Dale Coe Simons posed a simple question right before her graduation from Christian College in 1965.
At the time, the institution was a two-year, all-women’s college, still a few years from becoming the four-year, coeducational Columbia College that exists today.
“‘Are you sure I can’t stay a third year?’” Simons asked 12th President Dr. Kenneth Freeman, she recalled in 2010. “‘I don’t want to leave campus.’”
While her career as a CC student indeed concluded with her associate degree, her connection to the institution spanned well beyond that milestone. She devoted more than six decades to her alma mater as a proud alumna, generous donor and beloved leader in the college community.
Simons, Chair of the Columbia College Board of Trustees, passed away on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. She was 81.
At Christian College, Simons served as junior class president and president of Campus Community Government, following in the footsteps of her “sweet mother,” Helen (Boo) Cates Neary, who graduated from the College in 1937.
But the way Simons would tell the story, her life-changing experience at CC almost never happened.
“I didn’t want to go to Missouri to school,” the Austin, Texas, native said in an archived interview. “However, the recruitment lady who came down and visited with me sold me on it. My mother couldn’t, so she did. I got on a plane, came to Columbia, Missoura, knew no one, but the instant that campus was made real, it was an amazing, amazing experience.”
Simons was enamored by the successful women she looked up to during her time on campus, fondly remembering annual visits from world-renowned performer Jane Froman Smith, a graduate from the Christian College Class of 1926.
Simons also reveled in the pageantry of the Ivy Chain Ceremony, a 126-year-old tradition that began during the administration of Luella St. Clair-Moss, the first female president of the institution.
As an alumna, Simons gave of her time, talent and treasure, serving as president of the Columbia College Alumni Association from 2009 to 2011 before joining the Columbia College Board of Trustees in 2012.
She served on the Board continuously for 14 years as a stalwart leader committed to improving lives.
“Dale will be deeply missed – not only as our Chair, but as our colleague and friend,” said fellow Trustee Anita Abbott Timmons ’58. “Her love for Columbia College was evident at every Board meeting, in conversations with friends, and through the example of the life she lived.”
Simons and her husband, James, were inducted into the Trustee’s Circle of the Columbia College President’s Society, the College’s most prestigious giving society.
Together, they were blessed with three children: sons John and Bryan, and daughter Elizabeth, who tragically died in a car accident in 1996 at the age of 24. In tribute to and in memory of Elizabeth, the family created The Elizabeth Award to support exceptional young women graduating from Columbia College.
“It means so much to us to share Elizabeth with everyone,” Simons said. “It’s amazing that one young lady from Texas will influence the lives of other young women from all over the world.”
From her family ties to a college community that became like second family, coming back to campus was a priority for Simons. She most recently spoke at the College’s President’s Society Gala last September during her last trip to Columbia.
“Dale helped guide the College with a steady sense of purpose, always keeping the mission of Columbia (Christian) College at the forefront of every decision,” said President Dr. Toby Arquette, who visited Simons in Texas this spring. “Her commitment was not simply professional; it was deeply personal. She will be remembered for her warmth, wisdom and unwavering dedication to our college community.”
Now Simons looks on from above – with her Texas-sized smile – cheering for the school she made better for everyone.
“I see tradition. I see home. I see progress. And I see growth,” Simons said of Columbia College, which is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year and recently eclipsed 100,000 alumni. “It’s been an amazing melding of tradition and the new world.”
To make a gift in honor of Dale’s life, please visit my.ccis.edu/Simons.
