Cathleen Cummings

Cathleen Cummings born April 10, 1954 in St. Petersburg, FL.

Anyone who has spent any time in the publishing industry is familiar with Cate Cummings, and her successful Kansas City-based agency, Cate Cummings Publicity & Promotion Group. The distinguished publicist passed peacefully this morning at Truman Medical Center, after fighting like a champion against cancer.

Cate’s career has spanned more that twenty-five years, and many people in the publishing and promotions business have nothing but praise for her legacy of work. She has served prominent New York City publishers, and represented such best-selling celebrity authors as Deepac Chopra, Dominick Dunne, martha Stewart, Paul Monette, Judith Krantz and many others.

Cate’s entry into the book publicity field started when she served as director for the Children’s Special Books department at Simon & Schuster. She helped to pioneer the now industry standard of “Washable & Chewable” books for toddlers.

Before beginning her own company in 1991, Cate had been an agent at a highly visible, privately owned firm that publicized many nationally advertised books. She expanded her publicity and promotion career in 1986 with Crown Books, and again in 1990, with Random House when they purchased that venerable publishing company. As an event coordinator she spearheaded such major events as: The Plains of Passage, by Jean Auel; Passion for Classics, by Angel/EMI Records and The Texas Democratic Convention in New York at Lincoln Center, in 1992, which helped Bill Clinton win his first nomination for presidential candidacy.

After nearly ten years, Cate migrated her efforts towards seminal projects that placed her professional path firmly into new ground. She represented the wonderfully written and moving pictorial, Whale Nation, by Heathcoate Williams. Her success with Williams got the attention of well renowned author, Dr. Deepac Chopra, who retained Cate to represent his first two books, Perfect Health and Quantum Healing. Her success not only placed Chopra firmly in the public spotlight, but also propelled Cate as the preeminent publicist in representing nonfiction titles on metaphysics, spiritual, new age, new thought and alternative (also called integrative or complimentary).

Born in St. Petersburg, Florida, Cate has lived and worked in all four corners of the United States, including Hawaii, Alaska and New York. Prior to her publishing and promotional career, Cate was a successful health and hospital services administrator in both Florida and California, and a director and teacher with CETA in the state of Florida. She was an honor graduate of the Pine Crest School, and was the first degreed communications graduate of Florida Atlantic University.

Cate Cummings, 53, is survived by her longtime friend and companion, Mark Cona, along with hundreds of friends, and her five cats. Catie will be remembered for her quick wit, her compassionate treatment and advocacy of animals and her love of life. Funeral and memorial services will be at Heartland Cremation & Burial Society, 6113 Blue Ridge Blvd, Raytown, MO on January 8, 2008. If you wish to make a donation in Cate’s name, her favorite charity was “The Allycat Foundation”. She was also a supporter of “The American Cancer Society”

YOU WILL BE FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS, CATE CUMMINGS.