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Biography
Born in Savannah, Ga. in 1943, Dr. Edward Gordon Simmons has spent most of his life in Georgia. Graduating with honors from Savannah High School, he attended Mercer University then did graduate study at Vanderbilt University where he earned an M.A. and a Ph.D.
He taught history at Appalachian State University in North Carolina for one year before being drafted to serve during the Vietnam era. Choosing the Air Force, he served in California and South Dakota before ending his service at Warner Robins in Georgia.
Finding little job opportunity for college history teachers in 1973, he began working for the Georgia Department of Human Resources and taught history courses for colleges in the Atlanta area on a part-time basis. Beginning as a planner working on an agency strategic plan, he discovered the field of Organization Development. After performing a variety of administrative functions as the assistant to the third ranking leader in the department, he moved to the Personnel Office and began establishing an OD function for the agency. Over ten years, he did specialized training and consultation, focused especially on team building, with Superintendents of mental hospitals, Public Health District Directors, Child Support Managers, and Family and Children Services County Directors. At the same time he worked with other state agencies on special projects. With the creation of a statewide Charitable Contributions Program, he served as statewide head of the annual campaign for ten years.
His 34 year career in government service also included the development and implementation of a management training program. He also served as training manager in the development and implementation within the Department of Human Resources of two major statewide computer systems: one that eliminated the issuance of state benefits by paper checks; and another that prepared state systems for the year 2000.
Simmons retired from state service in 2005. In 2010, he returned to classroom teaching on a part-time basis with Brenau University, teaching continuing education courses for retirees and then teaching American History online to Brenau students all over the world. In the fall of 2011, he began teaching American History, Western Civilization, and World History on a part-time basis at Georgia Gwinnett College in addition to teaching at Brenau.
His special interests include (1) the growing field of Big History with its combination of science and world history; (2) the study of Old Testament and New Testament history and archaeology; and (3) the American Civil War.
Simmons lives in Lawrenceville, GA, and is active in a church in Gainesville, GA.
Education:
Doctorate – history – Vanderbilt University
Master’s – history – Vanderbilt University
Bachelor’s – history – Mercer University
Professional Affiliations:
International Big History Association
The World History Association
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