FAST President, Dr. Kasey Kesselring, is pleased to announce that the Board of Directors of FAST has unanimously voted to appoint Paul A. Simmons to the foundation’s board of directors.

 A native of Aiken County, SC, Paul was born on October 22, 1950 to the late Reverend Jackson and Mrs. Effie Tony Simmons. He attended Aiken County Public Schools and is a graduate of Martha Schofield High School class of 1968. Upon graduation, Mr. Simmons matriculated to the American Academy McAllister Institute School of Funeral Services, where he completed his degree in mortuary science. He continued his educational pursuits at Valencia Community College in Orlando, Florida and Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

With more than 50 years in the funeral service industry, Mr. Simmons is the owner of Simmons Funeral Home and Crematory of Orangeburg, South Carolina, which he purchased November 11, 1972, from the Estate of Eddie Jones. He later expanded his territory to include Simmons Funeral Home of Santee, South Carolina, which was established in July of 2013.

Paul is a member of St. Paul Baptist Church, where he serves as a Trustee.

Forever committed to serving his community, Mr. Simmons also served ten years as Orangeburg County Coroner from 1980-1990, becoming the first African American elected to a county-wide position since reconstruction.

Paul is a member of the South Carolina Funeral Directors and Morticians Association, where he served as president. He is also an active member of the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association, where he has served as a National District Governor and currently serves as the Chairman of the Contracts Committee. Mr. Simmons is also a lifetime member of the NAACP, Claflin University Board of Visitors, and former member of the advisory board of South Carolina Community Bank.

Paul was first introduced to the astonishing event that is the National Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration in 1966, at the tender age of 16.  After a break from the walking horse scene, Paul began showing again in 2020, after his purchase of Mr. For Real.  He eventually added to his stellar roster with the likes of Voyager and Hottie Toddy. Paul then took home the 2023 Amateur Novice World Grand Championship with Patrick Mahomes. 

FAST, Inc was established in 2009 through the collaborative efforts of the late Mrs. Katherine Zeis and Dr. Kasey Kesselring and began its efforts in 2010 to raise funds to preserve, protect and promote the Tennessee Walking Show Horse.  Since its inception, FAST, Inc. has raised and contributed back to the industry in excess of $5 million dollars to support the show horse.  FAST, Inc has funded horse show development for new and revived horse shows, youth scholarships, research and development, promotion and legal support. In 2020, FAST, Inc. took the lead in establishing the United We Stand Campaign, which has raised more than $2 million dollars to support the recent legal efforts to protect our show horse against government overreach through rulemaking, lack of due process and other elements of the inspection process which reportedly extend beyond the scope of the HPA brining harm to the viability and sustainability of our show horse. For more information about FAST or to make a contribution, visit www.fastwh.org.