Annette C. and Harold C. Simmons |
Annette Caldwell Simmons was born in Tyler, Texas. She earned a B.S. degree in elementary education from Southern Methodist University in 1957. After graduating, she taught second and third grade at Maple Lawn Elementary School in Dallas and at Clark Field, a U.S. air base in the Philippines. She married Harold Simmons in 1980.
Annette Simmons is a former member of the board of SMU's Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture Series. She has been active in numerous other SMU programs, such as the Women's Investment Series, Dallas Christian Leadership at SMU, Kappa Alpha Theta alumna group, Godbey Lecture Series and other Dedman College activities.
Her civic activities include board service for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Parkland Foundation and National Kidney Foundation of Texas. She co-chaired the Alexis de Tocqueville benefit for United Way. Her community activities also include such organizations as Family Gateway Inc., The Family Place, Ronald McDonald House, Salvation Army and Interfaith Coalition's Apartments for Homeless. Among her honors are the Crystal Charity Ball Hall of Fame Award, the Champ Award of the Dallas County Medical Society Alliance and the Excellence in Community Service award of the Dallas Historical Society. Most recently, she is a recipient of the YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas Centennial Award, recognizing 100 Dallas women who have made lasting civic contributions to Dallas. Harold and Annette Simmons together received the Southwestern Medical Foundation's Charles Cameron Sprague Community Service Award and the Annette G. Strauss Humanitarian Award.
Harold and Annette Simmons are the largest local charitable donors in the city's history. Dallas medical institutions and programs are a major emphasis of their philanthropy. Gifts to Children's Medical Center of Dallas include the Annette Simmons Heart Hospital and gifts for research, neuro-oncology and continuity-of-care programs. Their support of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas has focused particularly on research programs, with special emphasis on arthritis and cancer research. They also have supported the arts through gifts including the Annette and Harold Simmons Glass Façade for the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts.