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Pan Am Flight 103

When Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988, it was carrying 35 Syracuse University students home from a semester spent studying abroad.

The explosion, caused by a terrorist bombing, resulted in the deaths of all 259 passengers on board the Boeing 747, and 11 people on the ground. A great loss for the community, Syracuse University established the Remembrance Scholarship and Remembrance Week to educate students about terrorism and the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.

Read more about the history

The Place of Remembrance​

​A centerpiece on the Syracuse University campus, the Place of Remembrance was dedicated on April 22, 1990. The Remembrance Wall, a semi-circular structure which resides behind the Gateway to Campus, includes the names of the 35 Syracuse students who died on Pan Am Flight 103. Each year, the Syracuse  community gathers in the Place of Remembrance during Remembrance week for a candlelight vigil and the rose-laying ceremony.

Remembrance Scholars

The Remembrance Scholarship, one of the highest awards at Syracuse University, was established in memory of the 35 Syracuse students lost in the Pan Am 103 bombing. This scholarship is awarded to 35 seniors, chosen for distinguished scholarship, citizenship, and service to the community. These students each represent one of the victims, with a goal of educating the campus on how to look back, and act forward in their memory.

Find out more about the Remembrance Scholarship and application process.

Remembrance Week

Syracuse University observes Remembrance Week each fall to commemorate the anniversary of the Pan Am 103 terrorism attack. The week's events are planned and hosted by the Remembrance Scholars. Past events include a "Media and Terrorism" panel, pop-up museum, and open mic night. The week begins with a candlelight vigil and culminates on Friday with the Rose-Laying Ceremony and Remembrance Convocation, where the Scholars pay tribute to the 35 Syracuse students who lost their lives in the bombing.

Learn more about this year's Remembrance Week events.

Archives

Established in 1990, the Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives serves as the home to all available materials about the disaster and personal information about the 35 Syracuse students killed in the attack. The archives were expanded in 2006 to include information about all 270 victims, including newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, audio tapes, and more.

For more information about Pan Am Flight 103 and Lockerbie, Scotland, the following resources are available: