Remembrance Week, Commemorative Activities Will Honor the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103

This year marks the 30^th anniversary of the bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on Dec. 21, 1988. Syracuse University and the University’s Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars have planned events and activities—from exhibitions to panel discussions to a candlelight vigil—to honor the 270 people, including 35 students studying abroad through Syracuse University, who lost their lives in the tragedy.

Remembrance Week, the annual weeklong series of events planned by the Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars, will be held Sunday, Oct. 28, through Saturday, Nov. 3. Remembrance Week events are meant to honor the victims and further education about terrorism. All activities are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. For more information, visit remembrance.syr.edu.

Those who require accommodations to fully participate in these events should contact Kelly Rodoski at 315.443.5381 or kahoman@syr.edu.

Activities include:

 Ongoing

 “We Remember Them: The Legacy of Pan Am Flight 103”—A commemorative exhibition of archival materials from the Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives curated by Pan Am 103 Archivist and Assistant University Archivist Vanessa St.Oegger-Menn. This exhibition consists of materials donated to the Archives by the victims’ families, friends, advocates and affected communities, as well as photographs by Remembrance and Lockerbie Ambassador and Professor Lawrence Mason Jr., selected from his work for the book “Looking for Lockerbie.” The exhibition documents the terrorist act itself, as well as the many ways in which all 270 victims have been remembered. Through June 2019, sixth-floor galleries at E.S. Bird Library. Reproductions will be on display at Lubin House.

Distributed Photography Exhibition—An installation of photographs by Remembrance and Lockerbie Ambassador and Professor Lawrence Mason Jr. pertaining to Lockerbie, Scotland, and Pan Am Flight 103. On display at locations on main campus, Lubin House in New York City, Greenberg House in Washington, D.C., and Faraday House in London through mid-December.

Throughout Remembrance Week

Empty Chairs Exhibition—Thirty-five empty chairs on the Kenneth A. Shaw Quad, an installation created by the 2012 Remembrance Scholars, juxtaposes the visual representation of the 35 students lost with good deeds inscribed upon the chairs. The exhibition is meant to serve as a reminder of how a loss in the past can inspire positive actions in the present.

Miniature Cairn Exhibition—A miniature cairn, a traditional Scottish marker of remembrance, will be placed on the Shaw Quad.

Remembrance Week Pop-Up Museum and Art Displays—The museum, with information about the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and Remembrance Week activities, will be located on the Einhorn Family Walk, outside of the Schine Student Center. Pen-and-ink drawings of the 35 student victims will be on display in the Panasci Lounge, located on the third floor of the Schine Student Center. Candid posters of the victims will be displayed in buildings throughout campus.

Education and Community Service—Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars are visiting classes around the Syracuse University campus to educate fellow students about the tragedy. They will also do informational tabling in the Schine Student Center and volunteer with the Food Recovery Network.

The following events will take place during Orange Central and in the lead up to Remembrance Week:

Saturday, Oct. 20—“Look Back, Act Forward,” a panel program and breakfast

with Remembrance Scholar alumna Alyssa Limberakis Milili ’06, Pan Am 103 family member Kara Monetti Weipz and Pan Am 103 Archivist Vanessa St.Oegger-Menn during Orange Central Weekend. Schine Student Center Room 304, 9-10:30 a.m.

 Sunday, Oct. 21—Race to Remember, a 3.5-mile fun run, roll or stroll during Orange Central Weekend. Proceeds will benefit the Remembrance Scholarship Fund. Einhorn Family Walk, 9 a.m. registration, 10 a.m. race. Registration and more information is available at orangecentral.syr.edu.

Thursday, Oct. 25—“Demystifying Islam,” a panel discussion in partnership with the Muslim Student Association; 6:30 p.m., Room 204 of Maxwell Hall.

Friday, Oct. 26—Commemorative Tree Planting. Thirty-five saplings will be planted on the University’s South Campus to commemorate the 35 Syracuse study abroad students lost on Pan Am Flight 103. The activity is a collaboration of University College, Campus Planning, Design and Construction and Physical Plant. Planting will take place between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and volunteers are needed. Register here to volunteer.

Saturday, Oct. 27—Family Weekend tours of the “We Remember Them: The Legacy of Pan Am Flight 103” exhibition will be given from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in E.S. Bird Library’s sixth floor galleries.

The Remembrance Week schedule includes:

Sunday, Oct. 28—A candlelight vigil will begin at Hendricks Chapel at 7 p.m., as part of the chapel’s weekly Dean’s Convocation, and proceed to the Wall of Remembrance, where the names of the 35 SU student victims will be read. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be provided.

Monday, Oct. 29
A panel discussion on “Overcoming the Traumas of Terrorism,” moderated by Karen Hall, assistant director of civic engagement and academic advising for the Renée Crown University Honors Program, will be held at 6 p.m. in 214 Slocum Hall. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be provided.

Tuesday, Oct. 30—The Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars host 30 minutes of meditation at the Hendricks Chapel Noble Room at 10 a.m.

“A Conversation with James Kreindler,” sponsored by the Syracuse University Libraries and the College of Law. Melanie Gray Ceremonial Courtroom, Dineen Hall, College of Law, 4 p.m. Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) will be provided. Kreindler was the architect of the $2.7 billion settlement against the Libyan government on behalf of the families of the victims.

Wednesday, Oct. 31—Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars will tie commemorative  ribbons on trees in the Orange Grove, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 1—Cycle to Syracuse Welcome Reception, Einhorn Family Walk, 3 p.m. Five cyclists from Lockerbie will conclude the Lockerbie Memorial Tour 2018, an event to honor the victims of Pan Am 103 and highlight emergency services. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be provided.

“A Celebration of Life Open Mic Night,” honoring the Pan Am 103 victims through the artistic talents of current scholars and students, will begin at 7 p.m. in the Panasci Lounge in the Schine Student Center. Doors open at 7 p.m.; event begins at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 2
The Annual Rose-Laying Ceremony, to remember the Syracuse students killed in the Pan Am 103 bombing, will be held at 2:03 p.m. at the Place of Remembrance, located in front of the Hall of Languages. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be provided.

The Remembrance Convocation, honoring the 2018-19 Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars, will be held at 3 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) will be provided. A reception will follow in the lobby of the Heroy Geology Laboratory.

Rose-laying ceremonies will happen at the University’s study abroad centers around the world during Remembrance Week. Additionally, members of the University community will wear commemorative buttons honoring all 270 victims of the tragedy during the Syracuse rose-laying and Remembrance convocation activities.