Meet James Canham Ash. He was the Chief of Hesperus from 2001 to 2002 and joined Pangbourne in 1995. Currently he is the Head of Communications for an American software company called Manhattan Associates.
What are your fondest memories of Pangbourne?
There are so many! I think one that really stands out for me was when the Falkland Islands Memorial Chapel was opened in 2000 and we had the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Lady Thatcher, and Sir Dennis come and visit. I was lucky enough to be chosen to show Lady Thatcher and Sir Dennis around.
Another one, which also stands out, was being made Chief of Hesperus - that was my dream when I started. When I visited on the Open Day I wanted to be just like that young man that I met, so that was wonderful. Finally, I would say Remembrance Sunday 2001 while I was Chief of Hesperus and giving the orders and the salutes on Remembrance Sunday. I've got family who were in the military, so, for me, that was very touching. There are a bunch of other memories but those are the big highlights.
What did you go on to do after Pangbourne?
I had a brief dalliance with the military that didn't quite come off as I expected because I ended up breaking my shoulder. As you can imagine, that curtailed my military career. After that, I ended up finding myself in London (as many young graduates do) not really knowing what I wanted to do. A friend of the family suggested that I look at communications because I was a good writer and I enjoy talking to people. So I did just that, and it seemed to work quite well for me and the last 13 years of my career I've been working in communications, in various organisations and agencies, and that's led me to where I am now as Head of Communications at Manhattan Associates.
How did your time at the College prepare you for life beyond Pangbourne?
Pangbourne gives you many, many qualities - it has over the generations of different students that have attended. One of the most important things that I think Pangbourne did prepare me for was giving me the confidence and ability to be able to communicate not just myself, but with other people to find that common ground that we all have and to understand that, at the end of the day, whether they've got pips on their arm and they're a Major General, whether they're an ex-Prime Minister, or CEO of a Fortune 500, they’re just people and everybody can find common ground and nobody should feel intimidated or scared about talking to and communicating with each other. I think that was one of the great values, that confidence and that ability to connect to people that I got directly from the College.
How would you describe the Pangbourne that you attended?
The Pangbourne that I attended was a very different place to what it is today, I believe. It was very much a school of its time and it's great to see that it has evolved to still be a school of its time. I think that's one of the most enduring factors about Pangbourne, its ability to continue to change, evolve, and be relevant.
But there are some qualities and some areas of Pangbourne culture which I see as a red thread, which have been with the College from its inception in the early 1900s right through to its Centenary in 2017 to where we are today. I would say there's a quintessential essence of what Pangbourne is, whether it's confidence, whether it's that ethos of team, playing together and being as one, winning as one, losing as one - those are values which have come through from the days when I was here in 1995, right through to when I went to an Open Morning here a couple of years ago and was shown around and was really impressed. Those qualities I recognised, they're still here today.
What would you say to somebody who is considering Pangbourne for their child?
Pangbourne has many, many different and brilliant qualities. You may not be the sportiest in the world, you may not be the most academic, you may not be the most musical, but whatever you are Pangbourne will find those qualities and help bring them out in you.
At the end of education it’s not all about A*s and A grades, and I don't think it's about chevrons on the arm and sporting colours, I think it's about awareness, selflessness, and growing as a human being. Understanding the values of the world of today is what Pangbourne promotes, it enables people to understand and follow that moral compass. I would say don't worry about the marching - they don't do it much! Don't worry about the muddy school kit because they've got House Matrons for that. Have a look... you will find something truly unique, I believe, in Berkshire at least, and maybe it will be for you. Maybe it won't, but take a look... you might be surprised with what you find.
