A 90th birthday offers a natural occasion to look backward. The tributes collected for Jack Cumming’s September 9 birthday do that—but they also point unmistakably forward. Again and again, Jack’s friends and colleagues describe someone who, at 90, is still asking difficult questions about the future of senior living and urging residents and providers alike to do better.
Penn State Dickinson Law Professor Katherine Pearson recalls meeting Jack some twenty years ago as she began studying consumer protections in Continuing Care Retirement Communities. Jack became, she writes, her “most important tutor,” helping her understand economics, accounting, actuarial science, law—and the dangers of accepting appearances too readily. One lesson has remained with her: “do not be beguiled by superficial details.”
That combination of intellectual rigor and willingness to teach appears throughout the collection. Susan Farkas remembers discovering Jack through the NaCCRA Forums and gradually realizing the extraordinary breadth of knowledge behind his modest manner. For prospective residents, she writes, Jack did more than advocate: “he also empowers prospects to make educated life decisions.”
Karen Miller puts the point simply: “There is no better advocate for residents of retirement communities than Jack Cumming.” She credits him with helping residents understand both the benefits and potential pitfalls of the communities they chose to call home.
Others emphasize Jack’s ability to see beyond immediate controversies. Former NaCCRA President Ann MacKay calls him the “prophet” because “he sees where we need to be,” particularly in advancing resident engagement and empowerment. She also recalls a period when Jack’s own time and financial support helped keep NaCCRA functioning.
His actuarial background helps explain some of that perspective. Jack spent his professional career in life insurance, a field built around measuring long-term promises and ensuring that resources will exist when those promises come due. In his own autobiographical essay included in the tribute, however, Jack reveals another side of his intellectual life: his deep grounding in history and the humanities. He argues that historians are equipped “to foresee change, to set change into context, to recognize practical innovation,” skills he carried into business and later into senior-living advocacy.
That breadth helps explain why Jack has never been merely a critic of the CCRC industry. His concern has been whether institutions can become financially sound, ethically responsible, transparent, and worthy of the trust residents place in them.
Perhaps the NaCCRA Board’s tribute best captures the Jack Cumming his friends know today: “Jack shows up—again and again.” At 90, his enthusiasm, curiosity, and determination remain intact. NaCCRA has benefited enormously from his wisdom, advocacy, generosity, and friendship.