On Bird Library’s sixth floor, a piece of Syracuse University’s original Wall of Remembrance sits inside a case. Not far away, there’s a sculpture of Helen Tobin, the mother of SU study abroad student and Pan Am Flight 103 victim Mark Tobin. The sculpture depicts her bent over, her hands on her face: The moment when she learned her son was killed on Dec. 21, 1988.
A few yards away, a London Bus and Tube guide from the suitcase of Sarah Phillips — a study abroad student through SU — is on display. The text on the cover is faded, but legible. On the other end of the floor, a panel honors the victims of the tragedy that affected SU 30 years ago, displaying each of the 270 names and hometowns.
Syracuse University’s “We Remember Them: The Legacy of Pan Am Flight 103” exhibit at Bird Library, on view from Sept. 13 through June 12, 2019, displays the history and gravity of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on Dec. 21, 1988. All 259 people on the plane, along with 11 residents on the ground, were killed. 35 Syracuse study-abroad students returning home from a semester in London and Florence were among the victims.
During the past year, Pan Am 103 Archivist and Assistant University Archivist Vanessa St. Oegger-Menn collected materials from the Pan Am Flight 103/Locker Air Disaster Archives.
Corey Henry | Contributing Photographer
The university honors and remembers the lives of the 35 students every year with a series of events called Remembrance Week, held in October. With the 30th anniversary of the tragedy approaching, this new exhibit paints an intimate portrait of the event, those affected by it and the ways grief and everyday life mix. It’s a profound exploration designed to sustain and extend public memory.
“This is one of our treasures in the archives,” said Dean of SU Libraries and University Librarian David Seaman. “It is a remembrance and a celebration, a reflection of the strength of our university and a striking, living display, not just a plaque or memorial. We hope that comes through in the exhibit.”
One of the challenges curators faced was constructing an exhibit honoring an event of this magnitude.
When Pan Am Flight 103 exploded, meteor-like objects fell to the ground below. Eleven people died in Lockerbie, Scotland because of the wreckage that fell from the sky. Many of the fragments — including the plane itself — along with clothing, shoes, books and bags were recovered. These are among the thousands of collected artifacts, many of which were considered for display in the new exhibit.
Corey Henry | Contributing Photographer
But the remnants from the plane itself are not on display. St. Oegger-Menn occasionally cried while gathering artifacts, reading letters and deciding whether an artifact would be appropriate. While the plane and other moving objects would offer striking visuals, they’re left out, St. Oegger-Menn said, because the museum must speak to competing audiences: families of victims, those who were on or near campus that day, students not yet born and other members of the university community.
The exhibit is intended to be a display of the tragedy, but, more importantly, to depict the shock, connection and understanding that followed, St. Oegger-Menn said.
“You want to inform and you want to be factually accurate, but you don’t want to be crass in any way,” St. Oegger-Menn said. “You want to be respectful of the fact that they were people.”
Many of the families of Pan Am 103 victims will see the exhibit. Some will attend the opening, while others will visit during SU’s Remembrance Week.
The exhibit provides background on how families found out that their loved ones had not survived. There are documents from the trial and a breakdown of the immediate reaction.
Another case explores the connection between Syracuse University and the town of Lockerbie, including a pamphlet that reads, “We need mentors for youth clubs,” and “Do you need a structural engineer to come and look at your property?”
Nearby against a wall, a quilt — produced in 1998 by the Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars — includes 35 squares, each representing the 35 SU students killed.
Corey Henry | Contributing Photographer
The Dark Elegy, a collection of sculptures created by Suse Lowenstein, is also on display. Lowenstein’s son, Alexander, was killed.
“Suse was a sculptor before Pan Am 103, so she turned to her art to find some sort of release.”
Her sculptures depict women relatives of the victims, recreating the initial moment they found out what had happened.
The selections on display offer a reminder of the power authentic artifacts have that can help us understand, connect and move on. They make Pan Am 103 Flight last, so the exhibit’s onlookers may remember them.
The exhibit officially opens Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
Published on September 12, 2018 at 1:06 am
Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21
