The small piano that Lockerbie bombing victim Beth Ann Johnson played as a child is dwarfed by the Steinways in the rehearsal hall that bears her name, but its significance to students and faculty at Seton Hill University is immense, officials said.

As the 26th anniversary of their daughter's death nears, Carole and Glenn Johnson on Thursday donated to the university the small Jaymar piano they bought for her in 1972 for $100.

“We knew there was something there. She always told us she could remember there was always music in her head,” Carole Johnson, 71, of Hempfield said in the Beth Ann Johnson Rehearsal Hall at Seton Hill's Performing Arts Center in Greensburg.

“It's the thing that piqued her interest, got her going,” Glenn Johnson said.

School officials said the donation is unique among a list of gifts the Johnsons have made since their daughter died Dec. 21, 1988, aboard Pan Am Flight 103 when it was taken down by a terrorist's bomb.

“They have been so generous and loving about keeping Beth's memory alive. ... To have this is special,” said Curt Scheib, chairman of the Division of Visual and Performing Arts. “Many students may have started on one like that.”

Beth Johnson, 21, a psychology major, and fellow Seton Hill student Elyse Saraceni, 20, a piano performance major, were passengers on Pan Am 103 when it exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 259 people on board and 11 on the ground.

The students were returning from a semester in England when a bomb hidden in a cassette recorder exploded in the plane's cargo hold.

Army Maj. Charles McKee, 40, of Trafford and University of Pittsburgh professor David J. Gould, 45, of Squirrel Hill also died in the attack.

The deaths of Johnson and Saraceni rocked Seton Hill, a small, close-knit Catholic college.

Gene and Iva Saraceni, who taught at Seton Hill, donated money in Elyse's name to purchase pianos so Seton Hill could become an All Steinway School. Elyse was a talented pianist and artist.

The Johnsons donated to a program that pairs Seton Hill art students with inner-city children to help the kids express themselves through art. They donated to the Performing Arts Center, where the rehearsal hall is named for Beth Ann, who played several instruments.

The Johnsons hope their daughter's first piano, displayed under a plaque that tells her story, will inspire students and help them develop their talents.

“It's an incredible gesture by them,” said Emma Firment, 20, of Latrobe, a percussion and piano major. “Beth Johnson's story is so inspiring. ... This will remind us to be thankful for the little things in life and to keep going.”

Glenn Johnson said the couple, who over the years have immersed themselves in causes near to their daughter's heart and have fought for safer air travel, are turning a page with the donation.

“Well, we're getting older,” he said.

Craig Smith is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-380-5646 or csmith@tribweb.com.

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---