By
MICHELLE SELLERS
Pauline Rhodd-Cummings lost her battle with cancer this week.
She was 56.
|
With spiritual hymns playing songs of
hope in the background, more than 300 politicians, constituents and Southeast Queens
residents filled First Presbyterian Russell Sage Memorial Church in Far Rockaway this week
to pay their respects to a dedicated public servant whose friends and family remember her
as, "the epitome of a lady."
Assemblywoman Pauline Rhodd-Cummings, the
woman who represented District 31 in Southeast Queens since 1998, lost her long battle
with cancer on Jan. 27 at the age of 56.
At her wake on Jan. 30, 15-year friend and
fellow politician State Senator Malcolm A. Smith called Cummings a "very genuine
person," and said there is no better example of the statement "the good die
young," than the loss of Cummings. "She was one of God’s angels without
question," he said. "It is a sad day for the Rockaways and a sad day for the
State."
As police stood guard at Cummings’
coffin, which was covered in glowing white cloth, family and friends paid their final
respects, tears flowing from their eyes. Pallbearers sang spiritual hymns, with the
hopeful lyrics, "I am no longer bound by physical body."
Mourners at the wake called the optimistic
lyrics appropriate for Cummings, who "was always smiling," according to District
23 City Councilman David Weprin. He said, "This comes as a terrible loss. She was
always smiling, full of life. Pauline was so full of life and energy. Hers will be a great
loss to Southeast Queens and its politics."
Born in the country of Jamaica on August 24, 1945, Cummings came to the United
States as a teenager in the 1950s with a certificate of accounting and computer skills
from the Alpha School of Commerce in Jamaica. Living in Brooklyn and the Bronx before
settling in Queens, Cummings dedicated herself to neighborhood causes and civic groups,
particularly the Deerfield Area Civic Association, which she became president of. She also
became a member of the Executive Board of the Rockaway Development and Revitalization
Corporation and was named vice president of the 101st Precinct Community Council.
Cummings’ entry in the 2000 Red Book details her
history making election as the first female Assembly memeber of Caribbean descent. |
After years of community work in these capacities, Cummings became the first
woman of Caribbean decent to be elected to State Assembly in 1998, when she won a special
election for the seat held by Gregory Meeks, who left to accept an elected position in the
United States House of Representatives.
Cummings,
a longtime resident of Far Rockaway and a lifelong Democrat, always remembered her
immigrant roots, according to District 27 City Councilman Leroy Comrie, who was friends
with Cummings for 10 years. He said, "Pauline Cummings was a very positive person.
She had a lot of class, dignity, and strength within the community and never forgot her
roots. She treated every individual with respect and was respected." He added,
"She was very interested in minority and women’s rights. She was an activist and
an elected official."
Cummings
worked hard on immigrant issues, and was able to bring many issues of concern to the
immigrant community to the floor of the Assembly.
Because
of her dedication service, Caribbean Immigrant Services, a group dedicated to helping
Caribbean immigrants, honored her in 2000.
Sheldon
Silver, the Speaker of the Assembly, said of Cummings at her wake, "As the first
woman of Caribbean descent ever elected to the state Assembly, Pauline Rhodd-Cummings was
known among her colleagues as a warm and gracious individual," Silver said. "She
was an effective legislator committed to those she represented." He added that she
"was deeply committed to immigrant issues and the seniors she represented. As a
long-time friend, I am deeply saddened by this loss."
Passionate Public Service |
During her short tenure, Cummings earned the respect of organizations around her
district for her hard work and constant efforts.
She acted
as chair of Community Board 14’s Economic Development Committee, and Board 14
District Manager Jonathan Gaska told the PRESS, "At the Community Board,
I’ve known her for over 10 years. She’s a personal friend, and a driving force
who will be missed."
Several
local groups honored the "driving force" during her days in office, including
Community School Board 27, Gateway Council and Committee, Caribbean Immigrant Services,
the Rockaway Development and Revitalization Corporation, and several hospitals and church
groups.
Fellow
Southeast Queens Assemblyman William Scarborough said of Cummings, "She was not loud,
or vocal. She was persistent in seeking out benefits and resources for the community.
People in Rockaway will see the quality of her work . . . She was always a lady. A
tremendous legislator. Her passing greatly saddens me."
Cummings secured funds for several projects while in office, including renovating
the Mott Avenue subway station, replacing coal furnaces at P.S. 106 and Far Rockaway High
School with a dual-fuel furnace, establishing an after-school recreational and violence
prevention program to be administered by Community District 27, and improving Jamaica Bay
and Bergin Basin.
Twenty-year
friend and Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer said, "Her goal and her mission was to
provide for her community and her constituents in which she did very well in the very
short time she was here."
Cummings
also provided victims of a severe 1999 flood with financial relief and helped with the
renovation of a dilapidated building located at 6200 Beach Channel Drive. Largely because
of her efforts, there are plans to turn the building into an annex of York College.
Smith
said Cummings did the work selflessly, and said, "When I was working for Congressman
Floyd Flake, we worked together on flooding, tree pruning - everyday things. She never
asked for anything in return."
Cummings
also affected her community as a member of the Assembly’s Children and Families
Committee, Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee, Economic Development
Committee, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry Committee, and Small Business Committee.
Borough
President Helen Marshall said of Cummings, "She loved serving her community and was a
passionate advocate for the needs of her constituents . . . Her work on the Children and
Families Committee and the Committees for Economic Development and Job Creation, Commerce
and Industry enabled her to make a lasting impression on the lives of the people she
served."
While a tough and passionate legislator, Cummings had a softer side that her
friends and family will never forget.
Congressman
Gregory Meeks said, "I lost a great friend and colleague. I am saddened along with
the community because she deeply cared about people."
Meeks
said that before Cummings was elected to the Assembly, she was a strong civic leader who
led her people to victory – but always as a lady. "She was always eloquent and
ladylike," he said. "I’ll always remember that about her."
State
Senator Ada Smith agreed, and said, "Pauline was a beautiful person who encompassed
politics and knew her district well . . . My condolences go out to the family and her
constituents." She added, "It will be hard to replace her."
A special
election will be held to find a new representative for Cummings’ district, which
includes the neighborhoods of Far Rockaway, South Ozone Park, Kennedy Airport, Rosedale,
Laurelton, Springfield Gardens and part of Richmond Hill. The date is unannounced, but
Meeks said, "She will be a hard act to follow."
Southeast
Queens Says Goodbye |
Cummings’ funeral was held on Jan. 31 at the Church of St. Luke and St.
Matthew in Brooklyn. She was buried at Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens, where dozens
of people said goodbye to a "wonderful person and politician," Meeks said.
Cummings
leaves behind her husband Michael and her daughter Andrea.
Assemblywoman
Barbara Clark said at Cummings’ wake, "Pauline was a very proud and dedicated
assemblywoman who knew what she wanted to do when she came into office. She worked very
hard on the different services and initiatives, a lot of which are incomplete because she
was here such a short time." She added, sadly but confidently, "She served her
community well."
