Remembrance Scholar: Brian Spendley

Over the last few months, Brian Spendley has made a new friend at Syracuse University.

His name is Alexander Lowenstein and he shares many personal attributes with Spendley, including having lived in New Jersey.

Unfortunately, Lowenstein was one of the victims of Pan Am Flight 103 and Spendley is a Remembrance Scholar commemorating him.

"I wanted to be a Remembrance Scholar when I learned about how much of an emotional connection you're able to make with the family," Spendley said. "It's a huge honor to be able to become a part of their lives."

Each of the 35 Remembrance Scholars go through the archives in E.S. Bird Library that were donated by the victims' families and friends, filled with personal items that belonged to the victims.

Spendley, a biomedical engineering major, said he let the artifacts tell the story of Lowenstein's life.

"This experience has been really meaningful to me, and it is really humbling to be able to represent one of the victims," he said. "Its not just about the scholarship, there is so much more too it. I could be a part of remembering the lives of the victims."