32 Years Since the Pan Am Tragedy: Looking Back and Acting Forward

Louise Rath, SYRACUSE, N.Y. – To honor the lives of the 35 Syracuse University students killed in the Pan-Am 103 air disaster, Hendricks Chapel is partnering with Syracuse Remembrance to host a virtual memorial service
on Monday, Dec. 21st, the 32nd anniversary of the tragedy. The event will begin at 2:03 p.m., which is the exact time of the terrorist bombing.

The memorial service will have a mix of live and pre-recorded statements from Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud, Dean of Hendricks Chapel Rev. Brian Konkol, SU Chaplains, and current and former Remembrance and Lockerbie scholars, said current Remembrance scholar Haley Robertson.

Robertson also said the biggest silver lining to a virtual memorial service is the fact that it can include more people since there are not many SU students on campus during the holiday season.
With the absence of a traditional Remembrance week this past fall, each scholar had the opportunity to film a statement for Monday’s memorial service in honor of the victim they represent on campus.

Robertson noted that these statements help us to realize that these SU students are not just statistics, but that they were individuals.

Directly after the memorial service, the Remembrance program’s Performance Committee is hosting a celebration of life. The event will feature a variety of different artforms to commemorate the lives of the victims of the air disaster—such as original songs, poems, and spoken word pieces, according to Remembrance scholar Isaiah Brooks

Brooks also noted that both of these events will be held on Zoom and Kaltura, with subtitles for greater accessibility.

To register for the memorial service and celebration of life, visit remembrance.syr.edu.