One of my favorite authors is Frederic Buechner. In his book “The Longing for Home,” Buechner reflects on the importance of home in our lives. One meaning of home is our place of origin. For me, that is Birmingham-Southern College. It was the joy of my childhood – a land of adventure for a group of faculty kids that grew up on Greensboro Road. And it is also my alma mater – the place that formed me and prepared me for a life beyond the Hilltop.

BSC runs deep in my family. It was my aunt, Betty Jo Harmon, who first made the decision to attend BSC. She sang with Dr. Hugh Thomas, traveled to Town Hall in New York, and then taught voice in the conservatory. She was also my first voice teacher. My mom, Elise McWilliams Penfield, followed in her sister’s footsteps and graduated from BSC. But in just a few short years she returned with my dad, Dr. H. Irvin Penfield, and they made a home for us on that short street we called faculty row.

Growing up on campus shaped me in ways I did not fully realize until much later in life. I was surrounded by great minds, but they were more than that, they were great people. I would walk next door to take piano lessons from Barbara Thomas. Years later, I continued my piano lessons up the street with Nancy Wingard. Richard and Dorothy Ward helped me prepare for college auditions and made me work on my German until it met their approval. The street provided dinner parties, trick or treating, caroling and sing-alongs, and a whole host of faculty and staff (including campus security) that looked after me. I learned to appreciate good music not only by attending performances in the music building, but also by opening my window on weekend nights and listening to the sound of bands rise up from fraternity row (when it was on that side of campus). I had many parents on campus, but it was my mom and dad who grounded me – literally and figuratively – and were my role models of a life well lived.

Amazingly, the care and comfort I experienced as a child carried over into my days as a student. I soon learned that it was not because I grew up on campus, but because I was a BSC student. The BSC community was and is special. It is a place where students are challenged to question freely, think critically, serve abundantly, and discover the meaning of community. And my time at BSC prepared me for a career of lifelong learning.

Some of my most impactful experiences came each January. My first Interim term (now known as E-Term) gave me the opportunity to perform the role of the Count in “The Marriage of Figaro.” Surrounded my incredible talent and commitment taught me the value of working hard to reach a common goal. As a service-learning team member my second and third years, I traveled to Zimbabwe and Brazil and experienced the gift that comes from serving and being served by others. My Senior Interim was an in-depth examination of the Vietnam War with Dr. Slaughter. In that class we heard directly from veterans and how that war shaped our country. Each experience was incredibly different, but equally as life changing.

When I finally left the Hilltop, I carried BSC with me to Candler School of Theology, to Saint Paul School of Theology, and to Cumberland School of Law. And what I learned on the Hilltop continues to shape my personal and professional relationships, my understanding of my community and the world, and how I am called to make a difference where I am planted.

My family laughs at me because I am always talking about what degree I will get next. Maybe it will be a Ph.D. in Political Science like my dad, or a M.A. in Speech Arts like my mom. In reality, my time in school is done and I have now passed that on to my daughters. But my curiosity and hunger for learning, most of which was placed in me during my years on the Hilltop, has not gone away. For those of us who call BSC home, it is has forever shaped who we are and how we encounter the world. And for that, I am thankful.

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Matthew Penfield ’92, principal at Bressler, Amery & Ross, has been recognized in various publications such as the Best Lawyers in America®, Chambers USA Guide to ‘America’s Leading Lawyers for Business,’ and Mid-South Super Lawyers. Penfield sits on the board of directors of Opera Birmingham, Workshops Empowerment, Inc. and the Norton Board at BSC. Penfield received a Master of Divinity from Emory University in 1997, a Doctor of Ministry from Saint Paul School of Theology in 2007, and a Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, from Cumberland School of Law in 2009.

This story was included in a special law edition of From the Hilltop, Birmingham-Southern’s alumni email newsletter.

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