4. Early Life
Born in Northfield, in 1949, Agre went to Theodore Roosevelt
High School in Minneapolis, and in 1970 earned his bachelor’s in
degree chemistry college in that city. He received his medical
doctorate form Johns Hopkins in 1974. In 1981, after post –
graduate medical training and a fellowship at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Agre returned to Hopkins, where
he progressed through the ranks of the departments of
medicine and cell biology. In 1993, he was recruited by then 0
department director Daniel Lane, Ph.D., to become a professor
in the department of biological chemistry.

7. • Early Life
• His father was William Airy while his was Ann Biddell.
Originally William had been a farmer too, but he had educated
himself and risen to the position of tax inspector.
• George attended Byatt Walker’s school in Colchester and at the
age of ten, he took first place at the end of primary school
career.
• Airy entered Trinity College, Cambridge in 1819 as a
sizar, meaning that he paid a reduced fee but essentially worked
as a servant to make good the fee reduction. However, it was
only because his uncle provided financial support that he was
able to undertake university Wrangler studies at all. His
performance was outstanding and he graduated as Senior (the
top First Class student) in 1823 and was a Smith’s prizeman.

10. • Early Life
• Kurt Alder was born in Konigushette, Upper Silesia, on the 10
July 1902. His childhood and school years were spent in these
industrial surroundings, but after the end of the First World War
he was forced to leave his home, due to political circumstances.
• He started reading chemistry at Berlin University in 1922, and
later continued these studies at Kiel, where he obtained his
degree of Ph.D. in 1926. The thesis for the decorate, on which
Alder worked under O. Diels, was entitled: ‘Uber die Ursachen
der Azoseter reaktion (On the causes of the azoester reaction).