Fitz-Simons, Theodore B., 1923-1999.

Theodore Barker Fitz-Simons, Jr. was born on May 13, 1923 in Savannah, Georgia. After graduating from high school, he attended Armstrong Junior College in Savannah from 1945 to 1947 before transferring to the University of Georgia, located in Athens. He received his Bachelor of Arts in 1949, his Master of Arts in 1957, and was admitted into the University of Georgia's Ph.D. program. For all three degrees, Fitz-Simons majored in history with a political science minor. He worked on his Ph.D. from 1957 to 1961, but he never completed the program. Before teaching at West Georgia College, Fitz-Simons taught history at Commercial High School in Savannah, Georgia from 1953 to 1956. He also taught at Armstrong Junior College in 1953 and was a Teaching Assistant at the University of Georgia from 1956 to 1961. He was hired by the history department at West Georgia College for the 1961/1962 school year, and he remained there for the next twenty-five years. He joined several academic organizations during his school years and teaching career. While at the University of Georgia, Fitz-Simons became a member of Phi Alpha Theta (history), Phi Kappa Phi (scholastic), Kappa Delta Pi (education), and Phi Beta Kappa (scholastic). As a historian, he also joined the Georgia Historical Society, the Southern Historical Society, and the Organization of American Historians. Fitz-Simons held positions in several of these organizations: member of the Board of Curators of the Georgia Historical Society, district chairman for the Georgia League of Historical Societies, and military historian in a reserve capacity with the U.S. Army Continental Army Command.

Fitz-Simons' rank during his first year at West Georgia College was instructor, but he was promoted to assistant professor the next year. In 1965, Fitz-Simons became an associate professor, gained tenure during the 1971/1972 school year, and then retired in 1986. Soon after, he earned the status of Associate Professor Emeritus and continued to teach part-time at the school through 1991. While at West Georgia College, Fitz-Simons lectured to various schools and organizations (civic, patriotic, and historical) in the community about Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, and the Progressive Era. He also participated in the Georgia's Political Heritage Project with Dr. Mel Steely, conducting interviews with former and current Georgia politicians. Fitz-Simons had several publications in the Georgia Historical Quarterly. "The Camilla Riot," in June 1951, was his only article to be printed, but he wrote several book reviews. His unpublished masters' thesis was about the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia. Fitz-Simons was a veteran of both World War II and the Korean War. He was a non-commissioned officer in the United States Army from 1942 to 1946. Between the two conflicts, from 1946 to 1951, he was in the United States Army Reserve and was given a commission in the infantry in 1948. Fitz-Simons was in active duty again in 1951, but from 1952 to 1961, he was in reserve duty. He retired in May 1983 and received the Meritorious Service Award for his work in military history.

Fitz-Simons married Mary Jane Flanagan, and they had two children: Timothy Paul Fitz-Simons (b. 28 Dec 1959) and Margaret Anne Fitz-Simons (b. 12 Jan 1962). He was an Episcopalian, but attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Carrollton, Georgia. He died on December 6, 1999 in an Atlanta hospital, and was buried at the Catholic Church he attended. At the University of West Georgia, the Theodore B. Fitz-Simons Public History Award was established in 2001 "in recognition of Mr. Fitz-Simons's commitment to community outreach during his tenure teaching at the University of West Georgia." It is given annually to a junior or senior history major who displays excellence in the field of public history through scholarship and service activities.