Memorial scholarship fund set up for fallen teacher
By GEORGIA PURDY Newsboy Correspondent

The family of Jasper High School teacher Charles Simmons, who died April 25, has set up a memorial scholarship fund at First Bank & Trust East Texas. The annual scholarship will go to a JHS student who is going into a career in education.

Simmons, whose career in education spanned 45 years, taught government and economics for the past 14 years at Jasper High School.

Born in Verda, LA, he graduated with a B.S. from Louisiana College in Pineville and received his Masters Degree from the University of Mississippi. He taught and coached at a number of Louisiana schools including Starks, Boothville-Venice, Belle Chase, and Colfax. He spent 25 years as principal at three of those schools.

After retiring in Louisiana, he spent only one year before he was back in the classroom, this time at Jasper High School.

"He loved teaching," his brother Kenneth, math teacher at JHS said. "Because of his 45 years as an educator, his wife and I and his whole family, wanted some young person to have that same opportunity, to be as good an educator as he was."

Kenneth Simmons said his brother Charles was always professional.

"Charles could always say things in a tactful way," he said. "He never tried to hurt a child's feelings. First and foremost, he was an educator. His whole persona, his interest and focus on what he was doing were part of that professionalism."

Charles could have stayed in retirement, living a life of ease up on Toledo Bend Lake, but the lure of the classroom never left him.

"He enjoyed the students and education was his passion," Kenneth said. "He loved teaching kids. He was a kids' teacher. They respected him because they knew he really cared about them. If he got onto a student, he might also put his arm around that same kid and give a hug because the student needed it."

Kenneth Simmons said that education was always important to his entire family.

"Education was always important in our family. Our father had to quit school early and he thought education was the road to success. When we were in college, we worked in the summer and enjoyed it, but when August rolled around, we could just look at our daddy and know he wanted us to go back to school. Five of the six of us taught school."

Jason Schofield and Kerry Mixon, both teachers at JHS, were also Charles Simmons' students in high school.

"He was always very disciplined and a good teacher," Schofield said. "You knew you had to behave in his class. I liked his class but I really liked to talk fishing with him. We could get him to talking about that in class but he didn't put up with anything. Pretty soon, he would say, 'We'll get back to fishing later,' and he would go on with class."

Kerry Mixon remembers the fish stories but also that he was a teacher students could talk to.

"I loved Mr. Simmons," Mixon said. "I could always go and talk with him. He gave us the same respect that we gave him. He expected us to come in the class and listen to what he was teaching. He was short and to the point. He didn't give out a lot of packets and talk about rules. He lectured, we took notes, and then he tested us. It was that simple.

"He also loved fishing and all the kids knew we could get him to talk about fishing. His whole face would light up and he would become so animated when he told fishing stories. He really was my favorite teacher.

"For students, he was very approachable. It was a neat experience for me to have been his student and then taught with him also."

Mixon is setting up a donation point in the school cafeteria where students can donate their change. That way, students also have an opportunity to participate in the scholarship fund.

Donors wanting to honor this man who gave 45 years of his life to education should make checks out to the Charles Simmons Memorial Scholarship Fund at First Bank & Trust East Texas. The main bank is located at 204 E. Lamar Street. The Jasper branch office is at 275 W. Gibson.