Cultural Documentary. It was written and directed by David Flander. Simmons and Flander struck a friendship during filming and remained friends. They would go to local Charleston sporting events together. In 2006, Simmons received an honorary doctorate from South Carolina State University for his contributions to the field of metalworking. Later life Simmons moved from his home to the Bishop Gadsden Retirement Community in Charleston in the spring of 2008. He died there on June 22, 2009, at 9 P.M. at the age of 97. Awards and honors Simmons was a recipient of a 1982 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. That year's fellowships were the first bestowed by the NEA. On January 31, 1994, he was inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame. South Carolina Governor David Beasley bestowed the Order of the Palmetto, the state's highest honor, on Simmons in 1998. He was later awarded the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award for "Lifetime Achievement in the Arts" in May 2001. He was also honored by the South Carolina Legislature for his work. Berkeley County School District honored Simmons by naming three public schools located on Daniel Island, his birth place, after the artist and educator. These include Philip Simmons Elementary, Philip Simmons Middle and Philip Simmons High. List of awards 1982, National Endowment for the Arts, National Heritage Fellowship 1982, Lifetime Achievement Award, South Carolina General Assembly for "lifetime achievement" and commissions for public sculptures by the South Carolina State Museum and the city of Charleston 1994, South Carolina Hall of Fame, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 1998, Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian award given in South Carolina, by Governor David Beasley 2001, Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award for "Lifetime Achievement in the Arts" References External links National Endowment for the Arts – Lifetime Honors Listing from Charleston Area Convention & Visitor Bureau David Flander Productions Philip Simmons Collection at the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture 1912 births 2009 deaths American blacksmiths National Heritage Fellowship winners Artists from Charleston, South Carolina African-American artists 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people Regional Emmy Award winners