James "Jim" Cummings Jr., who was a pivotal Republican operative and the last living founder of Indiana Black Expo, died late Thursday at age 90 of a heart attack.

Back in 1970, Cummings and fellow community activist Willard B. Ransom took out a $20,000 loan from Merchants National Bank with plans to create a statewide organization for blacks to use as a support system.

An influential pastor, the Rev. Dr. Andrew J. Brown, helped them start and promote Indiana Black Expo from the ground up. Both Brown and Ransom died in the mid-1990s.

The inaugural exhibition, now called Summer Celebration, was held June 19-20, 1971, in the Exposition Hall at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Cummings was the first general chairman. The celebration of history and culture draws thousands of visitors and celebrities to downtown Indianapolis each year.

Times have changed. Simply using the word "black" in the title in the 1970s, Cummings told IndyStar for a 40th anniversary story in 2010, was a statement.

"A lot of people still called us 'colored,'" he said. "We named it 'Black' Expo. We were moving toward that term. It was progressive."

It's believed to be the only event of its kind remaining from the 1970s.

The seed of the idea came from three women, Phyllis Carr, Helen Perkins and Barbara Wilson, according to IndyStar archives, who worked for Operation Bread Basket and had attended the Southern Christian Leadership Conference exposition in Chicago in 1970.

They huddled with Brown to share ideas from the conference. Operation Break Basket, which sought to improve the lives of black people, helped promote the first Indiana Black Expo.

This year's Summer Celebration was cancelled Thursday due to concerns with the novel coronavirus.

"Considering our announcement yesterday," said Alice Watson, a vice president at Indiana Black Expo, "it's bittersweet to think that one of the persons who was involved in the creation of Indiana Black Expo passed on the same day. It makes it ever more important and relevant that we continue the vision that was set forward in 1970."

Working for the Recorder

Cummings was born on the West Side, according to his obituary, and earned a bachelor's degree in business from Indiana Central University, now called the University of Indianapolis.

He served as a sergeant in the Korean War and was active in the VFW, according to his obituary. He worked as a journalist for many years for The Indianapolis Recorder.

In fact, his youngest daughter, Claudia Cummings, said he struck up a longtime friendship with Eugene S. Pulliam, the former publisher of The Indianapolis Star, when both would go out on assignment as young men. Back then, the elder Eugene C. Pulliam was the publisher of The Star and Eugene S. Pulliam was a reporter.

"As recently as a month or two ago," Claudia said, "he was telling me stories from the newsroom about how he and 'Little' Pulliam, as he would call Eugene, would go out on assignments together to cover crimes and fires. They would share their notes with one another so both the Recorder and The Star had everything."

He also worked in real estate, helping to found The Meadows, and later opened the namesake Cummings Real Estate.

He recalled that decision in a 2005 profile in The Indianapolis Star.

"When I first went into this business. my wife said, 'Why don't you join Tucker?'" Cummings recalled, referring to F.C. Tucker realty. "I said, 'Why should I join Tucker? I'm a broker just like Tucker. My name is known in the community just as well as Tucker.'"

A lifelong Republican

Cummings was heavily involved in the Republican Party, helping found the National Black Republican Council.

As its director, he oversaw operations in 20 states during President Ronald Reagan's 1980 election, according to his obituary. In 1985, he was appointed deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Former deputy mayor Joe Slash said there were so many black Republicans in the club back in those days they could fill a good sized hotel ballroom for their meetings.

When Slash worked in Republican Bill Hudnut’s administration, his path would often cross with Cummings, who he said served on various boards. Slash indicated Indiana Black Expo was a milestone for the black community

“I think it gave a lot of people in our community a sense of pride that we had a lot of things to celebrate culturally and historically,” Slash said.

Former Lt. Gov. John Mutz, who served with Gov. Robert Orr in the 1980s, recalls running in a primary race for a Statehouse seat in 1964 against Cummings.

They both lost that primary, but got to know each other in near daily campaign events and stayed in touch afterward.

'Well, here was a guy with a lot of creativity, a lot of energy and a good sense of humor," Mutz said.

The family has been sorting through photos, including ones of their father with every Republican president from Dwight D. Eisenhower to George W. Bush. The latter was the keynote speaker at the 2005 Indiana Black Expo Corporate Luncheon that honored Cummings' career.

Cummings is in photos with Ronald Reagan, whom he especially admired, over decades.

Claudia, who also is a Republican, said her father was drawn to the party ideology of personal responsibility and progress.

"I think that is what my dad taught us," she said, "the responsibility of each individual to themselves and that of the government to see to the needs that we can't meet as individuals and also to ensure a strong economy."

She said that same principle was the foundation of Black Expo. It was a family affair, especially in the early days. She remembers licking envelopes for letters. Later, as the Expo grew and was professionalized, she recalls attending concerts and other events.

Cummings liked to carry around a camera and take photos everywhere he went, before it became fashionable on social media, Claudia joked. His contact list had no rival.

"My father was as they say, larger than life," she said. "He knew everyone. We couldn't walk down the street, drive Downtown or appear in a restaurant without him engaging in conversation with folks from all walks of life."

Cummings' legacy

His wife, Norma L. Cummings, died in 2014. She also worked in public service, in the Auditor's Office at the Statehouse.

Claudia said, in addition to founding Indiana Black Expo, he was proud to have fathered five successful children with careers spanning public service to newspaper reporter to charitable foundation.

His daughter Cynthia Cummings (Mary Hunsche) works as a vice chancellor at UMass Dartmouth.

His son James Cummings III (Karlotta Cummings) is retired from the Indianapolis Department of Public Works.

His daugther Cecilia Cummings (Stephen Glynn) is a former reporter for The Indianapolis Star and Chicago Sun-Times.

His son Ronald Cummings (Lisa Cummings) founded Young Republicans for Change, a 1990s group for young African Americans.

Claudia (Michael Rains) is the president and CEO Indiana Philanthropy Alliance.

In addition to his children and their spouses, he is survived by seven grandchildren, three step-grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.

Contact IndyStar reporter Chris Sikich at Chris.Sikich@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisSikich.