John Sweeney, a Syracuse University alumnus, laid a red rose on the Wall of Remembrance Friday to honor 35 of his fallen peers.

Sweeney studied in London in the fall of 1988, sharing experiences and developing bonds with the other students overseas. But 35 of those students boarded Pan Am 103 and never made it home.

‘Some of us came home, and some of us didn’t,’ Sweeney said during the Rose Laying Ceremony Friday to honor those who died in the Pan Am 103 terrorist bombing.

‘The world has changed a great deal, but one thing will not change – the bond we all share,’ he said. ‘The bond we share lies deep in our souls. Their light shines through us, and we will carry this forever.’

The Rose Laying Ceremony brought close to 300 people together Friday to culminate Remembrance Week, a celebration that remembers the Dec. 21, 1988 tragedy. On that day, Pan Am 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people, including 35 SU students. British officials later convicted a Libyan for the terrorist attack, who was released from prison in August.

Each year, 35 SU seniors and two students from Lockerbie Academy in Scotland are chosen to represent those who died in the Pan Am 103 explosion as Remembrance Scholars.

The Remembrance Scholars lined the sidewalks on both sides of the Wall of Remembrance in front of the Hall of Languages. The wall was covered in white carnations, each with an attached description of one of the victims. Each scholar came forward, one at a time, to speak and lay a rose on the wall in honor of the victim they represented. Some scholars fought back tears as they highlighted the lives of their chosen victims.

Laura Borgwardt, a senior drama major, spoke in honor of Miriam Wolfe – a lover of dance, literature, acting and art history, all of which Wolfe studied while abroad.

‘She honestly cared about people, and in the words of a friend, she reminded us that idealism still has a place in this chaotic world,’ Borgwardt said.

Gregory Sides, a senior advertising and women and gender studies major, spoke about Nicole Boulanger, who was a musical theater major. He highlighted her passion for performance. She choreographed and performed her own dance while studying abroad in London.

‘Even though I never got the honor to meet her, I can imagine that her final dance was like the rest of her life – flawless,’ Sides said.

After each scholar spoke, Alistair Inglis and Stefan Hanley, this year’s Lockerbie scholars, spoke about Lockerbie’s deep connection with SU.

Inglis read a poem, ‘High Flight’ by John Gillespie Magee, Jr., that he said always reminds him of the victims.

‘If I would stand here and express all the emotions I feel toward the victims, we would be here for a very long time,’ Inglis said.

This is the last year that each of the scholars will have been born in the year of the crash. But Alec Sim, a senior economics, music history and cultures and finance major, said SU students will continue to maintain a strong connection to the victims, and remembrance for them is here to stay.

‘All of the victims of Pan Am 103, you’ll never be far from this campus. You’ll always be a part of us,’ Sims said.

The ceremony ended with the crowd singing SU’s alma matar. Following the ceremony, a convocation was held in Hendricks Chapel to recognize the achievements of the Remembrance Scholars.

Each year, more than 170 students apply to be scholars. Sixty applicants are chosen to go through the interview process, and ultimately 35 are chosen. Students are chosen based on their academic achievement, community service and answers to three essay questions. The selection panel is made up of 12 faculty and staff members and 12 current scholars.

Sides spoke at the convocation on behalf of the scholars.

‘Suddenly each victim we have represented for the past few months becomes an intimate friend. They seem to do a better job communicating to us in death than we do speaking through life,’ he said.

Each scholar was then called up on stage and given a pin to recognize their achievements. Bob and Peggy Hunt, the parents of Karen Hunt, a victim, gave the students their pins and shook their hands.

The scholars were also commended for their work in promoting awareness of the tragedy by speaking to classes at SU and talking at local high schools.

Sinéad Mac Namara, a member of the selection committee and an assistant professor in the School of Architecture, said this is a goal shared by the entire university.

‘We must do our part in making sure we get to that day when there are no more victims. This is a place that will always strive to honor their loss in our efforts to promote peace.’

kronayne@syr.edu

Published on November 15, 2009 at 12:00 pm