Kevin Hirst spent the past week getting to know 35 people he will never meet.

‘This week, I went through the archives of the students, and I found so many ordinary things that really made me think,’ Hirst said. ‘Resumes, prom pictures, SAT scores — these were just regular kids like us.’

Hirst, a senior at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, is one of this year’s 35 Remembrance Scholars. In light of Remembrance Week, this year’s scholars have spent time researching the lives of the 35 Syracuse University students who were lost on Dec. 21, 1988, when terrorists blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

A candlelight vigil was held Tuesday night to honor the victims. The Remembrance Scholars, as well as this year’s Lockerbie Scholars, joined a small gathering of students and faculty members at the ceremony. The Lockerbie Scholars are two students from Lockerbie Academy in Scotland who are picked every year to receive scholarships.

The vigil began on the Quad with an opening prayer and a song of reflection by the Rev. Linus DeSantis and continued by the Wall of Remembrance in front of the Hall of Languages. The Remembrance Scholars and the Lockerbie Scholars shared their thoughts about Remembrance Week and the individuals who lost their lives.

Each of the Remembrance Scholars represents a particular SU student from the Pan Am tragedy.

Hirst is a representative for Steven Berrell, an SU student who had much in common with Hirst.

‘We had the same major, we shared the same interests. Academically, we had very similar aspirations,’ Hirst said. ‘It makes me think of all the potential that was lost.’

Hirst said the scholars feel a strong connection to the students who lost their lives 22 years ago on Pan Am Flight 103.

Amanda Cohen, a Remembrance Scholar and a senior in the School of Management, said she has thought a lot about the Pan Am tragedy’s impact on the SU community this week. Imagining herself in the position of the victims’ families gave her a new perspective, she said.

‘One really hateful act changed so many lives,’ Cohen said. ‘This week, we should take time to remember how our actions really affect others.’

The Remembrance Scholars shared anecdotes and the life stories of the victims with those who participated in the vigil. Many of the scholars said the victims’ stories serve as inspiration to continue the goals the victims were not able to complete.  

‘These kids remind me every day to follow my dreams, because not everyone has the ability or means to do that,’ said Kimberly Ndombe, one of this year’s Remembrance Scholars and a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. ‘This event is really about perspective because life can be snatched away so quickly.’

Jon Barnhart, Student Association president, said the 35 Remembrance Scholars, and the students and faculty who attended Tuesday’s vigil, chose to honor the lives of the victims because they regard the victims as members of the SU family.

‘None of us were here when this event happened,’ Barnhart said. ‘But still, we are wholeheartedly dedicated to the victims’ memory because we are all a part of a family. Regardless of where you are from, we are a family.’

adhitzle@syr.edu

 

Published on October 19, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Alexandra: adhitzle@syr.edu | @LexieHitzler