Dr. Herbert Simmons, Jr. is a native of Jackson Parish, born in Hodge, Louisiana. He grew up in Pleasant Grove, an outlying community of the Town of Jonesboro. Reared by his loving and compassionate paternal grandmother, Melissa Hasson Simmons, she taught him the basic principles of life: hard work, responsibility, good work ethics, manners, respect for elders, and the pursuit of excellence. He is a graduate of Jackson High School in Jonesboro,...