By Sarah Kinney
Staff Writer

While the rest of Boston is busy carving pumpkins and creating costumes, Simmons is baking a birthday cake.

On or around Oct. 30, the Simmons community gathers to celebrate the man who imagined a place where women could educate themselves and go on to earn an independent livelihood.

This year the festivities will commence at 2:30 p.m. in the Common Grounds Café.

President Helen Drinan will give a welcome address.

After, Denise Hildreth, Director of the Bachelor of Social Work program, will give remarks.

Past speakers have been Elizabeth J. McCandless Chair in Entrepreneurship Professor Teresa Nelson, Archivist Jason Wood, and Professor Susan Duffy.

The student winner of the John Simmons essay contest will read her essay on “A Women’s College Education:  Valuing Independence.” The student winner receives $1,000 award for her essay.  Last year, Mary Kate Quigley, ’13, and Molly Maidman, ’13, were the first and second place winners in an essay describing what they would do at Simmons if they had a million-dollar budget.

Finally, Provost Katie Conboy will offer a toast, with sparkling cider, cake, and music to follow.

Traditionally, the newest class flag is unfurled at the ceremony.

In past years, members of the Simmons community have gone to the Mt. Auburn cemetery to place flowers on John Simmons’ grave. Last year, the trip was cancelled due to heavy winds and rain.

From 1912 to 1936, these activities were combined with convocation and called “Founder’s Day Convocation,” according to the history of convocation page on simmons.edu.

John Simmons was born on Oct. 30, 1796 and died Aug. 29, 1870. In his life, he worked as a tailor, and after noticing customers requiring similar size proportions he pioneered the idea of the ready-made suit. With his profits, he became a real estate investor.

Simmons College, originally destined to be “Simmons Female College,” was provided for in his will “for the purpose of teaching

medicine, music, drawing, designing, telegraphy, and other branches of art, science, and industry best calculated to enable the scholars to acquire an independent livelihood.”

Simmons was delayed in opening for nearly two decades because of a massive fire and in 1899 it finally opened.