As the bagpipe notes of ‘Amazing Grace’ floated in the background, 35 seniors stepped up one by one to the Wall of Remembrance to lay a rose in honor of the victims of the Pam Am Flight 103 explosion 22 years ago.

Friday’s Rose Laying Ceremony was the culmination of Remembrance Week 2010. The ceremony began with 35 chimes at 2:03 p.m., the time of the tragedy. The 35 Remembrance Scholars, seniors chosen for their academic achievements and contributions to SU, honored the memories of the people who died in the Dec. 22, 1988, terrorist attack.

As Avery Head, director of the Syracuse Scottish Pipe Band, played ‘Amazing Grace,’ the Remembrance Scholars lined up beside the Wall of Remembrance in front of the Hall of Languages. After the scholars laid their roses down, they spoke about the life and legacy of one of the victims. 

Two students from Lockerbie Academy, awarded scholarships to attend Syracuse University for a year, represented the 11 Lockerbie residents on land who were killed by the explosion.

Catherine Wilcox, a senior bioengineering major who has attended the ceremony every year she has been at SU, said it is the most emotional of the Remembrance Week activities.

‘As a student, remembering what happened, it’s something that just makes you wonder why things happened the way they did,’ Wilcox said. ‘But you have to remember, even though it’s hard. I mean, it could have been any of us on the flight.’

Stephen Boland was an advertising major at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and chapter vice president for his Delta Tau Delta fraternity for the 1989-90 academic year. He was one of the 270 people killed in the bombing.

Remembrance Scholar Andrew Woodbury is also a member of Delta Tau Delta and spoke about Boland. Woodbury said he decided to apply for the Remembrance Scholarship because he felt a connection to Boland.

Boland continues to be a big part of Delta Tau Delta. Woodbury said he had the chance to renovate Boland’s room at the fraternity this summer and read through the letters from him and his family. 

‘It made a real impact on me, and I knew I wanted to represent him,’ he said. ‘I have his fraternity sweatshirt hanging in my room that was passed down to me, and it is a real reminder of how we should all appreciate life.’

Despite the on-and-off rain, more than 200 people gathered to remember the victims. 

‘I’ve stood out here in the snow, freezing rain and sleet,’ said Thomas Wolfe, senior vice president and dean of student affairs. Wolfe has never missed a ceremony, and he does not ever plan to, he said. ‘You can’t be indifferent to any result of terrorism.’ 

Despite the painful memories stirred at the ceremony, Wolfe emphasized the Rose Laying Ceremony is also inspirational. It is a sign that existence will not be defined by tragedy but by the power within us, he said.

About 30 of the guests were families and friends of nine of the victims, said Judith O’Rourke, director of the Office of Undergraduate Studies in Academic Affairs and Remembrance Scholarship selection committee member.

Many of the guests still felt outraged about the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi from a Scottish prison on compassionate grounds last year. 

George White, a Scottish paramedic who found the body of SU student Suzanne Miazga, said he thought al-Megrahi was guilty.

‘Guilty,’ White said. ‘And he should never have been released.’

White is now a close friend of Suzanne’s mother, Anna Miazga, and they attended the ceremony together.

Anna remembered her last visit with her daughter a month before she was killed.

‘When we got to the airport, I said goodbye,’ Anna said. She said her daughter came back to say goodbye again. ‘I just want to say goodbye,’ Suzanne said to her mom. 

‘That was the last time I saw her,’ Anna said. ‘I’ll never forget it.’

afkrenge@syr.edu

Published on October 24, 2010 at 12:00 pm