Ernest Villafranca was my second graduate student, and did the initial structure of ricin.  He went on to post-doc with my old mentor Joe Kraut, who was just then starting up the Agouron Institute and the profit making arm, Agouron Pharmaceuticals.  Ern played a key role in getting the company on the track to structure-based drug design and rose to promincence in the company.  Here is a recent (Dec 2000) picture of Ern and his lovely family.

          Ern’s fame and scientific reputation attracted the attention of some high rollers.  In 2002 he was lured away from San Diego to become Executive Director and CEO of The Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute in Morgantown, WV.   After several years there he returned to San Diego and worked as an independent consultant.  He sent a nice note in April pf 2005 to say he was well, but the retired life was driving him crazy.  Efforts were afoot to start his own drug company.  He sent a photo of his family with himself, his wife Amy , and daughters, Eliana(7), Gabriela(5) and Antonia(3).