Samantha Harmon has felt a connection to Luann Rodgers since her freshman year at Syracuse University. She walked by the posters hanging in the Shaffer Art Building almost every day.

Rodgers was a student from the Maryland Institute of Art. She was studying abroad through SU when she was killed 20 years ago in the terrorist attack on Pan Am Flight 103.

She was 22 years old and had plans to continue her pursuit of fine art.

Harmon, a senior sculpture major, said she’s looking to show Rodgers’ ‘creative, feisty and spunky’ personality.

But becoming a symbol of a tragedy has been tough, Harmon said.

‘In any situation of tragedy, it’s hard to find words that you feel that can mean anything. You don’t want to sound trite. Words aren’t enough,’ said Harmon on finally meeting Rodgers’ family.

Rodgers’ relationship with her sister drew Harmon into representing her. She said that it reminded her of her own relationship with her sister.

‘It’s these little aspects that make you feel really akin to them,’ she said.

Published on October 23, 2008 at 12:00 pm