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Syracuse University will resume the annual observance of Remembrance Week this year, commemorating the victims of the Pan Am Flight 103 terrorist attack, after canceling it last year due to the pandemic.

This year marks the 33rd anniversary of the attack which killed 270 people — including 35 SU students returning from a study abroad program — on December 21, 1988.

Each year, SU chooses 35 seniors as Remembrance Scholars — one of the highest honors for undergraduate students — to represent the 35 students who lost their lives in the attack 33 years ago. Their mission is to educate the SU community about terrorism and to honor the victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. Two Lockerbie Scholars are also selected every year from Lockerbie, Scotland, to study at SU for one year.

Remembrance Week will last from Sunday, Oct. 17  to Saturday, Oct. 23. Here are the ceremonies that will take place throughout the week.

All week

35 Empty Seats Display – the Quad

There will be 35 seats placed on the Quad, which represent the 35 students who lost their lives on board Pan Am Flight 103. The seats are arranged in the same way the 35 students on board the flight sat in. The exhibition serves as a reminder to look back and act forward.

Remembering Through Multimedia – Schine Student Center 

A video display, which includes videos from alumni, statements from current Remembrance Scholars, news coverages from the events and photo slideshows, will be held at Schine, according to SU’s Remembrance Week webpage.

A Drive to Remember – Schine Room 232

The Remembrance Scholars will host a clothing drive in support of the Afghan refugees in the city of Syracuse. Community members can drop off items for the clothing drive now until Oct. 22 at deans’ offices or 232 Schine.

Illumination – Hall of Languages and Hendricks Chapel 

The two buildings will be lit blue in observance of Remembrance Week.

Sunday, Oct. 17

4 p.m. Music and Message – Hendricks Chapel

The Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars held Sunday’s events in collaboration with Hendricks Chapel. The events addressed hope, resilience and action confronting grief and tragedy, according to the Remembrance Week homepage. 

6:15 p.m. Candlelight Vigil – Place of Remembrance 

Attendees each will light a candle in honor of the people who died in the bombing. The Remembrance Scholars typically share stories of the students they represent and what Remembrance Week means to them.

Monday, Oct. 18

Noon “Sitting in Solidarity” –  the Quad

The scholars will sit in the 35 empty seats — arranged by the seats that the 35 students they represent were sitting in on Pan Am Flight 103 — on the Quad for 35 minutes. Though SU has held the seating display for years, the scholars only recently began sitting in the chairs as a way to humanize the students who died in the attack.

7 p.m. “IMPACT” screening – Bird Library Room 114

There will be a screening of the play “IMPACT,” written and acted by SU alumnus Amy Engelhardt. Following the virtual show, there will be an open discussion with Engelhardt and Remembrance Scholar Caleb Sheedy.

Tuesday, Oct. 19

7:30 p.m. “Seat 20D” screening – Gifford Auditorium, Huntington Beard Crouse Hall

The documentary presents the story of Suse Lowenstein, mother of SU student and victim Alexander Lowenstein, who studied English at SU, according to On Eagles Wings. Alexander sat in seat 20D on Pan Am 103. 

Thursday, Oct. 21

7:30 p.m. — 9 p.m. Celebration of Life – Schine Room 304 A, B and C

The victims’ families and the current scholars will present music, poetry, art and dancing in honor and celebration of the victims and their lives. 

Friday, Oct. 22

10 a.m. — noon, Pan Am Flight 103 / Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives Pop-Up Exhibition – Bird Library Room 606

The exhibition will present selections of media coverage of the bombing and disaster, investigative, trial, and victims’ service records, SU memorials materials and personal belongings donated by the victims’ families. The SU libraries have a collection of archives from the attack and the afterward, and this event is open to the public.

2:03 p.m. Rose-Laying Ceremony – Place of Remembrance

Rose-laying at the Place of Remembrance has been a long tradition in honor of the Pan Am Flight 103 victims on SU campus. The ceremony will be held at 2:03 p.m. — the exact time Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. The ceremony also honors 2002-03 Lockerbie Scholar Andrew McClune, who died in 2002, in addition to the 270 people who died in the attack. The ceremony will be livestreamed, and registration is required.

3 p.m. Remembrance Scholar Convocation – Hendricks Chapel

The annual convocation will honor the 2021-22 Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars. The ceremony will be livestreamed, and registration is required.

Post-Remembrance Week Events

Friday, Oct. 29

4:30 — 6 p.m. Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars Alumni Gathering, Noble Room – Hendricks Chapel

Hendricks Chapel will host a gathering for alumni and students. Registration is required. 

10 a.m. Race to Remember – Check-in at Schine on the Einhorn Family Walk

The final event of Remembrance Week is a 3.5-mile run to remember the lives lost. Proceeds will support the Remembrance Scholarship Fund. Check and registration will begin at 9 a.m., and registration is required.

Published on October 17, 2021 at 6:05 pm

Contact Francis: btang05@syr.edu | @francis_towne