In memoriam: Dr. Tony Simmons

Tony giving a talk in 2006 on Canada’s role in Afghanistan

On December 8th, Tony Simmons, an AUFA member for 40 years, passed away after a brief battle with cancer. Tony joined AU in 1981 after completing his PhD in sociology at the University of Alberta.

 Tony was a gifted scholar, with his most recent book, Restless Ideas: Contemporary Social Theory in an Anxious Age having been published by Fernwood Press in 2020. He dedicated much time to the education of incarcerated persons.

 Tony had a life-long passion for social justice. He was opposed to militarism, racial profiling, detentions without trial, and to the legislative suppression of civil liberties in Canada. He had proudly been arrested several times for unlawful assembly, disorderly conduct, contempt of court and criminal trespass. He was also a regular on AUFA picket lines.

There is a nice part interview with Tony in the Voice (Part 1, Part 2) that conveys his honesty and humility. One of Tony’s most endearing qualities was his self-deprecating sense of humour. As was his way, we’ll give Tony the last word on himself with a few quotes from his online faculty profile.

Tony Simmons is a junior member of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and has pursued a troubled and an undistinguished career at Athabasca University since 1981.

His favorite pastimes include existential self- reflection (aka “navel-gazing”), mountain backpacking, jogging, and competitive recreational drinking.

He has two failed marriages to his credit and an unconsummated relationship with a cat named Chairman Miaow. He continues in an uphill struggle to align his personal practice with his political theory.

Rest in Power, Tony.