Wakefield Resident Nominated as James Otis Scholar

Submitted by Malden Catholic High School:

Eleven students from Malden Catholic High School were nominated as James Otis Scholars and invited to attend the James Otis Lecture Series at Faneuil Hall presented by the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

Shamus Coyne, a Wakefield resident, has been nominated to the Otis Society. Coyne, a junior at MC, is a member of the National Honor Society, a St. Francis Xavier Scholar, a member of the Multicultural Club at Malden Catholic, and is on the executive board for the MC Chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Coyne is the son of Wakefield residents Brian and Tracey Coyne.

Students were chosen on the basis of academic performance, extracurricular involvement and interest. “The young men selected to represent Malden Catholic High School at the James Otis Lecture Series at Faneuil Hall demonstrate academic achievement and leadership ability,” said Malden Catholic Headmaster Thomas J. Doherty III. “We hope this program furthers their interest in the field of law.”

Malden Catholic’s 2014 James Otis Scholars are:

Wakefield -- Shamus Coyne (Jr.)

Stoneham -- Connor O’Neill (Sr.)

Saugus-- Andrew Ward (Sr.)

Lynnfield -- Joe Veglia (Jr.)

Malden -- Brendan Murphy (Sr.); Alexei Teague (Jr.)

Melrose -- Brian Senier (Sr.); Cameron Zahner (Jr.)

Peabody -- Alex Vitale (Jr.)

Tewksbury -- Michael Welton (Jr.)

Winthrop -- David Giuffre (Jr.)

The James Otis Lectures introduce high school students to prominent guest speakers on a constitutional

issue each year. This year’s faculty includes two leading authorities on Magna Carta, its meaning and its influence on the development of law and society in Britain, America and across the world.

Sir Robert Worcester is the Chair of Magna Carta 800th Anniversary Commemoration Committee, which is responsible for coordinating the 800th Centenary Celebration of the sealing of Magna Carta. Sir Robert is Emeritus Chancellor of the University of Kent. He is currently Visiting Professor of Government at London School of Economics and is a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Contemporary British History at King’s College London.

Professor A.E. Dick Howard is the White Burkett Miller Professor of Law and Public Affairs at the University of Virginia School of Law. He is widely acknowledged as an expert in constitutional law and is one of America’s leading scholars on Magna Carta and its influence on the development of American law. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and after receiving his law degree from the University of Virginia, he was a law clerk to Justice Hugo L. Black of the United States Supreme Court.