William James Simmons

William James Simmons, 91, died at his home on November 24, 2007.
Born in Utica, Mississippi in 1916 to the late Dayton Cooper Simmons and Annie Belle Ferguson Simmons, Mr. Simmons was a direct descendent on the maternal side of his family of pioneer families from the Abbeville District of South Carolina, including General Andrew Pickens, John Houston, Major William Alexander Noble and John C. Calhoun. Both sides of his family were pioneer families of Mississippi in the early 1800's.
Mr. Simmons grew up in Jackson, attending Jackson Public Schools, Millsaps College and Mississippi College from which he graduated with honors. Post graduate work at the Institut de Touraine, Tours, France, followed graduation from college and resulted in early involvement in World War II, during which he served with the Royal Engineers of the British Army in the British West Indian Command and with the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C.
After the war Mr. Simmons lived in New Orleans for four years while engaged in the import-export trade with French Indo-China and in non-scheduled air freight operations in the U.S. and Central America. Thereafter Mr. Simmons worked in Lake Charles, Louisiana as Chief Accountant and Assistant Treasurer of Louisiana Natural Gas Corporation. In 1954 he returned to Jackson to work in the publishing, school administration and foundation administration fields for 35 years. During those years Mr. Simmons appeared on numerous television programs and spoke before audiences throughout the nation, including special lectures at a number of colleges and universities including Yale, Notre Dame and the University of Hawaii, and wrote many articles and papers.
Mr. Simmons was commended by the Mississippi Legislature for his participation in "The Search for America" a TV/film series produced by the National Education Television Center for nation-wide distribution and for writing a chapter in the book of the same title published by Prentice-Hall.
Active in establishing independent schools throughout the South, Mr. Simmons served as Secretary of the Mississippi Private School Association and President of the Southern Independent School Association.
Mr. Simmons was a member of First Presbyterian Church, the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, Kappa Alpha Order, Sons of Confederate Veterans, the Civil War Roundtable and the Sons of the American Revolution, as well as an honorary lifetime member of the Yale Political Union. He also was a member of and served as President of the Downtown Jackson Association.
In his "retirement," Mr. Simmons established The Fairview Inn, a bed and breakfast inn in his childhood family home in the Belhaven neighborhood, which he operated with his wife, Carol N. Simmons until its sale following his 90th birthday. The Fairview Inn received widespread recognition, including being named the Most Outstanding Inn in North America by Conde Nast magazine in 2004. Simmons served as a charter member and President of the Bed and Breakfast Association of Mississippi and was active in the Professional Association of Innkeepers International and in the Select Registry of Distinguished Inns of North America.
Simmons is survived by: his wife, Carol; his son, William James Ferguson Simmons, Jr. of Memphis, Tenn.; his stepdaughters, Frances Lynch and her husband, Skip, of Ocala, Fla. and Melissa McClellan and her husband, Todd, of Jackson; and his grandchildren, Rookh McClellan and Michael McClellan of Jackson and Tyler Lynch and Raine Lynch of Ocala, Fla. He is also survived by many loved neices and nephews.
He was predeceased by his parents, his brother, Dayton Cooper Simmons, Jr., his sister, Sara C. Lawson, and his daughter, Katherine Elizabeth Simmons.
Visitation will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Jackson from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. today. The funeral service will follow at 1:30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to First Presbyterian Church, 1390 North State Street, Jackson, Mississippi.