Editing Elias James Corey (section)

==Biography==
E.J. Corey (the surname was anglicized from [[Levantine Arabic]] ''[[Khoury]]'', meaning ''priest'') was born to [[Lebanese Greek Orthodox Christians|Lebanese Greek Orthodox Christian]] immigrants Fatima (née Hasham) and Elias Corey in [[Methuen, Massachusetts]], {{convert|50|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of Boston.<ref>[http://nobelprize.org/chemistry/laureates/1990/corey-autobio.html Elias James Corey – Autobiography] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706111206/http://nobelprize.org/chemistry/laureates/1990/corey-autobio.html |date=July 6, 2008 }}. nobelprize.org</ref> His mother changed his name from William to "Elias" to honor his father, who died eighteen months after Corey's birth. His widowed mother, brother, two sisters, aunt and uncle all lived together in a spacious house, struggling through the [[Great Depression]]. As a young boy, Corey was independent and enjoyed sports such as baseball, football, and hiking. He attended a Catholic elementary school and [[Lawrence High School (Massachusetts)|Lawrence High School]] in [[Lawrence, Massachusetts]].

At the age of 16 Corey entered [[MIT]], where he earned both a [[bachelor's degree]] in 1948 and a [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]] under Professor [[John C. Sheehan]] in 1951. Upon entering MIT, Corey's only experience with science was in mathematics, and he began his college career pursuing a degree in engineering. After his first chemistry class in his sophomore year he began rethinking his long-term career plans and graduated with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. Immediately thereafter, at the invitation of Professor John C. Sheehan, Corey remained at MIT for his Ph.D. After his graduate career he was offered an appointment at the [[University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign]], where he became a full professor of chemistry in 1956 at the age of 27. He was initiated as a member of the Zeta chapter of [[Alpha Chi Sigma]] at the University of Illinois in 1952.<ref name="alphachisigma.org">[http://www.alphachisigma.org/page.aspx?pid=268 Fraternity – Awards – Hall of Fame – Alpha Chi Sigma<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126172333/http://www.alphachisigma.org/page.aspx?pid=268 |date=January 26, 2016 }}</ref> In 1959, he moved to [[Harvard University]], where he is currently an emeritus professor of organic chemistry with an active Corey Group research program. He chose to work in organic chemistry because of "its intrinsic beauty and its great relevance to human health".<ref>{{cite news
  | last = Corey
  | first = E.J.
  | title = Nobel Prize Autobiography
  | publisher = Nobelprize.org: The Official Site of the Nobel Prize
  | year = 1990
  | url = http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1990/corey.html
  | access-date = September 9, 2010}}
</ref> He has also been an advisor to Pfizer for more than 50 years.<ref>{{cite news
  | title = Compiled Works of Elias J. Corey, Notes, Pfizer, Celebrating your 80th birthday
  | date = June 27, 2008
  | url = http://ejcorey.org/corey/notes/notes.php
  | access-date = November 15, 2013}}
</ref>

Among numerous honors, Corey was awarded the [[National Medal of Science]] in 1988,<ref>[https://www.nsf.gov/od/nms/recip_details.cfm?recip_id=88 National Science Foundation – The President's National Medal of Science] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015222720/https://www.nsf.gov/od/nms/recip_details.cfm?recip_id=88 |date=October 15, 2012 }}</ref> the [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] in 1990,<ref name=nobel-lecture/> and the [[American Chemical Society]]'s greatest honor, the [[Priestley Medal]], in 2004.<ref name=major-awards/>