Syracuse University remembrance scholars share bond with victims of Pan Am 103 bombing over Lockerbie

LINK TO SPECTRUM NEWS 1: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2025/10/24/syracuse-university-honors-pan-am-103-victims

(Spectrum News 1/Emily Kenny)

Rain turned from drizzle to downpour on Friday as students, family and faculty crowded Syracuse University’s Place of Remembrance for the annual rose-laying ceremony in honor of the victims killed in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing on Dec. 21, 1988.  

This year marks the 37th anniversary of the terrorist attack over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people, including 33 SU students studying abroad.  

Remembrance scholar Nick Dekaney gave opening remarks for the event as scholars lined each side of the Remembrance Wall.  

“The roses we lay today carry an incomprehensible weight,” said Dekaney. “They embody sorrow, agony and a yearning for those whom we have lost.”

For scholars, however, the roses also illustrate the ability to uplift and embrace one another and confront hate directly to ground themselves within the community.  

Remembrance scholar Logan Wagner was joined by Otto Tunes, an SU a capella group in a rendition of “Fire and Rain” composed by James Taylor and arranged by Wagner. During the performance, Wagner began to choke up, but he continued his solo until the song ended.  

“It’s kind of surreal. It's hard to think about,” Wagner said at the Sitting in Solidarity event earlier in the week. “These students were just like me and all of the rest of the scholars here. They had amazing lives and so much potential.”

Each remembrance scholar is chosen to memorialize one of 33 students who died in the attack, with an additional two scholars representing the rest of the flight passengers and crew. One by one, the remembrance scholars gave brief speeches, focusing on reflection and acting forward in respect to their students' legacies, before placing a white rose on the Remembrance Wall.  

Laying her rose in memory of Thomas Britton Shultz, Leah Farrell described him as a “sponge.” He was known to absorb every experience, dedicating his “whole self to everything he touched.” Farrell, like many other scholars, vowed to dedicate themselves in that same way.  

Dekaney acknowledged the scholars’ privilege in of having the rest of their lives “still yet to be discovered.”

(Spectrum News 1/Emily Kenny)

“It is difficult to explain the interconnectedness you feel to people whom you’ve never met yet there is an undeniable power in sharing the same experiences that come with being an SU student,” said Dekaney.  

The Tsairis family, Alexia Kathryn Tsairis’s mother, father and niece named after her, sat behind the Lockerbie scholars, all three covered by a large black and white umbrella.  

“From what I’ve heard and the things I’ve read, the stories I’ve listened to from my grandparents and my parents, she was a very passionate person and she loved doing what she loved to do,” said Alexia Tsairis.  

Remembrance scholars moved to the lawn as Lockerbie scholars stood in front of the Remembrance Wall. Scholars Grace Key and Amelia Cameron stepped up to the lecterns with speeches representative of the Lockerbie spirit.  

“I pledge that all the people we meet, friendships we make, bonds we cherish — we do it for those who never have the chance,” said Key.

Following the speeches, the crowd was invited to lay red and white carnations alongside the roses.  

Hindu Chaplin Sanjay Mathur closed the ceremony with a blessing, first in Hindi then translated to English. Derived from the Hindu tradition, this blessing intends to help persevere through suffering and toward peace.  

“May all be happy. May all be without disease. May all enjoy prosperity. May none suffer any misery. Peace, Peace, Peace. Namaste," said Mathur.

This year, SU observed “Remembrance Week” with events fostering awareness of terrorism while cultivating positivity within the community and bringing people together.

“The way that they remember is such a beautiful thing and every year I look forward to coming,” said Tsairis. “I hope this gets carried on until forever, really. I hope it never ends.”