In 1993, the American Chemical Society awarded the Priestley Medal to Robert W. Parry ‘for his numerous contributions to chemistry,” the Society’s most prestigious award.

From 1997 until his death in 2006, Parry was Professor Emeritus at the University of Utah. He was an extraordinary teacher, teaching chemistry to thousands of undergraduate students. In 1970 he co-authored a high school chemistry text, Chemistry Experimental Foundations, which was widely used throughout the United States.