Randolph — The Randolph High School gymnasium was dedicated in the memory Dennis “DJ” Simmonds, a Boston Police Department patrolman who suffered a serious concussive head injury caused by a homemade bomb while pursuing the Boston Marathon bombers in Watertown in 2013. Simmonds, a member of Randolph High’s class of 2004, died about a year after the blasts (and after returning to work) from a cerebral hemorrhage.
Officer Simmonds, who had been a standout high school athlete, became a police officer after graduating from LaSalle College in 2008 with a degree in criminal justice. He was the youngest graduate in his Boston Police Academy class. He was posthumously awarded the Schroeder Brothers Memorial Medal, given annually by the Boston Police Relief Association, and the National Association of Police Organizations’ “Top Cop” award.
Simmonds’ alma mater held the “Unsung Hero Dedication Ceremony & Reception” on Dec. 8 in the school’s gym on Memorial Parkway in Randolph. Also, the community established a nonprofit foundation and scholarship in Simmonds’ memory, which will be awarded each year to a senior pursuing a career in criminal justice or law enforcement. Funds from the Dennis “DJ” Simmonds Unsung Hero Foundation will also be used to support programs for Randolph students.
All photos by Bill Brett
Honoring DJ Simmonds
Honoring DJ Simmonds
Honoring DJ Simmonds
Honoring DJ Simmonds
Honoring DJ Simmonds
Honoring DJ Simmonds
Honoring DJ Simmonds
Honoring DJ Simmonds
Honoring DJ Simmonds
Honoring DJ Simmonds
Honoring DJ Simmonds
Honoring DJ Simmonds
Honoring DJ Simmonds
Honoring DJ Simmonds
Honoring DJ Simmonds
Honoring DJ Simmonds
Honoring DJ Simmonds
