Richard P. Simmons (born May 3, 1931) is an American metallurgist.
Simmons was born on May 3, 1931. He attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1949. He became a metallurgist at the Allegheny Ludlum Steel corporation in Pittsburgh. [1] He then worked for other steel companies before returning to become the chief executive of Allegheny, taking it public and then leading a management buyout. Having become wealthy, he then created a variety of endowments at MIT. [2]
Simmons was also chairman of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra between 1989 and 1997. He returned as chairman in 2003 until his retirement in 2015. [3]