Biographical Note
Nora B. Cummins was born July 18, 1882. She attended the University of
Minnesota where she received her B.A. She then attended Columbia University
where she earned her M.A. Cummins also received special training at the South
Dakota Normal and Industrial School. Cummins began her career at the Washington
State Normal School at Bellingham (which would later become Western Washington
University) in the fall of 1915 as a supervisor of student teachers. She
chaired the Social Studies department on several occasions, acted as dean in
1938, and during World War II was Acting Registrar. When she retired in 1951,
she was a Professor of Political Science. The records in the collection are
from her work on two committees spanning from 1936 to 1946. One was the Whatcom
County Advisory Committee on Social Security. This committee was created in
response to the passage of the Social Security Act on August 14, 1935 and it
played an advisory role concerning public relief. Cummins served on one of the
sub-committees. Cummins also served as chairman on the Consumer Interest
Committee. It was organized on January 26, 1942 as the Bellingham Consumer
Representative's Council and worked with the Office of Price Administration
(OPA) in Washington D.C. The Council became the Consumer Interest Committee in
May of 1943 and functioned under the Civilian Defense Council. It worked to
educate local consumers on price fixing and rationing during WWII. Nora Cummins
died in Santa Rosa, California May 15 1974.
Content Description
The Nora B. Cummins papers, spanning the years 1936 to 1946, document
her participation in two committees in Bellingham, Washington. Her records from
the Whatcom County Advisory Committee on Social Security document the
committee's role in studying public assistance and the recommendations it made
to the Council Commissioners in matters regarding public relief. The records of
this committee contain correspondence and administrative material such as
reports and minutes from meetings. The collection also contains newspaper
clippings that Cummins compiled regarding the committee's work and Social
Security laws. The records from the Consumer Interest Committee documents
Cummins' role in assisting consumers in understanding the price fixing system
and rationing. The records also show how the committee worked to educate
consumers on how to be economical buyers during WWII in order to conserve
products and control inflation. The collection contains correspondence,
administrative records, directives from the OPA, pamphlets, and newspaper
clippings related to the activities of the Council as well as information
related to the OPA.