“Peter’s group in Boulder, Colo., at that time, was publishing heavily in that field, so it was an obvious place to try and go to after I finished my Ph.D.,” Darvill said. Plus he and his wife, Janet, figured they needed to see the world for a year. They arrived in Colorado with two suitcases and two carry-ons, not suspecting that they would never return to live in England.

That first year stateside had its ups and downs.

For several months, Darvill worked on a cell wall project, making little progress. Just months away from the end of Darvill’s funding, Albersheim called him into a meeting: The research would have to be abandoned if something didn’t happen soon. In the nick of time, Darvill had a major breakthrough. He and coworkers discovered two previously unknown cell wall carbohydrates. Twenty-seven years later, Darvill and Albersheim’s lab continues to study these specific molecules called RGI and RGII; just two years ago they uncovered the function of RGII (See Research Magazine Summer 2002).

Albersheim recognized Darvill’s talent as a scientist.

Glucose is just one of many sugars that link together to form complex carbohydrates. The crystallized form of glucose as seen through a light microscope is shown above. Seven glucose units arranged in a specific way form the molecule oligosaccharin, which triggers defense reactions in plants.

“We’ve been together since 1976. Smartest move I ever made in my life was to get this guy to stay and become part of the team,” Albersheim said.

They shared a strong drive for success, compatible scientific interests and similar goals, although each had different personal styles.

“Al is a good leader and people like him,” Albersheim said. “I liked him and could trust him. He could take criticism and build on it.”

They also became friends. Their families enjoyed backpacking trips and skiing together in the Rockies. They traveled to Australia and Bora Bora together.

“We quickly formed a good, interactive group between us and it just progressed from there,” Darvill said.