Personal History
| 1938 | Joe Denton Simmons was born in Elberton, GA to Fannie Lee and James Corbett Simmons. |
| 1955 | He graduated from Central High School, Chattanooga, TN. |
| 1959 | Joe received a B.A. degree, graduating magna cum laude from David Lipscomb College, Nashville, TN. |
| 1963 | He received his doctoral degree in physical chemistry from Vanderbilt University, and married Patricia Ann Phillips. They had two sons: John and James. |
| 1963–65 | Joe held a Post-doctoral Research Associateship at the National Bureau of Standards. |
| 1965–94 | He spent his working career at NBS/NIST. |
| 1995 | Joe Simmons passed away in Gaithersburg, MD, at 57 years of age. |