On this day, 55 years ago, I received my BSc degree in Environmental Botany and Geography from the University of Southampton, at a degree congregation (aka commencement) held in Southampton’s Guildhall (now the O2 Guildhall) in the city center.

How the years have flown by, after what I can only describe as an inauspicious start. Because instead of the hoped-for 2:i degree, I missed out by a whisker. I’m not sure which hurt more: missing out, or being told by my tutor that I’d missed out by just 1%.

Anyway, I left Southampton not sure what my future would hold. I hadn’t attempted to find any meaningful employment, and I’d had no intention of going into teaching as a ‘last resort’.

What I did have, however, was a firm offer of a place on a newly-established MSc course on Conservation and Utilisation of Plant Genetic Resources in the Department of Botany at the University of Birmingham. The only problem was that there was no funding to support my participation, either for the academic fees or maintenance. And I certainly didn’t have the financial resources to cover those costs.

In February 1970, I’d been invited for interview at Birmingham by Professor Jack Hawkes, who was Mason Professor of Botany, head of department, and Course Director for the MSc course. I had an interesting interview with Hawkes and senior lecturer in plant ecology, Dr Dennis Wilkins. Little imagining that they would be colleagues a decade later.

In any case, everything turned out for the best. I guess it must have been in early August that I received a phone call from Professor Hawkes with the good news that the university had approved a small grant that would cover fees and maintenance (at £5 per week, approximately). So I set about looking for somewhere to live in Birmingham, ordering several key books, and preparing for an intense year of study.

And the rest is history, so to speak.

I redeemed myself academically during the MSc course. I studied hard and effectively, something that clearly had not been my forte at Southampton.

I began a PhD research project on potatoes under Hawkes’ supervision, and moved to Peru in January 1973 to begin a career in international agricultural research at the International Potato Center (CIP) in Lima.

Before I retired in April 2010, I’d worked in three countries overseas: with CIP in Peru (1973-1976), Costa Rica (1976-1981), and at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines (1991-2010), as well as spending a decade in academia as a lecturer in plant biology in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Birmingham.

Having had a somewhat chequered undergraduate career (having burnt the candle at one end more than the other), I was sympathetic towards undergraduate students, tutees in particular, who began their studies and even struggled from time-to-time. I knew where they were coming from, and was able to provide (I believe) sound counsel about how to move forward. Having learnt from my own mistakes (shortcomings even) I think I was able to provide useful insights into how to study effectively and take full advantage of life as an undergraduate student.

In my career I’ve been fortunate to travel widely around the world, held senior positions in agricultural research institutes (at IRRI), published widely, supervised some excellent PhD and MSc students, and wherever, left things better than I found them.

And it all started with a rather disappointing performance at Southampton 55 years ago today.

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