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Stephen John Boland Family Collection

An inventory of the collection at the Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives at Syracuse University.

Finding aid created by: Cara A. Howe
Date: 2014

Revision history:
Mar 2015	Stylistic changes (VSOM)
Feb 2018	Stylistic changes (VSOM)
Oct 2024	Colleciton title updated, extent updatd, stylistic changes (VSOM)

Biography

Stephen John Boland (1968-1988) was among the 270 victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988. He was returning home to New Hampshire where he had graduated from Bishop Guertin High School in 1986. Steve was the recipient of the All-Guertin Award for the student who exemplifies the academic, athletic and spiritual ideals of the school. He was enrolled in the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University as an advertising major, and was a brother of Delta Tau Delta. His parents remembered him as "God's personal envoy of peace and brotherhood." His fraternity brother's remembered, "...his love of the Beatles...Few people who met him weren't attracted to his love of life, something which was an inspiration to us all."

Scope and Content Note

The Stephen John Boland Family Collection contains Clippings, Correspondence, Photographs, Printed materials, Scrapbooks, Subject files and Writings. The Scrapbooks pertain to the life of Stephen Boland while the rest of the series deal mainly with the aftermath of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.

The Clippings series contains articles about the Pan Am 103 tragedy, investigation and the trial at Camp van Zeist in the Netherlands.

The Correspondence series includes letters from former President George H.W. Bush, condolence letters sent to the Boland family, and correspondence from Syracuse University, among others.

The Photographs series contains photographs taken of the memorials in Lockerbie, Scotland.

The Printed materials series consists of programs from memorial events held at Bishop Guertin High School and at the Catholic Community of the Resurrection Church.

The Scrapbooks series contains three items. The first scrapbook contains mainly articles, poems and remembrances of Steve; the second contains photographs of Steve and the Boland family as well as letters; and the third contains photographs, articles, a death certificate for Steve, information on the location of his body as well as some correspondence and memorial information.

The Subject files series contains information regarding the return of personal effects to the family by Scottish Police and information on scholarships established in Steve's memory.

The Writings series comprises one item, the poem "The Darkest Day," dedicated to Steve by his friend Michael Wade.

Alternative Formats

Selected materials from this collection have been digitized. Please contact the archivist for further information on accessing the materials.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from the Pan Am Flight 103 Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

The Pan Am Flight 103 Archives contains additional materials and information related to the Stephen John Boland Family Collection. Related collections include:

On Eagles' Wings Collection

Matthew Cox Papers

Pan Am 103 Individuals Collection

London 1988 Image Collection

Remembrance Quilt Collection

Selected Search Terms

Names

Boland family
Boland, Stephen John
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.

Subjects

Pan Am Flight 103 Bombing Incident, 1988.
Terrorism -- Government Policy -- United States -- Case Studies.
Terrorism -- Government Policy -- United States -- History.
Terrorism -- Government Policy -- United States.
Terrorism -- History -- 20th Century.
Lockerbie (Scotland)

Types of Material

Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
Photographs.
Programs (documents)
Scrapbooks.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Stephen John Boland Family Collection,
Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of John and Jane Boland from 1999 to 2008, and Amy Tucker in 1999.

Processing Information

When possible, scrapbooks have been removed from non-archival pages and placed in acid free folders.

Arrangement

The Stephen John Boland Family Collection is arranged alphabetically by and within each series.

Table of Contents

Clippings

Correspondence

Photographs

Printed materials

Scrapbooks

Subject files

Writings

Inventory

	Correspondence
Box 1		Arlington Memorial Cairn 1995
Box 1		Bishop Guertin High School 1989
Box 1		Boyd, Colin D. (Lord Advocate for Scotland) 2000
Box 1		Bush, George H.W. (former U.S. President) 1989  Letter from President George H.W. Bush
Box 1		Condolence letters 1988-1989
Box 1		Cummock, Victoria 1989
Box 1		Letters to legislators 1989
Box 1		Owens, Stephanie (roommate of Miriam Wolfe) 1990
Box 1		President's Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism (PCAST) 1990
Box 1		Remembrance Scholars 1991-1992
Box 1		Smith, Bruce M. 1989
Box 1		Syracuse University 1989-1999  Remembrance Quilt - Stephen Boland Panel (attached to letter from Judy O'Rourke)
Box 1		Syracuse University student families January 1989
Box 1		Turman, Kathryn M. (Director, United States Office for Victims of Crime) 2000
Box 1		Wilkenfeld, Adam 1998

	Photographs
Box 2		Boland, Kelly graduation photo undated
Box 2		Lockerbie memorials undated  Memorial Service at Garden of Remembrance in Lockerbie, Scotland  Bothy Room at Tundergarth Church  Stephen Boland's memorial book page, Bothy Room at Tundergarth Church  Jane Boland at Lockerbie Memorial Wall  Jane Boland at Lockerbie Memorial Wall  Stephen Boland's name on the Lockerbie Memorial Wall  Flowers in front of the Lockerbie Memorial Wall  Rosebank Crescent Memorial in Lockerbie, Scotland  Rosebank Crescent Memorial in Lockerbie, Scotland  Memorial Wall in Lockerbie, Scotland  Garden of Remembrance in Lockerbie, Scotland  Path to the Garden of Remembrance in Lockerbie, Scotland  Plaque at Rosebank Crescent Memorial in Lockerbie, Scotland  Plaque and memory book in Bothy Room at Tundergarth Church  Sherwood Crescent in Lockerbie, Scotland  Sherwood Crescent in Lockerbie, Scotland  Sherwood Crescent in Lockerbie, Scotland
Box 2		Lockerbie Scholars circa 1990
Box 2		Memorials undated  Stephen Boland's headstone
Box 2		Protests undated  Pan Am 103 the Truth Must Be Known protest with Pam Seeger (girlfriend) and Kelly Boland (sister)

	Scrapbooks
Box 2		Articles, poems, remembrances 1986-1996  Fire and Rain, by Kelly Boland (Steve's sister) age 17 - November 30, 1989  Mid semester exam, Modern Advertising Problems, Stephen Boland and John Leisching
Box 2		Photographs and letters 1988-2007  Dark Elegy Statue of Jane Boland  Family picture  Jane Boland with Dark Elegy statue  Letter to Jeff
Oversize 1		Photographs, articles, death certificate, location of body, correspondence, memorials 1968-1998  Beatles collage  Stephen Boland in bucket hat  Stephen and Kelly Boland  Stephen Boland with parents John and Jane  Field near Lockerbie, Scotland where Steve's body was found  Steve and his girlfriend Pam Seager at a fraternity dance  Death Certificate  Letter from Thomas G. Plaskett to John and Jane Boland