chief advisor to former Irish President Mary Robinson, who served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, he helped craft a response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, opposing the Bush Administration’s “War on Terror” as an abstraction that had the potential for human rights abuses. “He was one of the first to warn against companies’ holding people’s data, and saw the potential for damage and the spread of disinformation by social networks,” Chinoy said. During Boyle’s tenure as a professor of human rights law, a field that he practically originated, he founded centers at two universities where he trained hundreds. If Boyle were alive today, Chinoy said, he’d be happy to see movements for the rights of marginalized people. He’d cheer those protesting for democracy in Hong Kong, Russia, and Burma “at great personal risk,” he said. “That desire burns deeply in people all over the world.” Boyle didn’t win every fight he took on. “A lot of battles, he lost,” Chinoy recalled. “But as long as you’re in the ring, the final battle isn’t lost. You can’t give up hope. Human rights are as basic as breathing.” It required four years of work, including interviews with more than 100 sources, but Boyle’s story has now been told. Chinoy is moving on to other projects, including turning a 12-part docuseries on American journalism in China, which he produced for USC’s China Institute, into a book next year. In the end, Chinoy hopes Boyle’s staggering legacy finally gets the attention it deserves. “Even his family didn’t realize what he had done,” Chinoy said. “When I interviewed Mary Robinson for the book, she said, ‘I’m glad you’re doing this. Kevin Boyle deserves to be remembered.’”
More Books by Wildcats
TAMSIN SMITH ’84, P’22
Author and San Franciscan Tamsin Smith released two books earlier this year via FMSBW Press: a political thriller, XISLE, and a collection of poems, Displacement Geology. The latter, “a love letter to the natural world and the wild human heart,” includes the work “A Principle of Double Reflection,” published to commemorate the 101st birthday of the late poet and City Lights owner Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
JOIN THE FUN! We’ve got lots of events and networking opportunities!
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN PERSON AND ONLINE BEGINNING IN THE FALL OF 2021! • Check your email and the alumni events page for more news beginning in September: williston.com/alumni/events LEARN FROM A WIDE VARIETY OF ALUMNI EXPERTS! • Watch the recordings of our fun and engaging virtual events at williston.com/the-wildcat-hub FIND YOUR WILLISTON CREW
STEPHANIE DUEGER ’88
Expecting a baby means big changes are coming. Therapist and author Dr. Stephanie Dueger published a book that helps couples prepare not only for sleepless nights, but also for the inner transformation that results when a newborn arrives. Preparing for Parenthood: 55 Essential Conversations for Couples Becoming Families (Author Academy Elite, 2020) guides parentsto-be in forming a strong attachment to their new addition.
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