After several years of success in litigating cases on behalf of victims of asbestos exposure, East Alton attorney John D. Simmons has pledged more than $10 million from his firm toward finding a cure for mesothelioma.

Simmons announced Nov. 4 that he will provide $10.2 million over five years to the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield for cancer research.

Renamed in recognition of his law firm's contributions, the two-year-old SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute at SIU has a staff of 50 that is expected to double during the next two years.

The pledge represents the largest single gift in the history of the university, where Simmons received his undergraduate degree and now serves on the board of trustees.

“We must do everything in our power to provide a medical solution, not just a legal recourse,” Simmons said at the announcement in Carbondale. “The size of this pledge is, to be sure, financially significant for us and that's the way it should be.”

Simmons added that this might be “the only instance where a law firm has made such a sizable commitment in this area of vital medical research. SimmonsCooper has been at the forefront in fighting for justice for cancer victims. We will continue to show that commitment with our hearts and with our pocketbook.”

John and Jayne Simmons also made a personal contribution toward endowment of a chair at the institute that will be focused specifically on respiratory-related forms of cancer.

Ground was broken in July for construction of a $21.5 million headquarters building for the institute. When it opens in 2007, faculty and students will be relocated from scattered sites where courses are now conducted.

All of the SimmonsCooper funds will be devoted to resources for cancer research and education, and not for bricks and mortar.

John Simmons was SIU student body president before entering the Southern Methodist University School of Law. After graduation, he practiced for two years in Atlanta before returning to Illinois.

He practiced briefly in asbestos litigation with Hopkins Goldenberg in Wood River before forming The Simmons Firm and eventually moving it to East Alton. It became SimmonsCooper when Jeffrey S. Cooper joined as a partner.

In addition to serving on the SIU board, Simmons is a member of the executive board of the United Way Partnership. He has been named one of the 40 Illinois Attorneys Under the Age of 40 to Watch by Law Bulletin Publishing Co.