Dr. Charles E. Cummings was born on October 2, 1931. A proud Richmonder and Churchill youth, he graduated from Maggie Walker High School in 1949. After serving in the U.S. Air Force in the Korean War, he received his B.S. degree in biology from Virginia Union University. He then went on to Howard University for medical school, getting his M.D. in 1962.

Dr. Charles E. Cummings was an active member of community-based and national organizations. Among them, serving as former Sire Archon of Alpha Beta Boule, the former President of the Old Dominion Medical Society, the former President of the Richmond Medical Society, a board member of the Richmond Symphony, and a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. He and his best friend, Dr. Walton Belle, founded the 1540 Broadcasting Corp. which eventually grew into a conglomerate of two FM and one AM radio stations. His close friend, the Honorable Douglas L. Wilder made an official proclamation making Dr. Cummings, the Honorary Mayor of Church Hill.