Businessman. Born in the town of Golden, Texas to two teachers of modest means, he enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, where he received both his Bachelor's Degree (1951) and his Master's Degree (1952) in economics. Becoming a bank examiner, at the age of 29, using money he had saved and a bank loan he had taken out, he purchased his first drug store located across from the Southern Methodist University campus in Dallas, Texas. He went on to obtain a chain of 100 stores which he later sold to Eckerd Corporation for $50 million, thus starting his career as an investor. He later bought up shares in cheap public companies and in time built a portfolio of more lucrative industrial companies. In 1997, he invested $5 million into industrialist T. Boone Pickens Jr's first BP Capital Energy Commodity Fund that by 2005 had grown to $150 million. Over time Harold Simmons had grown his wealth into the billions and was ranked number 40 on the Forbes Magazine's 400 wealthiest people list at the time of his passing. Towards the end of this life he built a reputation of philanthropy, and made many large contributions throughout the years: $5 million to the Dallas Zoo, $20 Million to Southern Methodist University, $50 Million to Dallas Parkland Hospital, and $175 Million to the University of Texas-Southwestern to establish the Harold C Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Businessman. Born in the town of Golden, Texas to two teachers of modest means, he enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, where he received both his Bachelor's Degree (1951) and his Master's Degree (1952) in economics. Becoming a bank examiner, at the age of 29, using money he had saved and a bank loan he had taken out, he purchased his first drug store located across from the Southern Methodist University campus in Dallas, Texas. He went on to obtain a chain of 100 stores which he later sold to Eckerd Corporation for $50 million, thus starting his career as an investor. He later bought up shares in cheap public companies and in time built a portfolio of more lucrative industrial companies. In 1997, he invested $5 million into industrialist T. Boone Pickens Jr's first BP Capital Energy Commodity Fund that by 2005 had grown to $150 million. Over time Harold Simmons had grown his wealth into the billions and was ranked number 40 on the Forbes Magazine's 400 wealthiest people list at the time of his passing. Towards the end of this life he built a reputation of philanthropy, and made many large contributions throughout the years: $5 million to the Dallas Zoo, $20 Million to Southern Methodist University, $50 Million to Dallas Parkland Hospital, and $175 Million to the University of Texas-Southwestern to establish the Harold C Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Bio by: Marc & Donna
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