{{Short description|American businessman and philanthropist (1935-2009)}} {{Infobox person | name = Kenneth Wayne Simonds | image = Kenneth Wayne Simonds.jpg | birth_date = May 5, 1935 | birth_place = Kingsport, TN | death_date = October 11, 2009 | death_place = Indian Wells, CA | years_active = 1958-1993 | employer = IBM, Amdahl, Teradata | spouse = Sarah R. Simonds (1935) | children = 5 }}

'''Kenneth Wayne Simonds''' (May 5, 1935 – October 11, 2009) was an American businessman and philanthropist.<ref name="obit">{{Cite web |url= http://obituaries.desertsun.com/obituaries/thedesertsun/obituary.aspx?n=Kenneth-Wayne-Simonds&pid=134444086 |title=Kenneth Wayne Simonds |work= The Desert Sun |date= October 15, 2009 |access-date= July 15, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=8016853&privcapId=247781|website=bloomberg.com|access-date=2019-03-13|title=Stocks}}</ref>

==Life== He began his career in 1958 at IBM and was the youngest IBM manager when promoted to Green Bay, Wisconsin. He left IBM in 1975 to become an executive with Amdahl Corporation, starting as vice president of Western operations in 1975.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=fiYS7TkQGCUC&pg=PA12 |magazine= Computerworld |volume= IX |issue= 40 |page= 12 |title= 470V/6 Costs Less |date= October 1, 1975 |publisher= IDG Enterprise |access-date= July 15, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=The Legend of Amdahl|last=Rodengen|first=Jeffrey L.|publisher=Write Stuff Enterprises Inc|year=2000|isbn=9780945903192|pages=35, 62}}</ref> He was promoted in 1976 to Vice President of Product Support and Services and promoted in 1979 to Senior Vice President of U.S. Operations. In 1981, he was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer where he would stay until briefly going into retirement in 1984. He was a member of the team which had led Amdahl from no revenue in 1975 to $800 million in revenue in 1984. He left retirement a year later, going to work for Teradata in 1985<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/big-data-was-a-big-mess-teradatas-jack-shemer-helped-sort-it-out-11581607135|title=Big Data Was a Big Mess; Teradata's Jack Shemer Helped Sort It Out|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=14 February 2020|last1=Hagerty|first1=James R.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Wgmey4obagC&q=kenneth+simonds&pg=RA1-PA87 |title=Executive Corner |department=Computer Industry |magazine=Computerworld |volume=XIX |issue=11 |page=87 |date=1985-03-18 |publisher=IDG Enterprise |language=en}}</ref> as chief executive officer.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-10-09-fi-175-story.html|title=Small Computer Company Signs Big Office Lease: Teradata's El Segundo Deal Is Valued at $100 Million|last=BROOKS|first=NANCY RIVERA|date=1989-10-09|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2019-01-31|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> He stayed with Teradata, through its initial public offering in 1987<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-08-07-fi-318-story.html|title=Teradata Corp., the leading manufacturer of high-performance... |newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=7 August 1991 |language=en|access-date=2019-01-31}}</ref> and sale to NCR Corporation in 1991 for $250 million.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/08/business/making-a-difference-whirlwind-courtship.html|title=Making a Difference - Whirlwind Courtship|author=Stevenson|first=Richard W.|date=December 8, 1991|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215204841/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/08/business/making-a-difference-whirlwind-courtship.html|archive-date=February 15, 2018|pages=14}} [https://archive.org/details/twomentwovisions00andr/page/n1?q=kenneth+simonds+teradata Alt URL]</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JSVkkdmXWF4C&q=kenneth+wayne+simonds+teradata&pg=PP32 |title=Teradata to add optical storage |magazine=Computerworld |volume=XXIII |issue=19 |page=32 |date=1989-05-08 |publisher=IDG Enterprise |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/440015991/|title=NCR, Teradata agree to $520m merger|date=December 3, 1991|work=The Boston Globe|publisher=Associated Press}}</ref> He retired shortly after that.

== Personal life == === 1935-1975 === left|thumb|124x124px|Kenneth and his wife Sarah on their wedding day Kenneth Wayne Simonds was born to Pauline and Wayne Simonds May 5, 1935. In his earlier childhood, he was in Boy Scouts.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/74991887|title=IT ISN'T ALL GLORY|last=B(?)nkley|first=E.|date=Feb 10, 1949|work=Kingsport Times|access-date=August 17, 2019|archive-date=August 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817221741/http://www.newspapers.com/image/74991887/|url-status=dead}}</ref> As a child he had a pet pig named "Monster."<ref name="obit" /> In 1949 he attended Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport, Tennessee<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.etsualumni.org/s/974/interior-template.aspx?sid=974&gid=1&pgid=1440|title=Mr. Kenneth W. Simonds*|access-date=2017-06-24}}</ref> where he played many sports including football and track. He graduated high school in 1953. He attended George Washington University for a year on a football scholarship but later transferred to East Tennessee State University. He ran for University Student Body, while there.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/78736397|title=Simonds in Student Chief Race at ETSC|date=May 4, 1956|work=Kingsport Times|access-date=August 17, 2019|location=Kingsport, Tennessee|publication-place=JOHNSON CITY}}</ref> In 1957 graduated from with a BS in business. Later that year, he would meet his wife Sarah "Sally" Simonds in IBM classes. In 1958 he married Sarah in Columbus, Ohio. In 1959 their first child, Robert "Rob", was born and they went on to have four other children Cindy, David, Joe and Kenneth Jr.<ref name="obit"/> In 1975 they moved to Los Altos, California. Kenneth's eldest son, Robert, would also enter into the computer industry, joining Amdahl in 1985.

=== 1980-2009 and beyond === In the mid 1980s, the Simonds family moved to Manhattan Beach, California and after retirement from Teradata, they moved to Indian Wells, California in the Coachella Valley 1993. He was an assistant football coach for Palm Desert High School during the 1999-2000 season. He died on October 11, 2009, at his home in Indian Wells. His funeral was held at Southwest Church in Palm Desert. His resting place is Indio, California. In 2015 his wife contributed one million dollars in his name to help fund the building of the football stadium at East Tennessee State University, a goal he had while alive.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wjhl.com/news/etsu-gets-1-million-gift-for-new-football-stadium_20180212062106764/969090287|title=ETSU gets $1 million gift for new football stadium|last=Smith|first=Josh|date=2015-09-04|website=WJHL|language=en-US|access-date=2018-12-10}}{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In the years following his death, Sarah Simonds has made considerable donations to some of Simonds' favorite charities in his honor.

=== Interest in the golf industry === In 1988, Simonds founded the Practice Tee Corporation and built three facilities and courses for practice. In 1996, he sold the business to Family Golf Centers, a public company. He opened The Golf Center in Palm Desert in 1995.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kenneth Simonds |url=https://allpeople.com/kenneth+simonds_golf-center-at-palm-desert-us |access-date=2022-08-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.manta.com/d/mmp9vhx/golf-center-at-palm-desert|title=Golf Center at Palm Desert|website=Manta}}</ref> The Simonds family continued to own and operate the facilities for many years after until the mid-2000s when they sold it to The First Tee, where it continues to operate as a First Tee facility.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.etsualumni.org/s/974/bp18/interior.aspx?sid=974&gid=1&pgid=1440|title=Mr. Kenneth W. Simonds*|website=etsualumni.org|language=en|access-date=2019-12-24}}</ref>

==Awards and legacy== In 1981 Simonds received the "Spirit of Life" Award from the City of Hope Medical Center as Humanitarian of the Year from the Technology Community. Simonds was a finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year in Southern California in 1989.<ref name="obit" /> In 2000 Simonds was named Outstanding Alumnus by East Tenn. State University.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dbhs.k12k.com/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=345742&type=d&pREC_ID=754068|title=2009 Inductees – Alumni Hall of Fame Inductees – Dobyns-Bennett High School|website=dbhs.k12k.com|language=en|access-date=2018-07-06}}</ref> Simonds wanted to bring back the ETSU football team and in 2007 was prepared to make a large donation before the plans fell through.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://forums.aseaofred.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=1079|title=A Sea Of Red View topic - ETSU Mulling Return to Football|last=www.sitesplat.com|first=SiteSplat|website=forums.aseaofred.com|language=en-gb|access-date=2018-07-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Sports/2014/07/09/With-ETSU-football-back-BFFF-closes-it-doors|title=With ETSU football back, BFFF closes it doors|work=Johnson City Press|access-date=2018-07-06|language=en}}</ref> In 2008 he and his wife were awarded the Outstanding Community Leader Award by the College of the Desert Alumni Foundation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.codalumni.org/hall-of-fame/2008-winners/|title=2008 AWARDEES |website=College of the Desert Alumni Association |language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-06}}</ref> In 2009, Simonds was posthumously inducted into the Dobyns-Bennett Alumni Association Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.timesnews.net/News/2009/10/24/D-B-Alumni-Hall-of-Fame-starts-with-five-honorees|title=D-B Alumni Hall of Fame starts with five honorees|work=Kingsport Times-News|access-date=2018-07-06|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.etsu.edu/accent/2015/march/dpt_chancellors_award.aspx|title=Accent|last=Hill|first=J.|website=etsu.edu|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-06|archive-date=2018-07-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706075038/https://www.etsu.edu/accent/2015/march/dpt_chancellors_award.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2011, the Athletic performance center at College of the Desert was opened, named after him.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://foursquare.com/v/kenneth-w-simonds-athletic-performance-center-cod-athletic-weightroom/4dc2f5c2e4cd169dc60e9e76|title=Kenneth W. Simonds Athletic Performance Center (COD Athletic Weightroom)|website=Foursquare|access-date=2018-07-06}}</ref> In 2015 Simonds was posthumously awarded the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Philanthropy by Tennessee Board of Regents member Parker Smith as well as his wife for their donations given to ETSU.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tbr.edu/news/on-campus/tbr-chancellors-award-philanthropy-presented-simonds-march-5-2015|title=TBR Chancellor's Award for philanthropy presented to Simonds|date=2015-03-05|work=Tennessee Board of Regents|access-date=2018-07-06|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wjhl.com/news/etsu-gets-1-million-gift-for-new-football-stadium_20180212062106764/969090287|title=ETSU gets $1 million gift for new football stadium|last=Smith|first=Josh|date=2015-09-04|work=WJHL|access-date=2018-08-18|language=en-US}}{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In 2015 Simonds' wife Sarah and their children Ken Jr., David and Joseph were presented with a football signed by current ETSU football players at halftime of a game. Kenneth and his family are honored outside of the new ETSU stadium with plaques along with the other donors.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}

==See also== * ''The Legend of Amdahl'' by Jeffrey L. Rodengen (ISBN 9780945903192.)

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simonds, Kenneth}} Category:1935 births Category:20th-century American businesspeople Category:IBM people Category:Teradata Category:People from Kingsport, Tennessee Category:2009 deaths