Last weekend the Academy family lost a dedicated friend and supporter in the passing of Barbara Young Simms, age 98.
Barbara and her husband Albert G. Simms II, M.D., were committed to advancing education in Albuquerque. The Simms family was instrumental in the development of Albuquerque Academy, as well as the founding of Sandia Preparatory School and Manzano Day School.
“Talking to her about our early history was an absolute joy,” says Head of School Andrew T. Watson. “And it was always marked by her incredible humility.”
A 62-Year Relationship
When she returned from a trip to Europe a few weeks into the start of her son’s seventh grade year in 1956, Barbara found that his school wasn’t very accommodating about the late start. So she enrolled him at The Academy for Boys – Albuquerque Academy’s original name – only in its second year. It was the beginning of a relationship with the Simms family that would provide the initial footing for the Academy and shape its future.
“Barbara was very pragmatic,” says Academy archivist Richard Adam. “She spent her love and energy on places that needed it.”
Gifts from Albert’s uncle, Albert Gallatin Simms, allowed the fledging Academy to move to its 27-acre campus on North Edith and later to the Wyoming campus site.
A Place of Honor
The Academy continues to benefit from the generosity of the Simms family and honor their commitment. The Simms Auditorium was named for Uncle Albert Simms; when the Academy dedicated its library in 2001 to Albert and Barbara, the couple was so modest about their role in the school’s development they initially assumed this building was also being named for Uncle Albert, Watson says. The library is a permanent reminder of their lifelong dedication to the education of children and their devotion to the highest ideals of learning.
Albert served on the Academy board for 25 years, including 10 years as president. Barbara was an honorary trustee. Each year at commencement, special seating is set aside for the Simms family. “Up until five years ago,” Watson says, “Albert and Barbara would attend. Now their daughter Maggie and other family members represent them. Even if none of the Simms family make it, we will always have seats of honor reserved for them.”
The Academy flag will fly at half staff next week in honor of Barbara Simms, and Watson will share the Simms story with the student body, ensuring that the Simms legacy lives on.
Fond Recollections
Former board members and Academy administrators shared these thoughts about Barbara:
“She led a remarkable life filled with service, compassion, and generosity and will be greatly missed. She was a dreamer, a doer, a philanthropist, a loyal friend, and the person behind the scenes who really got Albuquerque Academy off the ground and to the institution it is today. She was one of a kind and will be missed by many, many people.”
– Dick Elkins, former treasurer
“She was a kind, stately visionary, devoted to education. I vividly recall meeting her on a cool windy November day in 1965, during my interview for a job, when she and Albert drove me out to the future site of Albuquerque Academy, on a virtually empty mesa with hardly a structure of any kind in sight. There was a cattle tank and a couple of scraggly trees grew nearby – nothing else except Albert’s and Barbara’s vision of the future.”
– Bob Phillips, former assistant head of school
“She is one of the Academy saints.”
– Heidi Heard, former trustee
