Seton Hill campus still bears losses of '88 Lockerbie plane bomb
When Seton Hill University President JoAnne Boyle heard about the death of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, she thought of two students, dead for nearly 23 years, who continue to be a presence on the Greensburg campus.
Seton Hill students Beth Ann Johnson and Elyse Saraceni died in December 1988 when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, in a terrorist attack that many believe Gadhafi ordered.
"It just brings back the whole series of memories of them. I wasn't thinking of anything other than them and their bright days," Boyle said.
Johnson, 21, a psychology major, and Saraceni, 20, a piano performance major, were among the 270 victims of the bombing. They were returning from a semester in England. Army Maj. Charles McKee of Trafford and University of Pittsburgh professor David Gould of Squirrel Hill also died in the attack.
Scottish authorities in 2009 released Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, convicted of the bombing, from prison because he was reportedly near death from prostate cancer. His release touched off criticism from victims' families and others who said commercial concerns, including intense lobbying by BP plc, contributed to the decision to free him. BP inked a lucrative drilling contract with Libya days after Megrahi's liberation.
Gadhafi gave Megrahi a hero's welcome home in Libya, where he still lives.
The dictator's connection to the bombing was not officially established, but a former minister in his government this year claimed that he ordered the bombing.
"His death means one more voice is stilled that could eventually possibly have told us how it really happened," said Iva Saraceni, mother of Elyse Saraceni. "(It is) one more door closing to what the truth would be."
Glenn and Carole Johnson are convinced that Gadhafi masterminded the bombing and their daughter's murder.
"I've known all along in my own heart he's the one who ordered it, so it does help to know he is no longer with us and he has paid the price," Glenn Johnson said.
"I hope his hell is actually feeling the indescribable pain that all his victims and his families have felt for years," Carole Johnson said.
The Johnsons are waiting to see what happens to Megrahi.
"With God's help, the new government will be one that is willing to work with the West and turn that whole state in a better direction," Carole Johnson said.
The lives and deaths of Johnson and Saraceni profoundly impacted Seton Hill, even students who had not been born when they perished, Boyle said.
"We've been a campus in mourning for 23 years," Boyle said.
Saraceni's parents, Gene and Iva, worked as theater professors and retired a decade ago. Johnson's grandmother worked as Seton Hill's librarian.
"The students were very active in the early days in trying to lobby for both airline security, as well as to find out what really happened," Iva Saraceni said.
Trees planted in memory of both young women grow on campus, and faculty members installed bronze plaques honoring them in Cecelian Hall. Boyle talks about them at the fall honors convocation.
Students and alumni in the theater department come together each year for "Past, Present and Future," a variety show that raises money for scholarships started in their names.
The Saracenis 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. The couple donated to the Seton Hill Performing Arts Center, and the music rehearsal hall is named for Beth Ann, who played several instruments.
"They were model kids just struck down by a terrible act, and we just continue to think of what was lost to the world," Boyle said.
The Johnsons said it is bittersweet that their daughter continues to be honored on the campus she loved.
"If knowing about her can just spark one student to really do something outstanding, that's all we want," Carole Johnson said.
