William Ferris Cummings graduated from SSU in 1973 and worked as an inspector with Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. Mr. Cummings was well-known for his community activities, especially those connected with Community Action, Inc. However a tragic, untimely death claimed his life at the age of thirty. The William Ferris Cummings Memorial Scholarship was established in 1980 by family and friends to honor his memory and is awarded to a minority freshman student pursuing a degree in social services or political science.