2017 Remembrance Week Comes to Close as Syracuse University Looks to Act Forward in Memory

On October 27, 2017 at 2:03pm, the exact time Pan Am Flight 103 exploded, the annual Rose Laying Ceremony commenced at the Remembrance Wall in front of the Hall of Languages. This is the final event of Syracuse University's 2017 Remembrance Week.

Photo: Nina Moll

Over 35 roses rest on the Remembrance Wall in front of the Hall of Languages after the Rose Laying Ceremony closing Remembrance Week at Syracuse University.

Each year, the university holds Remembrance Week, a series of installations and events remembering the 270 people who died in a terrorist attack on December 21, 1988 while traveling on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Among those 270 lost lives, 35 were SU students who were studying abroad in London and traveling home to the United States. The week also serves as a chance to promote dialogue about terrorism in the modern world.

SU seniors who stand out among their graduating class are chosen for 35 Remembrance Scholarship awards. Throughout the week, these students honor and represent the SU students lost on the Pan Am Flight 103 attack. Two students from Lockerbie are also selected as scholars to reflect on the 11 victims from Lockerbie that were among the 270 people who died. They are also given the opportunity to come to SU for a year to take classes.

The Remembrance Week events, including the exhibition of 35 empty chairs displayed on the Kennedy A. Shaw Quadrangle, a pop-up museum on the Einhorn Family Walk and a candlelight vigil, were planned and hosted by the Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars.

The bell tower in Crouse College started off the ceremony playing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” followed by "The Star-Spangled Banner." Remembrance Scholar Raymond Levine, a policy studies and policial science major, introduced the ceremony and summed up the importance of the past week to the crowd of parents and family members of those lost, as well as SU students and community members.

The two Lockerbie Scholars, Andrew Dorrance and Heather Mutch, spoke about the impact that the Pan Am Flight 103 attack had on their hometown and encouraged attendees to act forward. Afterwards, each Remembrance Scholar gave an emotional, short speech about the student they had represented over the week, and pledged to continue doing so by laying a rose down on the Remembrance Wall.

Hendricks Chapel’s Pagan Chaplain, Mary Hudson, advised attendees to, “carry forward the message of peace to those that need it most,” after encouraging them to participate and place a rose on the wall.

The culminating Convocation for Remembrance Scholars took place in Hendricks Chapel where the 2017-18 Lockerbie and Remembrance Scholars were presented and recognized after the Rose Laying ceremony. The convocation offered hope and valuable advice to attendees that they should always remember and honor the legacy of those who have died.

The convocation included a story from Chancellor Kent Syverud about a visit he made with his wife to Lockerbie, Scotland. Frederick J. Carranti, a former Remembrance Scholar who now serves on the Remembrance Scholar Selection Committee, offered optimism to the scholars, family members of those who died in the Pan Am 103 attack, and other members of the Syracuse community.

“The event that we remember today still sends waves to the soul of this institution and community,” said Carranti. “The scholars continue to remind us when they go out into the world that good has risen from a wreckage.”

Elissa Candiotti, a senior broadcast and digital journalism major, gave the scholar convocation message  on behalf of the 2017-18 Remembrance Scholars. “There can always be a silver lining and a story to share…Today we honor 35 unforgettable people that have left a permanent imprint at this university and a lasting mark on this world,” Candiotti said.

A beautiful rendition of the SU alma mater brought everyone in Hendricks Chapel together and the convocation to a close.