Karen Lee Hunt

Karen Lee Hunt (January 7, 1968 – December 21, 1988) was one of 35 Syracuse University students aboard ill-fated Pan Am Flight 103, which was destroyed as it flew over Lockerbie, Scotland. The plane was en route from London to New York. All 243 passengers were killed: she was in seat 31K.

Major and minor

Karen Hunt, of Webster, New York, an English major with a minor in Journalism at the College of Arts and Sciences, was returning to New York after spending the fall semester of her junior year studying abroad in England. Karen, a member of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women, was one of three Pi Phis killed on Pan Am Flight 103. For this reason, December 21, 1988, serves as a dark day in both Syracuse University and Pi Beta Phi history.

Inspiration

The untimely death of Karen Hunt would eventually go on to inspire two songs. Shortly after the disaster, Karen’s father, Robert Hunt, wrote an article describing his feelings regarding the tragedy. The article was published in various Rochester, New York newspapers. After reading Robert Hunt’s personal account, Bonnie Abrams, an American singer-songwriter, put the words to music and created the song, "Only Americans."

Three years after the date of the crash, an Englishman, Richard Newbegin, wrote a song inspired by Karen Lee Hunt after visiting the Remembrance Garden in Lockerbie, Scotland. The song was entitled "Song for Karen." The song was originally recorded in Alnwick, England and was later released by Dynamic Recording Studios in Rochester, New York.

In memory of the Syracuse University students killed at Lockerbie, SU created the Remembrance Scholarships. Each year Syracuse University awards 35 scholarships in the amount of $5,000 each to honor its former students. Syracuse University also honors their memory with Remembrance Week every year.

From the Remembrance Scholar Information Site

For more information, contact Syracuse University.KAREN LEE HUNT:

cquote|This lovely, thoughtful girl had hoped to become a magazine writer. She wrote sensitive poetry and kept a journal, which was returned to her parents from Lockerbie.

Karen leaves behind her parents, Bob and Peggy, and a younger sister, Robyn. A close-knit family, Karen and her mother often shared long conversations. Karen had taken care to buy special gifts for her family while she was in England with special attention to her sister Robyn and her parents. One of those gifts, a teapot, survived the crash and is now one of Peggy's prized possessions… a reminder of Karen's generous gift.

The last time Peggy Hunt saw her daughter Karen was in October of 1988. They met in London and then traveled to Paris for three days. As did many of the SU students' parents who visited their children in Europe during the fall of 1988, Peggy remarked on the new maturity Karen demonstrated after spending some time abroad. Most of all, Karen is remembered by friends, family and teachers as a warm and caring person who embodied goodness. [ [http://remembrance.syr.edu/content/Hunt.asp Copyright ©2002 Remembrance Scholars at Syracuse University] ]

A Poem by Karen Hunt

--Karen Hunt

From Karen Hunt's journal

cquote|I wake to sleep and I take my waking slow
I feel my fate in things I cannot fear
I learn by going where I have to go

--Theodore Roethke

References

External links

* [http://dynrec.com/karenleehunt/ An online memorial to Karen Lee Hunt]
* [http://www.dynrec.com/karenleehunt/lyric.html Lyrics to "Song for Karen."]
* [http://remembrance.syr.edu/content/home.asp Remembrance Scholarship Site for Syracuse University]