The Crouse College chimes rang 35 times, breaking the silence of the cold Saturday afternoon. With each toll, about 20 people made their way from Hendricks Chapel to the Remembrance Wall in front of the Hall of Languages. 

They stood around the Remembrance Wall as the chimes fell silent. Though she had not planned to speak, senior Allison Westbrook addressed the crowd.

“Thirty-one years ago this day, the world was plunged into darkness as 270 lives were lost,” Westbrook said. “We remember that day as vividly as we remember yesterday.”

The crowd gathered to remember and honor the 270 people who died in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 on Dec. 21, 1988. Thirty-five of the victims were Syracuse University students, who were returning home from studying abroad when the plane exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. 

The memorial ceremony, which includes a private service in Hendricks Chapel, is held each year on the anniversary of the tragedy. A week of remembrance services is also held in October.

“May this day turn us all toward the light in ourselves, in each other and in the world. And may we reach out to those who suffer now, that in time they might also find their way to healing,” Westbrook said.

Westbrook is one of SU’s 2019 Remembrance Scholars, a group of 35 students who each represent a SU student who died on Pan Am Flight 103. During her remarks, Westbrook said she relates to Nicholas Vrenios, the student she represents. He wrote love songs in his bedroom, she said, something Westbrook now does as a student in the Setnor School of Music.

After Westbrook spoke, those gathered for the ceremony greeted one another, shaking gloved hands and sharing personal stories. A woman placed a bouquet of flowers against the Remembrance Wall, which is engraved with the names of the 35 student victims. 

Hendricks Chapel Dean Brian Konkol said after the service that the ceremony means a lot to everyone in attendance.

“When we come together to intentionally remember, as the saying goes, we don’t just look back, but we do act forward,” Konkol said. “We learn from history, and it helps to propel us towards a better future.”

Some Remembrance Scholars and SU representatives attended a memorial service Saturday for the Pan Am Flight 103 victims at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. The annual ceremony occurred around a memorial comprised of 270 stones — each representing a victim of the bombing. 

Senior Mary Washburn, a Remembrance Scholar who represents Julianne Kelly, attended the memorial service at SU. It was nice to be able to smile, laugh and cry with those connected to the victims, she said after the service. She was reminded of Kelly a bit more on the anniversary, she said. 

Tyler Youngman, a senior and Remembrance Scholar representing Jason Coker, said after the service that it was a unique opportunity to be on SU’s campus for the memorial service.

“It’s such a quiet, serene day on this campus, and to think that 31 years ago it wasn’t is really a cause for reflection,” Youngman said. 

As an SU student and a native of Oswego, New York — where two victims of the plane crash attended school at SUNY Oswego — Youngman said the connection he’s made to the tragedy will last for the rest of his life. 

Thirty-one years later, remembering the victims of Pan Am Flight 103 reminds people of what it means to come together as a community in the wake of painful events, Youngman said. 

“This experience has taught me that remembrance doesn’t just happen on an anniversary. It doesn’t just affect the people who were on SU’s campus. It affects everybody,” Youngman said. “It’s sometimes difficult, but the community comes together and we get through it together.”

DISCLAIMER: Tyler Youngman is an archivist for The Daily Orange. He does not work for or interact with the News section, nor does he influence its editorial content as archivist.

Published on December 21, 2019 at 9:11 pm

Contact Emma: esfolts@syr.edu