The Peter L. Simpson gold medal of the American Foundry Society was established in 1946 through a donation of $5,000 by Simpson Technologies Corporation (formerly known as National Engineering Co.) of Chicago for endowment of an award fund that would make possible the honoring of an individual for outstanding career achievements within the foundry industry. Proffered to AFS by Simpson Technologies Chairman Mr. Herbert S. Simpson (AFS President 1941-42), the endowment was accepted by the AFS Board of Directors and was awarded for the first time at the 50th Anniversary AFS Casting Congress in Cleveland, Ohio in May 1946. The first recipient of the medal was Mr. Howard F. Taylor, formerly of the Naval Research Laboratory then a Research Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass.

In accepting the generous offer of Mr. Simpson, the award agreement includes all of the general conditions associated with the previous four gold medal awards – the John H. Whiting, the John A. Penton, the William H. McFadden and the Joseph S. Seaman medal awards which have been bestowed periodically by AFS since 1924. The Peter L. Simpson award is intended to be a medal conferred upon some person "who shall, by their individual effort, achieve very noteworthy results toward the achievement of those objectives for which the American Foundry Society was formed."  As with all AFS gold medals, the selection of recipients with achievements deemed worthy of recognition rests solely with the AFS Board of Awards consisting of the last 5 living past presidents of the Society who are able and willing to serve.

When Herbert S. Simpson, tendered the new endowment fund to AFS he did so as a memorial to his father the late Peter L. Simpson. Its acceptance by unanimous action of the AFS Board of Directors, was accompanied by the following motion: "That AFS accepts with gratitude the generous offer of Mr. H. S. Simpson to endow an AFS Memorial Fund in memory of the late Peter L Simpson, and that a special committee of the Board is appointed to confer with the donor at the earliest possible date, to the end that the greatest good be accomplished for the foundry industry in honor of one of its outstanding pioneers."

History of Recipients

1946 - Howard F. Taylor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 

1947 - Dr. Richard A. Flinn, Jr., American Brake Shoe Co., Mahwah, NJ

1948 - Peter E. Rentschler, Hamilton Foundry & Machine Co., Hamilton, OH

1949 - Russell J. Anderson, Belle City Malleable Iron Co., Racine, WI

1951 - Thomas W. Curry, Lynchburg Foundry Co., Lynchburg, VA

1952 - Albert P. Gagnebin and *Keith D. Millis, International Nickel Co., New York, NY

1953 - James H. Smith, Central Foundry Div., General Motors Corp., Saginaw, MI

1954 - Roy A. Gezelius, General Steel Castings Corp., Eddystone, PA

1955 - John E. Rehder, Canada Iron Foundries Ltd., Montreal, PQ, Canada

1957 - Charles K. Donoho, American Cast Iron Pipe Co., Birmingham, AL

1959 - John A. Rassenfoss, American Steel Foundries, East Chicago, IN

1961 - Merton C. Flemings, Jr., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

1964 - Dr. Albert L. DeSy, University of Ghent, Belgium

1967 - Ronald W. Ruddle, Foseco, Inc., Cleveland, OH

1969 - Elmer E. Braun, Central Foundry Div., General Motors Corp., Saginaw, MI

1972 - Aldo Dacco, LIASA, Milan, Italy

1973 - John A. Wagner, Sr., Wagner Castings Co., Decatur, IL

1974 - Collins L. Carter, Hayes-Albion Corp., Jackson, MI

1977 - Karl L. Landgrebe, Wheland Foundries Inc., Chattanooga, TN

1978 - Bernard N. Ames, Columbian Bronze Corp., Freeport, Long Island, NY

1979 - Charles F. Seelbach, Jr., Forest City Foundries Co., Cleveland, OH

1982 - Glenn W. Stahl, Stahl Specialty Co., Kingsville, MO

1983 - Burleigh E. Jacobs, Grede Foundries, Inc., Milwaukee, WI

1985 - Thomas R. Wiltse, Central Foundry Div., General Motors Corp., Saginaw, MI

1986 - Ashley B. Sinnett, American Foundrymen’s Society, Inc., Des Plaines, IL

1987 - Charles E. Drury, Hayes-Albion Corp., Jackson, MI

1988 - Lawrence S. Krueger, Pelton Casteel, Inc., Milwaukee, WI

1991 - George N. Booth, Ford Motor Co., Casting Div., Dearborn, MI

1992 - George W. Mathews, Jr., Intermet Corp., Atlanta, GA

1995 - T. Morris Hackney, Citation Corporation, Birmingham, AL

1997 - James D. Pearson, Aurora Metals Division LLC, Montgomery, IL

2001 - R. Conner Warren, Citation Corp., Birmingham, AL

2003 - Ray H. Witt, CMI Management Services, Southfield MI

2007 - Gary L. Thoe, Waupaca Foundry, Waupaca, WI

2016 - Frank C. Headington, Neenah Foundry Company, Neenah, WI

2017 - Gary M. Gigante, Waupaca Foundry, Waupaca, WI

2020 - Dennis Dotson, Dotson Iron Castings, Mankato, MN

2024 - Henry Lodge, Lodge Manufacturing Company, South Pittsburg, TN