Past News & Headlines

Recording of Remembrance Convocation

A virtual convocation for the 2020-21 Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars was held on Friday, April 30, at 4 p.m. ET.

The convocation honors the achievements of the 2020-21 Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars, and pays tribute to the Syracuse University students, Lockerbie residents and all those lost in the terrorist bombing of Pam Am Flight 103 on Dec. 21, 1988, over Lockerbie, Scotland.

The Remembrance Scholarship, awarded to 35 Syracuse seniors chosen for distinguished scholarship, citizenship and service to the community, is one of the highest honors a Syracuse University student can receive. The Lockerbie-Syracuse Scholarships are awarded annually to two students from Lockerbie Academy to study at Syracuse University for one year. Through these scholarships and the scholars, we express our hope for the future.

A recording of this can be found at this link.

2021-22 Remembrance Scholars Announced

Syracuse University’s Remembrance Scholar Selection Committee has chosen the 35 students who will be the 2021-22 Remembrance Scholars.

The scholarships, now in their 32nd year, were founded as a tribute to—and means of remembering—the 35 students who were killed in the Dec. 21, 1988, bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Those students, who were returning from a semester of study in London and Florence, were among the 270 people who perished in the bombing. The scholarships are funded through an endowment supported by gifts from alumni, friends, parents and corporations.

Significant support for the Remembrance Scholarships has been provided by Jean Thompson ’66 and Syracuse University Life Trustee Richard L. Thompson G’67 in memory of Jean Taylor Phelan Terry ’43 and John F. Phelan, Jean Thompson’s parents; by Board of Trustees Chairman Emeritus Steven Barnes ’82 and Deborah Barnes; and by the Fred L. Emerson Foundation.

This scholarship is one of the highest honors a Syracuse University student can receive. The 35 candidates selected to represent and memorialize those students killed in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 undergo a rigorous and competitive application and interview process. This year’s scholars, as well as the 2021-22 Lockerbie Scholars, will plan the Remembrance events held at Syracuse University next year as they fulfill the mission to “Look Back, Act Forward” in memory of those lost. Read more about the new cohort on Syracuse University News.

Virtual Remembrance Convocation to be Held Apr. 30

A virtual Remembrance Convocation will be held on Friday, April 30, at 4 p.m. ET.

The convocation honors the achievements of the 2020-21 Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars, and pays tribute to the Syracuse University students, Lockerbie residents and all those lost in the terrorist bombing of Pam Am Flight 103 on Dec. 21, 1988, over Lockerbie, Scotland.

The Remembrance Scholarship, awarded to 35 Syracuse seniors chosen for distinguished scholarship, citizenship and service to the community, is one of the highest honors a Syracuse University student can receive. The Lockerbie-Syracuse Scholarships are awarded annually to two students from Lockerbie Academy to study at Syracuse University for one year. Through these scholarships and the scholars, we express our hope for the future.

Registration is now open for this virtual service at this link. Upon completing registration, you will be provided the Zoom link for the service.

The service will be offered on a Zoom webinar, and American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be provided. Requests for additional accommodations can be made by contacting Hendricks Chapel at chapelevents@syr.edu by Monday, April 26.

 

Two Remembrance Scholars recognized as University Scholars

The distinction of being named a University Scholar is the highest undergraduate honor bestowed by Syracuse University. This year, two Remembrance Scholars are among the 12 graduating students selected as University Scholars. They are:

  • Patrick Linehan, a newspaper and online journalism major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, a policy studies major in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program; and
  • Simran Mirchandani, a biochemistry and Spanish language, literature and culture major in the College of Arts and Sciences, an economics major in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.

Read more about all of this year’s University Scholars in Syracuse University News.

Recording of Dec. 21, 2020 Annual Memorial Service

On Monday, Dec. 21, 2020 at 2:03 p.m. EST, the Syracuse University community gathered virtually for the annual Pan Am Flight 103 Memorial Service. The service, hosted by the Dean and Chaplains of Hendricks Chapel, honored the 270 people, including 35 Syracuse University study abroad students, who were killed when Pan Am Flight 103 was destroyed by a terrorist bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland on that date and time 32 years ago. Chancellor Kent Syverud, Dean Brian Konkol, Chaplains, Remembrance Scholars, and current and former Lockerbie Scholars offered prayers, reflections, and a reading of the names of the 35 students who were lost that day.

A recording of this service, along with remembrances submitted by members of the Syracuse University and Lockerbie, Scotland communities, and family and friends of the victims of the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing in advance of the 2020 annual memorial service can be found on the Pan Am Flight 103 Memorial Service portion of this site.

Virtual Pan Am 103 Memorial Service to Be Held Dec. 21

Syracuse University will host a virtual Pan Am Flight 103 Memorial Service on Monday, Dec. 21, at 2:03 p.m. ET. This is the exact time that Pan Am Flight 103 was destroyed by a terrorist bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland, on Dec. 21, 1988, 32 years ago.

The service will honor the 270 people, including 35 Syracuse University students, who were killed in the bombing. The students were returning home from a semester of study abroad in London and Florence.

Chancellor Kent Syverud, Hendricks Chapel chaplains, and Remembrance and Lockerbie scholars will offer reflections. The names of the 35 Syracuse University students whose lives were lost that day will be read. Personal reflections and memories, which can be submitted upon registration for the service, may be included in the ceremony.

Registration is open now and is available on ’Cuse Community. Upon completing registration, you will be provided the Zoom link for the service.

Closed captioning for the service will be provided, and requests for additional accommodations can be made by contacting Hendricks Chapel at chapelevents@syr.edu by Wednesday, Dec. 16.

Remembrance Scholarship Application for 2021-22 to Open on Nov. 12

The 2021-22 Remembrance Scholarship application will open on Thursday, Nov. 12.

The Remembrance Scholarship is one of the highest honors a Syracuse University student can receive. Those selected are chosen on the basis of scholarship, leadership and service to the community, including service to the military, ROTC, first responder, student government, campus clubs or other community organizations.

The 35 rising seniors chosen are each awarded a $5,000 Remembrance Scholarship, with recipients representing one of the 35 Syracuse University students lost in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on Dec. 21, 1988.

Remembrance Scholars will help educate the campus community about extremism by relating Syracuse University’s Pan Am Flight 103 experience to current events. Through education, all 270 lost in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, especially the University’s 35 students, are remembered and honored. The motto of the Remembrance Scholars is “Look Back and Act Forward.”

More details about the application process are available here, and on the Become a Scholar page of this website.

Remembrance Begins with 35 Empty Chairs Display

Syracuse University’s 2020-21 Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars are currently hosting the first Remembrance activity of this academic year.

Thirty-five empty chairs have been placed in the area stretching from the Place of Remembrance to the Hall of Languages. The seats are arranged in the formation of the seats on Pan Am Flight 103 that the 35 Syracuse University students they represent were sitting in for 38 minutes, up until the exact time the Pan Am 103 bombing occurred on Dec. 21, 1988, over Lockerbie, Scotland.

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the need to limit in-person gatherings, Remembrance will look different during 2020-21 academic year. The annual Rose-Laying ceremony and Remembrance Convocation have been postponed. It is the scholars’ hope and intention to hold these two events during the Spring 2021 semester, as health and safety circumstances allow.

Read more about this week’s displays and changes to Remembrance programming for the 2020-21 academic year in this recent article from Syracuse University News.

Updates to Remembrance Programming for 2020-2021 Academic Year

In previous years, the Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars at Syracuse University have remembered those lost on Pan Am Flight 103 with events and activities held during a single week each fall semester. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the need to limit in-person gatherings, Remembrance will be different in academic year 2020-21.

The annual Rose-Laying ceremony and Remembrance Convocation have been postponed. It is the Scholars’ hope and intention to hold these two events during the Spring 2021 semester, as health and safety circumstances allow.

The Scholars began meeting remotely in late August to plan virtual events and programs that will occur each month throughout the 2020-2021 academic year. Additionally, the Scholars will collaborate with Syracuse University’s Hendricks Chapel and the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, Inc. family group for virtual annual memorial services on December 21.

Information about all these events and activities will be posted on the Events page of the Remembrance website as details become available.

Seeking Truth and Justice Through the Power of Words: 2020-21 Remembrance Scholar Jewél Jackson

Jewél Jackson embraces every opportunity to gain hands-on experience and expand her writing portfolio as she prepares for a life of truth-telling as an investigative journalist. Jackson recently added an impressive accolade to her portfolio: she was named a 2020-21 Remembrance Scholar. “This is an important honor because these 35 students had lifelong goals that were similar to mine, but they didn’t get to make their goals a reality,” Jackson says. “As I was completing my application and reading documents and personal letters in the Pan Am 103 archives, I couldn’t help but get emotional. You realize this could have happened to anyone, and it gives you an appreciation of your own life, what you are able to accomplish, and what you want to be known as.  It showed me that the little things I do can have a great impact on someone else, and the importance of being patient, compassionate and understanding toward others.”

Read more about Jewél, her passions, work, and accomplishments in this recent feature from the Syracuse Stories.