies.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday,

Dec. 30, 2008 in Tryon Presbyterian Church.

The family will receive friends immediately following the service in the fellowship hall of Tryon Presbyterian Church.

Memorials can be made to the Tryon Rotary Scholarships Fund, P.O. Box 122, Tryon, N.C. 28782.

An online guest register can be signed at www.mcfarlandfuneralchapel.com.

McFarland Funeral Chapel of Tryon is in charge of arrangements.

‐ paid obituary