Former Lamar President Jimmy Simmons will be inducted into the Southland Hall of Honor later this month in Frisco.

Simmons will become the 10th person associated with Lamar to join what will become a 50-member hall of honor, honoring those who made significant contributions to the Southland Conference. The late Linda Fletcher, a former Southland volleyball coordinator of officials, and former Northwestern State softball All-American Rhonda Rube-Baird will be inducted as well.

“Dr. Jimmy Simmons provided more than 40 years of service to Lamar University and is regarded as one of the most impactful presidents in school history. He served LU athletics tremendously throughout his tenure, and was a strong presidential voice in Southland matters,” Southland Commissioner Tom Burnett said in a news release.

Simmons spent 40 years at Lamar, serving as the university’s 10th president from 1999-2014. The Beaumont native returned home to join the Lamar faculty as an instructor and director of bands, then was named chair of the Department of Music and Theater and dean of the College of Fine Arts.

During Simmons’ tenure, Lamar raised more than $130 million in capital campaigns, and he oversaw the return of Lamar football after a 20-year absence in 2010. Lamar also added women’s soccer and relaunched softball under his watch.

The Hall of Fame inductions are part of the Southland Honors Dinner and Ceremony, set for May 22 at the Westin Stonebriar Hotel in Frisco.