Ben Simms, business leader and loving family member, died peacefully on Monday, April 11, 2011. Born September 20, 1921, a third-generation Atlantan, son of A.B. Simms, Jr., and Eva Hurt Simms, he graduated with honors from Darlington School in Rome. He attended Georgia Tech, then graduated with a BS from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he received the Joseph Wharton Medal. During WWII, he earned rank of Lieutenant serving 1942-46, principally in the South Atlantic with the 4th Fleet and on the island Fernando de Noronha where he established a base for Fleet Air Wing #16 in its operations against German subs and surface raiders. In 1947, he earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School where he was Class Marshall. In the 1950’s, he organized Consolidated Equities Corporation, serving as its Chairman and President, concentrating on real estate development and management. He organized and served as CEO for two venture capital firms and served as President of Southern Regional Association of Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs) and a Governor of National Association of SBICs. A man of high ethical standards in any task, he was a member of the Newcomen Society of North America, Harvard Business School Clubs of Atlanta and NYC, Kiwanis, Georgia Society of Colonial Wars, Atlanta Historical Society, Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, Board of Visitors of Darlington School, Piedmont Driving Club, Capital City Club, and the Breakfast Club. A Christian, he co-founded Lay Involvement for Evangelism, Inc. He was an active member of First Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, until he and Mrs. Simms joined Peachtree Presbyterian Church and its vibrant Gene Wilson Class. Preceded in death by his sister Sarah Edge Fletcher, Mr. Simms is survived by his wife of 57 years, Jane Griffin Simms; son and daughter-in-law, Arthur Benjamin Simms IV and Vicki Wilson Simms; daughter and son-in-law, Janie Simms Hamner, MD, and Patrick Foster Hamner of Dallas, TX; daughter and son-in-law, Anne Simms Goodgame and Carl Edward Goodgame; grandsons Arthur Benjamin Simms V, John Patrick Hamner, David Simms Hamner, and Benjamin Foster Hamner; granddaughters Vicki Wilson Rhodes and husband Phillip Rhodes, Evelyn Amanda Simms, Kimberly Jane Simms, and Anne Elizabeth Goodgame; great-grandsons Damion and Lochlan Rhodes; first cousin, John Marshall Bickerstaff of Jacksonville, FL, and nieces and nephews. A private graveside service will be held at Westview Cemetery. A memorial service will be Friday, April 15,2011, at 2:00 PM in the Peachtree Presbyterian Church sanctuary, with a reception to follow in the parlor. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ben Simms Chapel Services Fund at Darlington School, 1014 Cave Spring Road, Rome, Georgia, 30161, or to the Gene Wilson Class of Peachtree Road Presbyterian Church.
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