1967 Fredericton Encaenia
Cummings, Nathan
Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Orator: Cattley, Robert E.D.
Image
Image Caption
L to R: Sir Max Aitken, Nathan Cummings
Second Image Caption
Source: 1967 Encaenia Composite
Citation:
ENCAENIA, MAY, 1967
NATHAN CUMMINGS
to be Doctor of Laws
Nathan Cummings entered the world in Saint John, N.B., and at fourteen was in business -- as a messenger boy in Boston. He is now Chairman of the Board of Consolidated Foods Corporation.
He has built his business on four adamantine foundations. The first, Integrity, he learned from his parents, and practised when he personally paid back every creditor every dollar in a limited liability company (his own) which went 'broke'. With Integrity came Credit; with Credit Public Participation, which to Cummings means not merely shares but Sharing; and finally Autonomy.
Consolidated Foods he terms an "Autonoplex", but possibly this should be "Autonoflex" since flexibility is one golden key to its success. A mere youth among corporations and celebrating in 1964 only a Silver Anniversary, it notched up sales last year of close on $848 million. No unsubstantial portion of these derived from Canada.
Cummings, who enjoys his well earned fortune, is anxious for the public to share his enjoyment. A great civic benefactor of Chicago, his display of pre-Columbian artifacts at Manhattan's Metropolitan Museum is one of the world's finest, and his art collection numbers, in his own phrase, "100 very, very good paintings and 500 fun ones".
A year ago he purchased Picasso's Woman with Flowers for $92,500. For most of us this would be no "fun", though it may well be for "Nate", who has as shrewd an eye for canvasses as he has for companies.
The Province is proud of her nursling, and in her name and that of his native city we would inscribe our Doctorate on the roll of his honours and decorations.
From:
Cattley, Robert E.D. Honoris causa: the effervescences of a university orator. Fredericton: UNB Associated Alumnae, 1968.
NATHAN CUMMINGS
to be Doctor of Laws
Nathan Cummings entered the world in Saint John, N.B., and at fourteen was in business -- as a messenger boy in Boston. He is now Chairman of the Board of Consolidated Foods Corporation.
He has built his business on four adamantine foundations. The first, Integrity, he learned from his parents, and practised when he personally paid back every creditor every dollar in a limited liability company (his own) which went 'broke'. With Integrity came Credit; with Credit Public Participation, which to Cummings means not merely shares but Sharing; and finally Autonomy.
Consolidated Foods he terms an "Autonoplex", but possibly this should be "Autonoflex" since flexibility is one golden key to its success. A mere youth among corporations and celebrating in 1964 only a Silver Anniversary, it notched up sales last year of close on $848 million. No unsubstantial portion of these derived from Canada.
Cummings, who enjoys his well earned fortune, is anxious for the public to share his enjoyment. A great civic benefactor of Chicago, his display of pre-Columbian artifacts at Manhattan's Metropolitan Museum is one of the world's finest, and his art collection numbers, in his own phrase, "100 very, very good paintings and 500 fun ones".
A year ago he purchased Picasso's Woman with Flowers for $92,500. For most of us this would be no "fun", though it may well be for "Nate", who has as shrewd an eye for canvasses as he has for companies.
The Province is proud of her nursling, and in her name and that of his native city we would inscribe our Doctorate on the roll of his honours and decorations.
From:
Cattley, Robert E.D. Honoris causa: the effervescences of a university orator. Fredericton: UNB Associated Alumnae, 1968.
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