Bob Simmons was born in 1944 in Brooklyn to what he said was a non-eventful youthful period. None of his family was college educated, but his father emphasized getting educated. So Bob got a BS degree in Zoology from Houghton College in 1966, an MS degree from Michigan State in Anatomy and an MD from Wake Forest in 1972...
 
Bob got married while in college and in joining the military he was able to continue his medical training. He did his Internship at Walter Reed Medical Center and Residency in Internal Medicine at Brooke Army Medical Center, followed by a Fellowship in Gastroenterology at Brook from 1975 -77, followed by a staff position at Brooke from 1977-80. He then went into private practice in Grand Junction and finally into partnership with a friend here in Fort Collins in 1982 when they opened the Gastroenterology clinic. He retired from his practice in 2014 and then spent two years part time at the Cheyenne VA Medical Center.
 
Bob has been married to Wanda for 28 years. They have four daughters and four granddaughters. Bob attributed his interest in Rotary to his admiration of a travel friend, and his sponsor, Don Unger. He expected to find others in our club with the same qualities and he wanted to find a way to have daily social interactions with that group to fill in for the void of retirement and be able to serve others at the same time. Bob’s talk was filled with small humorous moments. Members have mentioned to him that he did their colonoscopy, but Bob admitted that he usually does not recognize the member. He ended that statement by saying that he might recognize them from behind.
 
Bob’s favorite activities are outdoor activities, like hiking, biking, camping and above all, traveling.