East Washington park renamed for Cumer
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
East Washington Borough Council members Kris LaGreca, left, and Daniel Bird, right, unveil the memorial to Nicholas Cumer, who died in August 2019 at the age of 25 while protecting co-workers from a mass shooter.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
East Washington Borough Park was renamed Nicholas Cumer Park at a dedication ceremony held Sunday.
Hundreds gathered at East Washington Borough Park Sunday, where the park was renamed Nicholas Cumer Park to honor the Washington High School and St. Francis University graduate who was killed shielding two co-workers during a 2019 mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio. The St. Francis University band, of which Cumer had been a member, performed during the ceremony. Former councilman Matt Boice read statements that friends and former teachers shared about Cumer, “a kid who wanted to better the world every day.” State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Carroll Township, issued a proclamation recognizing Cumer’s actions. Cumer had obtained his master’s degree in cancer care from St. Francis and had planned to work in that field.