For Alyssa Sutherland and Tabitha Hulme, the title of Remembrance Scholar is not a responsibility they take lightly.
Syracuse University established the Remembrance Scholar program in 1989, one year after the December 1988 bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, that claimed the lives of all 270 people on board, including 35 Syracuse University students who were returning from a semester studying abroad. Each Remembrance Scholar is paired with a victim and is tasked with honoring that individual and keeping their memory alive.
When Sutherland found out she was accepted, she was studying abroad in India.
“I looked at my email and just immediately started crying,” says Sutherland, a public health major from St. Louis, Missouri. “It was instant honor and gratitude, but then as soon as you’re happy and excited, the next feeling that comes in is that weight and that heaviness of what that means to officially be a Remembrance Scholar.”
The news was equally emotional for Hulme, a public health major from Saratoga, California, whose grandfather had worked as a Pan Am pilot.
“I was on the phone with tech support for a computer problem when I got the email that I was selected as a Remembrance Scholar and I was so emotional I had to tell tech support I’d call them back,” Hulme says.
Sutherland’s scholarship is in honor of Miriam Luby Wolfe, a student in the College of Visual and Performing Arts who had spent her semester in London interning at King’s Head Theatre and studying dance, dramatic literature, acting, voice, and art history. Sutherland has connected through email with Miriam’s mother, Rosemary, who now lives in Hawaii. Rosemary sent Alyssa a copy of her book, “Miriam’s World—and Mine,” with a handwritten note, “For Alyssa, May life bring you many blessings. With love and Aloha! Rosemary.”
Hulme’s scholarship is in honor of Turhan Michael Ergin, a student in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. He was an actor and athlete who competed on the Syracuse University men’s lacrosse team. Tabitha learned about Turhan’s life by spending time in the Syracuse University Archives and having conversations with his friends, and she discovered almost kismet connections.
“There were so many commonalities between my life and his that I never expected to experience,” Hulme says. “In high school, he did journalism, and he got a national award for the type of journalism he did. It ended up that my father had actually received that same award when he was in high school.”
Sutherland and Hulme both share a strong dedication to service and intend to keep Miriam’s and Turhan’s memories with them throughout their lives. At this year’s Rose-Laying Ceremony, the two shared the following remarks:
Sutherland: “I lay this rose in memory of Miriam Luby Wolfe. I am acting forward by being a leader on campus and beyond. I am using my skills to promote and teach cultural competency as well as the importance of inclusivity and interdependence in every community.”
Hulme: “I lay this rose in honor of Turhan Michael Ergin. When I think of the profound impact of Pan Am Flight 103, I am reminded of the quote, ‘Grief is love with no place to go.’ This flight–meant to bring together family members, friends, beliefs, stories, cultures, and, above all else, love–has changed my perspective on action. As a pre-medical student studying public health and health humanities, I plan to act forward by pursuing a career as a physician focused on patient equity and forever a dedication to service.”
The annual Pan Am Flight 103 memorial service will be held at 2:03 p.m. EST on Dec. 21 at Hendricks Chapel (that is the time of the incident over Lockerbie). The service will begin in the chapel’s Noble Room, with attendees then processing to the Place of Remembrance.
Learn more about the Remembrance Scholar program and apply online to be a Remembrance Scholar.