Collection inventory

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Lockerbie Collection

A inventory of the collection at the Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: Vanessa L. St.Oegger-Menn
Date: March 2015



Historical Note

Photograph of Bothy Memorial Room at Tundergarth Church

Pan Am Flight 103 was destroyed by a terrorist bomb on December 21, 1988, over Lockerbie, Scotland. The bombing resulted in the deaths of the 243 passengers and crew, including 35 students returning from their study abroad through Syracuse University’s Division of International Programs Abroad (DIPA). The crash of debris in the Rosebank Crescent and Sherwood Crescent neighborhoods of Lockerbie killed an additional 11 individuals.

Many of those on the ground did not know what to make of the crash. Some thought a military plane had exploded, while others believed there had been an accident at the nearby nuclear plant. Parts of the plane jet engine and fuselage that crashed in the town demolished houses and left behind a crater nearly fifty yards in diameter. The cockpit of the plane landed miles away on a hill overlooking the Tundergarth Church. Lockerbie responded quickly to the tragedy and the arduous task of healing. Hundreds of volunteers cleared bodies and helped recover important evidence from the wreckage, while hundreds more provided laundry, food, and hospitality.

Following the tragedy, the Syracuse University and Lockerbie communities have forged and maintained strong bonds. In 1989, The Lockerbie Air Disaster Trust was created to help commemorate those who died and to assist relatives of the victims. That same year, the Lockerbie Trust and Syracuse University created an annual scholarship for two students from Lockerbie Academy. These students would become Lockerbie Scholars, and study at Syracuse University for one year. Both communities hold memorials for the victims, and have established places of remembrance and contemplation for friends, families, and those affected by the tragedy. In 1990, a Remembrance Room was built in Tundergarth Church to commemorate victims, and a stained glass window showing each nation that was affected by the disaster was installed in the Town Hall in 1992. A memorial garden was created in the Dryfesdale Cemetery in 2003, and in 2006 another garden was planted in Sherwood Crescent.

Materials in the Lockerbie Collection, gathered by the staff of the Pan Am 103 Archives, represent the special relationship formed between Syracuse and Lockerbie.


Scope and Content Note

The Lockerbie Collection contains materials pertaining to Lockerbie, Scotland, accumulated by the staff of the Pan Am 103 Archives between 1989 and 2014. Materials include items related to the 1st, 10th, and 25th Anniversaries of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Air Disaster, Lockerbie memorials, and the Lockerbie Air Disaster Trust. There are also materials concerning the Fatal Accident Inquiry report filed after the attack, and other materials pertaining to the aftermath of the disaster as it has manifested and been commemorated in Lockerbie. Formats of collection materials include photographs, clippings, printed ephemera, press releases, and postcards.


Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions for this collection.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from the Pan Am Flight 103 Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.


Related Material

The Pan Am Flight 103 Archives contains additional materials and information related to the Lockerbie Collection. Related collections include:

Theodora Cohen Family Papers

Shannon Davis Family Collection

Lockerbie Academy Collection

Pan Am Flight 103 Audiovisual Collection

Pan Am Flight 103 Publications Collection

Sarah Susannah Buchanan Philipps Family Papers

Syracuse University Collections

Lockerbie Collections


Selected Search Terms

Names

Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.
Syracuse University. -- Archives.

Subjects

Pan Am Flight 103 Bombing Incident, 1988.
Terrorism -- Government Policy -- United States -- Case Studies.
Terrorism -- Government Policy -- United States -- History.
Terrorism -- Government Policy -- United States.
Terrorism -- History -- 20th Century.
Lockerbie (Scotland)

Types of Material

Clippings files.
Correspondence.
Photographs.
Postcards.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Lockerbie Collection,
Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Materials in the Lockerbie Collection were accumulated by the staff of the Pan Am 103 Archives between 1989 and 2014.

Processing Information

The Lockerbie Collection is fully processed. Materials were rehoused in acid-free folders.


Arrangement

Folders are arranged alphabetically.


Table of Contents

Collection


Inventory