PHILIP SIMMONS, 45; WROTE OF LIVING WITH ALS

Dr. Philip E. Simmons, 45, professor, author, and outdoorsman, died Saturday at his home in Center Sandwich, N.H. He had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.

Dr. Simmons learned he had ALS, a degenerative neuromuscular condition, when he was 35 and an associate professor of English at Lake Forest College in Illinois. He was told ALS kills its victims in two to five years.

He beat those odds. Dr. Simmons lived nearly 10 years and wrote a highly acclaimed book, "Learning to Fall, the Blessings of an Imperfect Life." He also helped create a community arts group, the Yeoman's Fund for the Arts.

On May 26, his alma mater, Amherst College, awarded him an honorary doctorate of letters, commending him for "confronting the very palpable evidence of his own mortality."

By that time, disease had weakened his ability to speak - but not to think - and his remarks were read by his wife, artist Kathryn Field, his brother, Paul, and a friend, Peggy Johnson.

Dr. Simmons was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Winchester, spending summers among the hills and lakes of central New Hampshire. He earned degrees in English and physics from Amherst, a master of fine arts degree from Washington University in St. Louis, and a doctorate in English from the University of Michigan.

He published both short fiction and criticism, including "Deep Surfaces," which was praised by critic William Pritchard as the work of someone who really cared about literature and wanted to share it with others.

"Learning to Fall" originated in a series of talks Dr. Simmons gave at the North Shore Unitarian Church of Deerfield, Ill., following his ALS diagnosis. Initially unable to find a publisher, he chose to offer the book on the Internet, where it was such a success that it caught the eye of Bantam Books, which published a hardcover version this year.

Dr. Simmons and his family moved to New Hampshire when his disease was in its early stages. They had built a vacation home next door to his parents, Alan and Mary Simmons, and remodeled it to meet his needs.

In his illness, Dr. Simmons learned to ask for, and accept, help.

Out of that need came an organization of more than 30 local men and women, known as FOPAK, Friends of Phil and Kathryn. For nearly three years, they helped ease the family's burdens by cooking, cleaning, ferrying kids around, and helping Dr. Simmons get up in the morning and go to bed at night.

Interviewed for a TV documentary, Dr. Simmons said years of adversity taught him how to achieve his aims: "I boss people around."

He was known fondly to friends as something of a control freak. Friends and acquaintances regularly received e-mails assigning them tasks.

In a final example of his strong will, he wrote his own eulogy and even designated the person with the right comic touch to deliver the piece as he intended it.

In addition to his parents and wife, Dr. Simmons leaves a son, Aaron, of Center Sandwich; a daughter, Amelia, of Center Sandwich; and four brothers, G. David of Los Angeles, Peter A. of Yorba Linda, Calif., Michael A. of Winchester, and Paul I. of Denver.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Friday at the Plymouth Congregational Church in Plymouth, N.H. Burial will be private.