Penelope Harley’s odyssey: crossing cultural and international boundaries

From London to Trinity, Dennis Ahlburg’s wife shares her story

by Joe O’Connell

Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was born right in the center of London in Paddington; and my parents still live there in Little Venice. I actually went away for school, including high school, to boarding school. Then I took a year off and traveled around the world. After that I went to Oxford, but London is home to me.

What did you study at Oxford?
I studied politics, philosophy and economics, and even though I didn’t think this clearly at the time, I was reaching for the closest that Britain comes to the education that is offered at Trinity. So many people opt to, and have to, study one degree; you specialize much, much earlier in England. By the time I left school I was only focused on three subjects. By choosing politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford I got the broadest degree I could in England at that time. That said, I was also already very, very interested particularly in international relations and international politics.

Did you pursue a career after you graduated from Oxford?
My career has been extremely checkered. Not immediately is the answer. When I first left Oxford I was extremely fortunate and was granted a Rotary Foundation scholarship. I was sent to be associated with the West Jerusalem/Jewish Israeli Rotary Club and was sent to study at a Palestinian school on the West Bank. My goal was to study Arabic and promote international understanding and I was doing that on a daily basis. When I returned to England I worked initially in education. I did some work for one of the leading vocational educational institutions in England and then did a graduate teaching degree. I taught and ended up on the upper management team of a large, inner city public high school in central London. When I moved to the States I pursued a law degree and then ended up as a consultant working back in the Middle East. There are three themes that have followed my career: the desire to work with young people, international relations and an abiding interest in conflict resolution.

How do you feel Trinity fits into your career path?
I would like to do something other than be part of the Trinity community as Dennis’ wife. There are some possibilities. I’m being heavily pursued to teach in the political science department. I cannot tell you what a privilege it is to be part of the Trinity community. In my heart I’m quite an intellectual and to be part of an academic community is exciting to me. To be at this university that has a broad array of courses — I can’t believe my luck. Another theme that’s undergirded my work is helping build community. When Dennis and I moved here we both felt really strongly that Trinity reached out to the broader San Antonio community.

What was your initial reaction when you found out you were moving to San Antonio?
I was really, really enthusiastic. I first came to San Antonio in 2003 to attend a conference for the American Bar Association. I stayed on the Riverwalk and got a chance to explore both north and south sides. And after skipping out on a few sessions, I saw Mission Concepciόn and San José and fell in love with them. This is seriously a cool city. When Dennis first told me that he had been approached about a job in San Antonio, I was excited right from the beginning. I desperately wanted to come here.

San Antonio has a lot of Hispanic influence. What do you think of the meshing of the two cultures?
To me that really is the key to my excitement about the city. The Hispanic culture is one that I respect, admire and of which I really enjoy being a part. Also there’s the challenge of learning a language I don’t know. The demographics of this city put San Antonio on the cutting edge of demographics in the US. Across the US we will see cities that become increasingly like San Antonio. The city is looking toward the future and that’s really exciting to me. There’s also a very rich history. I come from a culture where history is part of my make up.

What is your favorite thing about Trinity’s campus?
Three things: it’s spectacularly beautiful. The care and the love that goes into the upkeep of the campus are really evident. The people who work so hard to keep it beautiful are fantastic. Also I like the fact that students have to live on campus because it makes for a rich community. The third thing I like is that it’s so close to downtown, Brackenridge Park and the zoo.

Have you gotten a chance to experience the arts both on campus and around San Antonio?
It took us awhile to get all of the events on our calendar but now we’re trying to go to as many as possible of the fantastic events on campus. Also we are passionate devotees of the art galleries in town. To have such quality museums close by is amazing. My one sadness is that we haven’t had time to go to the symphony orchestra or the theaters downtown. That doesn’t worry me too much; I’m hoping we’ll be here for many years to come.

What is your favorite kind of music?
Dennis is an avid, avid jazz fan and is very knowledgeable about it. I’m more of a fan of classical music — big choral works, big orchestral works. I have a particular love of organ music and absolutely love the organ in Parker Chapel. To be able to hear that on a fairly regular basis is truly wonderful.

What is your favorite movie?
I haven’t seen anything during my time at Trinity until last week when I saw “The King’s Speech.� I think it’s a spectacular film and I know it’s tipped for all sorts of awards and I think it deserves them. It made me very proud to be British. At the moment, that would be my favorite.