Taylor J. Sims, Iii

Taylor J. "Jack" Sims, III was born September 19, 1917 and died November 3, 2006 in Hillsboro, where he was a lifetime resident, at the age of 89. He was the son of Taylor J. Sims and Bobbie Boykin Sims. Jack graduated from Hillsboro High School in 1934. He was a member of the Boy Scouts of America and the Order DeMolay. At Hill Junior College, he was elected president of the Student Council and was later editor of the student paper, "The Chieftain". He attended the University of Texas from 1935 to 1940, where he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. After passing the State Bar Exam, he received his Bachelor of Law degree from Texas Law School in the spring of 1940. From mid 1940 to mid 1941, he was employed as an attorney in the offices of Texas Attorney General, Gerald C. Mann, after which he entered the service of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. On December 7, 1941 he was leaving his office in Albany, New York for a surveillance of a Nazi Bund Meeting in Troy, when word came of the attack on Pearl Harbor. During World War II, he served the FBI in field offices in Washington, D.C., Savannah, Georgia, Miami, Florida and spent nine months in Lima, Peru, South America doing espionage. In the spring of 1946, he began his practice of law in Hillsboro with retired FBI Agent, A. J. Bryan. During this practice he also served as President of Hill County Bar Association and the State Bar District Grievance Committee. He also had two partners who later became District Judges of Hill County and two who became Mayors of Hillsboro. Over the years, he served as officer and director of the Hillsboro Junior Chamber of Commerce, Hillsboro Senior Chamber of Commerce, University of Texas Ex-Students Association, Hill College Preservation and Restoration Committee, Hill College Development Foundation, a charter member of Hill College Century Club and received the Hill College Distinguished Alumnus Award in the 1990's. He was a continuous member of the Lions Club from January 1947 to 2005. He also served as the Lions Club President from 1952 to1953, and received the 50 year Monarch Award and the 50 Year Distinguished Service Award. A lifetime member of the First United Methodist Church in Hillsboro, he sang in the choir and was a Sunday school teacher. In addition, he served the church in several other capacities such as, Chairman of Official Board and Stewardship Chairman until the age of 85. One of his favorite pastimes was golf. He was an avid golfer from the age of nine years old and played many interesting golf courses during his lifetime including; Mouna Kea in Hawaii, Pebble Beach in California, Doral Blue Monster in Florida, Banff Springs in Canada and Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth. He loved boating in Lake Whitney and water-skied into his late 70's. Jack played the trumpet by ear for 20 odd years in the Hillsboro Tooters Jazz Band, a community group of Business and Professional people. The Tooters played annually at the Bonds Alley Craft Show, Corsicana Street Fourth of July Parade, concerts at the State Fair of Texas, at the Hemisphere Plaza in San Antonio, Lions International Convention in Dallas and a reception at Fort Hood for General Westmoreland. Jack was preceded in death in by his parents and young infant daughter Sherry Arabella Sims. He is survived by; his beloved wife, Susan Brown Sims; his son Jackson R. Sims and wife, Theresa; his three stepchildren, Christi Mayr and husband, David, Paula Carter and husband, Jeff, and Randall Jones and wife, Cheryl; five grandchildren, Jeb Sims, Doug McDonald, Mark Mayr, Wendy Melvin and Samantha Deaton; and 5 great grandchildren. Memorials may be made to either First United Methodist Church; PO Box 673; Hillsboro, TX 76645 or Hill County Paw Pals; PO Box 1533; Hillsboro, TX 76645.