LOCAL PHILANTHROPIST PHYLLIS SIMPKINS LOST HER LONG BATTLE WITH CANCER OVER THE WEEKEND. SIMPKINS, ALONG WITH HER LATE HUSBAND (ALAN B. SIMPKINS) GAVE 200 THOUSAND DOLLARS TO THE PROJECT THAT BECAME THE SIMPKINS FAMILY SWIM CENTER IN THE LIVE OAK AREA OF SANTA CRUZ. SIMPKINS IS SURVIVED BY HER 3 CHILDREN, AND 7 GRANDCHILDREN.
OVER TIME SIMPKINS, WHO WAS A LIFELONG FAN OF THE SPARTAN ATHLETICS, AND ATTENDED SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY, DONATED MORE THAN 10 MILLION DOLLARS TO HER ALMA MATER.
