Harriet Simmons

Harriet Ann Simmons 1923 - 2012 Harriet Ann Simmons passed away on October 31st, due to Alzheimer's Disease, at age 88. She was born December 26, 1923 in the farming community of Kingsley, Iowa to Harold and Fairy Paulin Mulford. After graduating from Union High School, in Kingsley, she attended business college and then went to work for the FBI in Washington, DC. In 1943, she joined the US Navy as a WAVE. She was sent to Hunter's College in New York and on to Yeoman School in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She was first stationed in the Chaplain's office in Farragut, Idaho and then in Seattle, Washington. The Naval Station in Seattle is where Harriet met her future husband, Robert "Bob" Simmons. They were married in Seattle on August 11, 1946. They then moved to Eugene, where they resided all their married life. Harriet attended the University of Oregon and received a Bachelor's Degree in 1953 and a Master's Degree in Educational Administration in 1961. She worked for the Bethel School District for 30 years, first as a Speech Therapist and then as Director of Special Education until her retirement in 1983. In 1979 Harriet was elected the Grand President of Alpha Delta Kappa, an International honorary teaching sorority. She took a year's leave of absence from her school district position, while she traveled extensively throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico, on behalf of the sorority. In 1982, when she finished her presidential duties, Harriet chose to establish a scholarship through the Oregon State Scholarship commission. The Oregon Alpha Delta Kappa-Harriet Simmons Scholarship is awarded annually to aid students enrolled in teaching programs. After both Harriet and Bob retired from the Bethel School District, they spent many winter months beachcombing on their favorite Hawaiian island of Kauai. They also enjoyed ocean cruises and took repeated trips to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Alaska. Throughout her retirement Harriet continued to do work for her sorority, as well as the League of Women Voters and for Wesley United Methodist Church. Harriet is survived by her daughter, Linda Simmons Gil, of Eugene, and six nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Bob, in 2005, her brother, Harold Mulford, and her sister, Barbara Wells. No services are planned. Private inurnment will be at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland. Remembrances may be made to the Harriet Simmons/Alpha Delta Kappa Scholarship Fund, c/o Oregon Community Foundation, 1221 SW Yamhill, Portland, OR 97205 or to Sacred Heart Hospice.