Hendricks Chapel honors late SU, SUNY ESF students, faculty, trustees at ceremony
Hendricks Chapel's annual Service of Commemoration honored over 100 Syracuse University and SUNY ESF community members who passed away. The ceremony included name readings, a speech on grief, and choir performances. Avery Magee | Asst. Photo Editor
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Hendricks Chapel held its annual Service of Commemoration honoring over 100 Syracuse University and SUNY ESF students, staff, faculty, retirees, trustees and emeriti who have died over the past year on Tuesday evening.
The ceremony celebrated the lives of the deceased and emphasized the importance of coming together to process hardship in a communal setting, Dean of Hendricks Chapel Brian Konkol said. Family and friends of those who died were joined in mourning by members of SU and ESF’s campus communities.
“It’s really important to name and remember the people that have contributed so much to this campus community,” Konkol said. “It’s important that we do that for those who are grieving the loss of those loved ones, and also it’s a great reminder for each and every one of us of the gift of life that we’re currently enjoying.”
SU Chancellor Kent Syverud read the names of all those honored, highlighting many of their contributions to the university. Among those named were Ruth Johnson Colvin, a Syracuse alumna and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and former SU Board of Trustees member Tarky Lombardi Jr., who served as a New York state senator for 27 years.
“Each and every person on this list today has made our community a better place to study and to live and work in. There’s a lot of luminaries on the list today,” Syverud said.
SU’s Student Association President German Nolivos read the names of the students who died in the past academic year, listing Matthew Benedict, a graduate student in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Liam Zoghby, a sophomore in the School of Education’s InclusiveU program, Christina “Elise” Wobbe, a first-year studying musical theater and Bryce Lander, a senior who was studying political science, law, society and policy and Spanish.
Avery Magee | Assistant Photographer Editor
The ceremony provided a space for collective mourning, allowing the community to reflect on the lives and contributions of those honored while fostering unity and compassion.
Following Nolivos, ESF President Joanie Mahoney read the names of ESF students and community members that died in the past year. Mahoney said that as others spoke, she reflected on the partnership between SU and ESF, noting that even in mourning, the two schools benefited from collaborating.
“We share not only a campus and a community but also a unique bond that allows us to celebrate each other’s successes and stand together for times of loss,” Mahoney said.
The first commemoration ceremony, held in 2017, aimed to raise awareness about the victims of the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, which resulted in the deaths of 35 SU students who were returning home after studying in Europe. Remembrance Scholar Leondra Tyler, a senior double majoring in psychology and neuroscience, delivered a speech emphasizing gratitude and the importance of living in the present.
Tyler said her time as a scholar has taught her to properly reflect on difficult emotions. While many people struggle to confront their feelings in times of loss, Tyler said it’s important to take breaks from daily life to remember and process grief.
“We’re all over beyond the campus, and I think it’s really important to just lean into that community space that we have here,” Tyler said. “Being a part of this campus is something that ties us all together, and I think that’s really essential.”
The Hendricks Chapel Choir performed multiple times throughout the ceremony. Choir leader and professor José “Peppie” Calvar sang “Danny Boy” during the placement of two commemorative wreaths outside the chapel.
Calvar said choir members cherish the opportunity to participate in the annual commemoration and value opportunities to show up when fellow community members are in need.
Konkol echoed this, encouraging attendees to celebrate the lives of those who have died in the past year and to remember their individual impacts on campus. He said gatherings like this one are a reminder of the many hardships people experience and the importance of empathy, even for strangers.
“This service is a reminder that everywhere you go, you are interacting with people that are grieving, and you never really know where people’s struggles are…” Konkol said. “So I think this year in particular, having a little bit of kindness and compassion is a good thing.”
