6.24.21

With $1.2 million estate gift, Cleo Simmonds leaves a legacy of support for Wichita State

Though he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science, Cleo Simmons believed that his student experience at what was then Wichita University helped equip him with the traits that would lead to a successful career in banking and finance.

When he passed away in 2019 at the age of 83, he showed his gratitude and loyalty by leaving an estate gift valued at $1.2 million for his alma mater.

“Cleo had an eventful life, but he always remembered his college days with great fondness,” said Darin Kater, WSU Foundation vice president. “He valued the support he received as a student who had to work full-time while pursuing his education.”

In 2017, Simmonds endowed a scholarship at Wichita State to help students with limited financial means pursue their degrees. “Those scholarship recipients are part of the impressive legacy he leaves behind,” Kater said.

Simmonds grew up in the Hutchinson area and graduated from Wichita University in 1958. He held various financial and banking positions in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas before moving to the Kansas City area to work in the trust department at Commerce Bank, from which he retired.

He had many interests and passions, including travel, model trains and driving and displaying his prized possession, a 1948 MG TC sports car.

Learn more about how you can support Wichita State with a planned gift by contacting Mike Lamb at 316.978.3804 or mike.lamb@wichita.edu.