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This year marks the 34th anniversary since the terrorist attack on Pan Am Flight 103 killed 35 students returning from studying abroad, along with 224 other passengers and crew on board over Lockerbie, Scotland.

The university honors those who were killed on the flight along with Andrew McClune, who died while attending SU as a Lockerbie Scholar in 2002. This year, the week starts on Sunday, Oct. 16 and will continue until Saturday, Oct. 22. The official schedule will be released on Thursday, Vanessa St.Oegger-Menn, a Pan Am 103 archivist at SU Libraries, said in an email to The Daily Orange.

Since the attack on Dec. 21, 1988, SU has honored the victims every year by presenting the Remembrance Scholarship to 35 seniors who each represent an individual student who died.

This year’s scholars and the 2022-2023 Lockerbie Scholars, two students from Lockerbie Academy representing the 11 people killed when the plane crashed into the town, plan the events held at SU in an effort to “Look Back, Act Forward” in memory of those lost.

The Daily Orange compiled a list of recurring Remembrance Week events that have been held in years past.

Sitting in Solidarity:
During the “Sitting in Solidarity” ceremony, the Remembrance Scholars sit in chairs set up on Shaw Quadrangle representing where the victims sat on the plane. The scholars sit in silence with a white rose in their laps for 35 minutes, representing the 35 students killed.

Candlelight Vigil:
Remembrance Scholars lead a procession during the Candlelight Vigil from Hendricks Chapel to the Place of Remembrance in front of the Hall of Languages. Attendees are encouraged to light a candle in memory of those who died in the attack, while the Remembrance Scholars share stories of the students they represent.

Celebration of Life:
The Celebration of Life event is an evening of music, poetry, art, dancing and more to honor the victims of Pan Am Flight 103. The goal is for the current Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars to celebrate life with the victims’ families.

Rose Laying Ceremony:
At 2:03 p.m. — the exact time Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie — 35 Remembrance and two Lockerbie Scholars will emerge from the Hall of Languages, each carrying a rose which they will lay at the Place of Remembrance. Each scholar prepares a few short remarks about the student they represent to share with the gathered crowd, who are then encouraged to leave their own flowers at the Place of Remembrance.

Past Remembrance Scholars often attend the event as a show of support to the current scholars.

Convocation:
Toward the end of Remembrance Week, SU honors the 35 Remembrance Scholars at a Convocation Ceremony in Hendricks Chapel after the Rose Laying Ceremony. The Convocation includes an introduction by Chancellor Kent Syverud and a presentation of this year’s Remembrance Scholars.

Published on October 12, 2022 at 11:51 pm

Contact Katie: ksmcclel@syr.edu | @katie_mcclellan