In 1994, the American Chemical Society awarded the Priestley Medal to Howard E. Simmons ‘for his numerous contributions to chemistry,” the Society’s most prestigious award.

Simmons, retired vice president of research at Du Pont, rose through the ranks there to the top research job. With co-worker Ronald D. Smith he discovered what is now known as the Simmons-Smith reaction, a method for adding a methylene group to a carbon-carbon double bond to form a cyclopropane. The reagent is methylene iodide and a zinc-copper couple (iodomethylzinc iodide).

Along the way, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), where he contributed to the advancement of chemistry through committee work. A heavy smoker for much of his life, Simmons succumbed in 1997, after a long struggle with lung cancer and heart disease.