Hendricks honors lives lost at 10th annual Service of Commemoration
Hendricks Chapel hosted its 10th annual Service of Commemoration Tuesday, honoring SU and ESF students, staff, faculty, retirees and trustees who died over the past 15 months. Emily Steinberger | Daily Orange File Photo
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A pile of white carnations lined the Hendricks Chapel stage with a soft piano melody as Syracuse University and SUNY ESF faculty, students and others gathered to remember the lives lost over the past 15 months.
Hendricks Chapel hosted its 10th annual Service of Commemoration Tuesday, honoring SU and ESF students, staff, faculty, retirees and trustees who died from Jan. 1, 2025 to Mar. 16, 2026.
“We remember, we honor and we hold dear the memory of those who have departed, whose lives have shaped us, loved us, and left a mark that time cannot erase,” Hendricks Chapel Interim Dean Rebecca Kantrowitz said during the ceremony.
The service honored five SU students: Kayla Corrigan, Bryce Lander, Wanshan Li, Christina “Elise” Wobbe and Aoyu Cui. One hundred SU faculty, staff, retirees and trustees were also honored, as well as 10 ESF faculty, staff, emeriti and advisory board members.
SU Chancellor Kent Syverud delivered remarks on behalf of the deceased SU honorees.
The chancellor also honored Elizabeth Liddy, the former School of Information Studies dean, among other 100 SU staff members. She’s remembered for her “entrepreneurial spirit and prolific scholarship,” Syverud said in his remarks.
He also commemorated Fei Wang, who died in December, as an “influential” architecture professor, and Elizabeth Turner, assistant director of advising at the Whitman School of Management and her “devotion” to student success.
Two World War II veterans, Edwin Bock and Jerome Suran, were also honored.
“This campus is a great university because of these people,” Syverud said. “This campus is different and better because of the remarkable individuals who are Orange.”
Syverud has been a part of the Service of Commemoration since its beginning in 2016.
“Each year, reading these names gets harder and harder because more and more of the names I read are people who I knew personally,” Syverud said. “And whose contributions at this university are ones I have experienced first hand.”
The service was led by student representatives from both SU and ESF, including Remembrance Scholar Rohan Bangalore. Kantrowitz celebrated the partnership between SU and ESF demonstrated by the service.
“It reminds us of something essential about this community,” Kantrowitz said. “Syracuse University and SUNY ESF are special places in times of joy and in times of loss we come together…may this time help guide us towards healing together.”
The names of all 115 honorees were read aloud, followed by the lighting of three candles on stage. The Hendricks Chapel Choir performed several songs in between the honorings, conducted by Katie Smyth and José Calvar.
A few Hendricks chaplains offered interfaith blessings, including Rabbi Natan Levy, Imam Hamza Gürsoy and Sensei Joraku JoAnn Cooke.
Katrowitz told The Daily Orange that she hopes by having the chaplains present and visible, they can continue to help the people they met today.
“I hope that as people reconnect and see each other once again, that they continue to keep people’s memories alive, people can feel comfortable coming into the chapel,” Kantrowitz said.
Normally, attendees pile flowers in honor of the deceased outside on the lawn in front of the chapel. Due to winter weather Monday evening, the act of remembrance was moved inside.
Kantrowitz said this tradition of bringing people together across campuses is a really important aspect of SU’s culture.
“It’s not just all the joyous and fun things,” Kantrowitz said. “It’s also that we’re able to name it and really take time to honor each other and those who gave to this community.”
