Elwyn L. Simons *56

Elwyn Simons, professor emeritus of evolutionary anthropology at Duke, died March 6, 2016, at age 85. He was regarded as a father of modern primate paleontology.

Simons graduated from Rice University in 1953, and in 1956 earned a Ph.D. in geology from Princeton. He was then a graduate student at Oxford, earned a Ph.D., and met distinguished scholars of human evolution who greatly influenced his evolutionary thinking.

He then joined the Penn faculty. Soon he went to Yale, where he was curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Peabody Museum and a member of the geology department. In 1977, Simons became professor of biological anthropology and director of the Primate Center at Duke, retiring in 2011.

In 1961, Simons had initiated field exploration in the Fayum region of Egypt. There he discovered the skull of a cat-size, tree-dwelling primate he called Aegyptopithecus — then the earliest known common ancestor of apes, monkeys, and man. For 50 years, he led innumerable field expeditions in the Near East. Simons received many prestigious awards, and authored an estimated 300 publications.

Simons is survived by his wife of 43 years and scientific collaborator, Friderun Ankel; three children; and five grandchildren. His first marriage ended in divorce.

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.