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The following feature story appeared in the campus publication MOSAIC in October, 1996.
Jeffrey Pyle '97
Eloquent advocate of song and free speech
For those people who traffic the main quad between classes, the soulful sounds of a harmonica have become familiar. From his third-floor room in the Cook dormitory, senior Jeffrey Pyle practices an instrument he takes very seriously. Pyle's grace on the harmonica is second only to the eloquence he displays when discussing his greatest passion: free-speech advocacy.Pyle is the Massachusetts native who made national headlines three years ago when he donned a controversial T-shirt at his high school and was propelled into a statewide controversy that made legal history. In July, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court unanimously ruled in Pyle's favor, declaring that South Hadley High School did not have the right to ban a shirt that some school officials found offensive.
"Students perhaps don't realize how fortunate they are to have a First Amendment. The conventional wisdom says that if your point of view is offensive to most people, then it probably isn't allowed. This is wrong. Free speech exists to protect the speech we hate, not the speech we like," Pyle said.
Internships
Son of a constitutional law professor, the mild-mannered history major became active in other areas of free-speech advocacy while involved in his own case. This past summer he interned at the Center for Democracy and Technology in Washington, D.C., a nonprofit public interest organization that advocates public policies to protect civil liberties in a world of new information and communication technologies. The previous summer he wrote a pamphlet on students' rights while working as an intern at the Massachusetts Civil Liberties Union in Boston. More recently, he spoke on students' First Amendment rights at a meeting of the Maine Civil Liberties Union and then debated with students, teachers, lawyers, and public officials on how the First Amendment applies to the lives of public school students.
Of those internships, Pyle said the Washington stint was interesting because of the location primarily, but his work in Massachusetts held more meaning for him. "If I had to recommend an internship to another student, I'd tell him or her to work at the state level. Most of the decisions that really affect our lives occur at the state level," he said.
Although the court decision is now behind him, Pyle continues to talk about his experience, and his hope that his case will serve as an example for other students across the country. Adrienne Fulco, senior lecturer in political science and adviser to Pyle for his minor in legal studies, said Pyle regularly speaks to her constitutional law and freshman seminar classes. "Students are really impressed with how much Jeff knows," Fulco said. "From my perspective Ñ someone who teaches constitutional law Ñ there is not a better case study."
Music man
As vocal as this history major is about this constitutional right, he is equally passionate about his musical interests. Since his freshman year, Pyle has performed in the Concert Choir, the Pep Band, a musical-revue and an all-male a cappella group, "After Dark." Now the senior member of the a cappella group, Pyle is gratified when he looks back to his freshman year when he joined the group. "There aren't many other schools where one student can record two CDs in four years," he said.
Quite serendipitously, his history major merged with his interest in music two years ago when he formed a blues/rock band with some friends. In need of a drummer, the group enlisted the help of Pyle's history professor, John Chatfield. The band, "So What?" plays frequently around campus. "Because Professor Chatfield is a jazz drummer, we ended up playing jazz," Pyle said. In addition to his work with the history professor in the classroom and in the band, Pyle meets with Chatfield and other students and faculty every Friday for lunch to discuss a variety of current events.
"Professor Chatfield is so cool. He's a great drummer and a wonderful guy to work with in any capacity," he said.
After accumulating a collection of some 50 harmonicas, Pyle will probably not abandon his love of music any time soon. It is equally unlikely that the legal system will ever be far from his mind.
Last spring, Pyle wrote an independent study essay entitled, "Socrates, the Schools and Civility: The Continuing War between Inculcation and Inquiry," and it will be published in the winter edition of the Journal of Law and Education. This year, he will focus on the criminal justice system in the 20th century for his thesis, which he hopes will be published. Following graduation, Pyle plans on officially entering the arena that has captured his imagination for the past three years by enrolling in law school.
While planning for the future, Pyle reflects on the past. "Trinity has been great. It has a great faculty and the opportunities I've had to get to know teachers have been invaluable," he said.
-- Michael Bradley '98