The moment Andrew Dorrance found out he was chosen as a Lockerbie Scholar, he rushed to send texts to both his parents. When he sent a text to his older sister Claire, only a few seconds later, he realized his dad had already beat him in telling the news, though.

So, Claire’s first reply was a disgruntled “Why didn’t you text me first?” quickly followed by how happy she was for him.

Andrew is one of two Lockerbie Scholars selected as part of Syracuse University’s Remembrance Week experience, which honors the victims of the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing. Andrew represents the 11 people who were killed on the ground when the plane exploded on Dec. 21, 1988. The other Lockerbie Scholar, Heather Mutch, is representing Andrew McClune, a scholar who died while at Syracuse.

“It’s a huge honor, such a privilege and a great opportunity,” Andrew said of being chosen as a Lockerbie Scholar.

Being a scholar, though, runs in the family. Andrew’s older sister, Claire, was a scholar during the 2012-13 academic year. Andrew credits his sister’s experience as his initial inspiration when applying to the program.

When Andrew visited Claire at SU five years ago and met the host mother at the time, Judy O’Rourke, he eagerly asked her to put in a good word for him, said Judith Dorrance, Andrew’s mother.

While in high school, though, Andrew became uncertain of whether he wanted to be a scholar, he said. It meant a year away from home. The credits earned at SU wouldn’t transfer over to his other university. But Claire convinced him to apply.

“I think on a lot of personal levels, it really brought our family together,” Claire said. “In a really deep way, I think it’s hard not to be involved in the program and not gain a perspective on life that teaches you how precious it is.”

Andrew’s father, Colin Dorrance, has a personal connection to the tragedy. At the age of 18, he was one of the first police officers to reach the site of the crash. He guarded the wreckage and moved bodies away. Because of this connection, Andrew said his father encouraged him to apply to the Lockerbie program after his sister was selected as a scholar.

Through the two scholarships, Colin said Judith and he have learned more about the families of the students who were killed in the bombing. Over the years, they have hosted SU administrators, faculty and students in their Lockerbie home, also, who were visiting the town.

“There’s a lot more that unites us (as people) than separates us,” Colin said. “The scholarship has brought us closer together as communities, as people.”

And both parents said the transition for them personally, with their children moving halfway across the world, has been a little easier with Andrew than it was with Claire.

Every year, the Syracuse University community recognizes Remembrance Week to honor the 35 SU students who died in the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 terrorist attack. Here’s what it looks like to “Look Back, Act Forward.”

Seeing Claire’s experience and how much she matured and learned made it less difficult the second time around, Judith said.

Claire also wrote Andrew 10 letters before he left, explaining the do’s and don’ts of being a student at SU, she said. When she came to see Andrew earlier this academic year, she stayed a night in his Sadler Hall dorm. Five years earlier, when Andrew came to visit Claire, he spent a night in her Sadler dorm, also.

“I felt so old,” Claire said with a laugh.

She added that it seems the transition to Syracuse has been smoother for Andrew than it was for her time as a Lockerbie Scholar.

Because Andrew had been to the United States a few times before, he had a basic understanding of the culture. And while being away from family and friends has been tough, living in a dorm and having Mutch on campus has made it easier, Andrew said.

Mutch and Andrew both went to high school together at Lockerbie Academy. Mutch said there were only about 60 people in their grade, so everyone knew each other. She wasn’t particularly close to Andrew, though.

That changed once they were both chosen as Lockerbie Scholars.

“Once you stay at an airport for five-plus hours, you get to know someone pretty well,” Mutch said. She added that it’s nice having someone from home at SU, especially because it’s her first time in the U.S.

Andrew also credits Kelly Rodoski’s hospitality as part of the reason his transition to SU has been so smooth, calling her “an absolute godsend.”

Rodoski is the news and communications manager for SU News, but she is also a Remembrance Scholar adviser and Lockerbie Scholar liaison. She handles everything pertaining to Lockerbie Scholars even before they arrive on campus — preparing paperwork for admissions, finalizing flight arrangements and picking them up from the airport. She even takes them on trips to the Great New York State Fair and to go apple picking.

Even though she did not have a chance to work with Claire, Rodoski said she can see similarities between the siblings.

“They’re a lot alike in personality, in spirit and in wanting to experience new things,” she said. “You can definitely tell they’re brother and sister.”

Published on October 25, 2017 at 1:26 am

Contact Sandhya: ssiyer@syr.edu