Collection inventory

Alexander Lowenstein Family Papers

An inventory of the papers 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)
Apr 2015	Access restrictions removed (VSOM)
Jun 2016	New accessions integrated (VSOM)
Feb 2018	Stylistic changes (VSOM)
April 2023	Oversize items reboxed and inventory updated (HVA)

Biography

Alexander Lowenstein (1967-1988) was among the 270 victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988. He was one of the 35 Syracuse University students traveling home after a semester abroad. Alexander (also known as Alex or Alexi) was an English major, but hoped to pursue a degree in clinical psychology so he could work in a psychiatric clinic after he graduated. Alex was a brother in the Zeta Psi fraternity at Syracuse University and sat on the Inter-fraternity Council.

"Alexander was very special. His ability to fully enjoy life; to make us laugh; to draw his peers to him; to make us love him," his parents recall. Alex was a water person who loved surfing and scuba diving near his parents' home in Montauk on Long Island. He was survived by his parents Suse and Peter and his brother Lucas.

Suse Lowenstein is an accomplished sculptor; her work Dark Elegy has garnered much acclaim and commentary over the years and has served as a reminder of the evils of terrorism. Dark Elegy consists of 75 individual sculptures depicting women at the moment they learned their loved one had been killed on Pan Am Flight 103. Each figure was sculpted from life. Dark Elegy is dedicated to all victims of terrorism.

Scope and Content Note

The Alexander Lowenstein Family Papers contain ten series.

The Artwork series contains Alex's artwork and sketches.

Audiovisual materials consist of film and audio recordings that represent Alex's hobbies, interests, and extracurriculars. The video recordings include footage of Alex surfing and spending time at the beach with his family, participating in a competition at his high school, and performing in a theater production called "Park Place." All videos have been converted to DVD. This series also contains Alex's collection of audiocassettes, including original albums and homemade mixtapes.

Clippings contains full newspapers and clippings relating to Alex's life and memorialization, the bombing of Pan Am 103 and the subsequent trials, and terrorism generally. Of special interest may be the clippings from the two years before Alex's death and those related to the Camp Zeist trial in the Netherlands.

The Correspondence series contains Alexander Lowenstein's personal correspondence, condolences, general correspondence files and correspondence with people in Lockerbie. Many of the letters from people in Lockerbie contain photographs as inserts.

The Dark Elegy series documents the sculpture created by Suse Lowenstein. Clippings, correspondence, photographs and writings related to Dark Elegy are located in this series. It also includes information about exhibitions of Dark Elegy.

Personal objects includes items that belonged to Alex. Items recovered from the crash site at Lockerbie are not included in this series.

Photographs and negatives contains digitized photographs from a photo album the Lowenstein family temporarily loaned the Archives, and physical photographs of Alex with his friends and family. Of special interest to researchers may be photographs from his semester studying abroad in 1988, depicting London and trips to Amsterdam, and photographs developed from film found at the crash site.

Subject files contains topical files of general interest, as well as all of Alex's personal materials from the crash site. Many of Alex's personal papers and photographs from fall 1988 are in this series. Additionally, there is a copy of Senate Resolution 727 signed by Hillary Rodham Clinton. Researchers may also be interested in the maps used to plot locations of victims' bodies as well as Pan Am 103 passenger statistics, including a seating chart for the Boeing 747.

Writings contains Alex's class notebooks, exam books, and papers he wrote as a student at Syracuse University. Writings about Alex or the Pan Am Flight 103 disaster are also housed here.

Alternative Formats

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

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions for this collection.

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 Alexander Lowenstein Family Papers. Related collections include:

Pan Am Flight 103 Audiovisual Collection

On Eagles' Wings Collection

Matthew Cox Papers

Pan Am 103 Publications Collection

Pamela Ray Papers

Dark Elegy Collection

Pan Am 103 Individuals Collection

London 1988 Image Collection

Remembrance Quilt Collection

Selected Search Terms

Names

Lowenstein family.
Lowenstein, Alexander.
Lowenstein, Suse.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.

Associated Titles

Dark Elegy.

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

Audiocassettes.
Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
Diplomas.
DVDs.
Notebooks.
Photographs.
Sketches.
Sound recordings.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Alexander Lowenstein Family Papers,
Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Peter and Suse Lowenstein.

Processing Information

Materials were placed in acid-free folders and boxes.

Arrangement

The Alexander Lowenstein Family Papers are arranged alphabetically by series. Some sections are arranged chronologically.

Table of Contents

Artwork

Audiovisual materials

Clippings

Correspondence

Personal objects

Photographs and negatives

Printed materials

Subject files

Writings

Inventory

	Dark Elegy
Box 9		A broken heart still beats after your child dies, by Anne McCracken and Mary Semel, cover art undated
Box 9		Campaign for permanent home in Washington, DC 2007
Box 9		Clippings 1991-2001, undated
Oversize 2		Clippings circa 1992-1996 oversize
Box 9		Correspondence circa 1989-1994 (3 folders)
		Exhibitions
Box 9			Douglass College 1997
Oversize 1			Douglass College 1997
Box 9			Others 1991, 1993-1994, 1997
Box 9			Rutgers University 1996
Box 9		Photographs and slides undated  Dark Elegy at Syracuse University
Oversize 1		Photographs circa 1996
Box 9		Printed materials 1997
Oversize 1		Sketches by Lauren Ennist undated
Box 9		Student comments on Dark Elegy film undated
Box 9		"The Women of Lockerbie," by Deborah Brevoort, program art 2008
Box 9		Writings about Dark Elegy 1996, undated
Box 9		Writings by Suse Lowenstein undated  Alexander Lowenstein by Suse Lowenstein  Dark Elegy by Suse Lowenstein  Letter to the editor from Suse Lowenstein  Artist's statement by Suse Lowenstein

	Photographs and negatives
Box 11		Album loaned by Suse and Peter Lowenstein circa 1988  Alex in yellow t-shirt  Alex at Stonehenge  Alex in hoodie  Alex in Jimmy Buffet t-shirt  Alex in straw hat  Alex giving flower to friend  Alex, Rick Monetti and two friends  Alex and Beth with friends (including Rick Monetti) at Stonehenge  Alex and Beth with friends (including Rick Monetti)  Alex and Beth with friends  Alex and Beth with friends (including Rick Monetti) in field  Alex and Beth with friends on a stone wall  Alex and friends at Slough airport  Alex and Rick Monetti with friends  Alex and friends with gargoyles  Alex and Rick Monetti in hunter hats  Alex, Rick Monetti, Alexia Tsairis, Julianne Kelly and friends  Lowenstein Family  Alexander Lowenstein's headstone  Alexander Lowenstein's memorial plaque on the Memorial Wall in Lockerbie  Alexander Lowenstein on a rock wall  Alex in "Alexi" shirt  Alex in straw hat holding a cat  Alex Lowenstein portrait in red tie  Alex with surf board  Alex in Zeta Psi sweatshirt  Alex standing by the water with arms raised  Alex in wetsuit  Suse Lowenstein with Alex's cairn in Lockerbie, Scotland  Alex's cairn in Lockerbie, Scotland  Flowers and stone circle  Alex Lowenstein in field
Box 11		Alexander Lowenstein summer 1985
Box 11		Alexander Lowenstein and family undated
Box 11		Alexander Lowenstein and friends circa 1985-1987, undated
Box 11		Alexander Lowenstein and Beth [girlfriend] 1987, undated
Box 11		Developed from film found in wreckage circa 1988
Box 11		London and Amsterdam 1988
Box 11		Memorials undated  Headstone in East Hampton  Cairn in Lockerbie, Scotland
Box 11		Negatives and contact sheets undated
Box 11		Sports teams undated
Oversize 1		Zeta Psi Fraternity 1986-1987, undated

	Printed materials
Box 12		Annual harbor lights gala honoring Suse and Peter Lowenstein 5 August 2006
Box 12		Birth certificate 1967
Box 12		Certificate of achievement from Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences circa 1989  Certificate of Achievement from College of Arts and Sciences
Box 12		Certifications 1975-1982
Box 12		Congressional Record: Senate Resolution 727 signed by Hillary Rodham Clinton 9 December 2008  Senate Resolution 727 signed by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Box 12		Contraband Detection International 9 April 1991
Box 12		Diploma, high school 1985
Box 12		Diploma, middle school 1981
Box 12		Maps, locations of bodies undated
Oversize 1		Map, locations of bodies undated  Map of Locations of Bodies
Box 12		Mendham Township Middle School 1979-1981
Box 12		Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences convocation program 5 May 1990
Box 12		West Morris Mendham High School 1985
Box 12		Zeta Psi Fraternity circa 1986-1989

	Subject files
		Alexander Lowenstein
Box 12			Grave plot at Cedar Lawn Cemetery in East Hampton, New York 1989
Box 12			Inter-fraternity council notes 1987-1988
Box 13			Personal documents 1988, undated
Box 13			Planner 1983, August 1987-August 1988 (2 folders)
Box 13		Anis, Magdy and Fady [attorneys] disciplinary review board 1991
Box 13		Authorizations to conduct criminal proceedings on behalf of others 1992
Box 13		AVSEC international conference 26 October 1993
Box 13		Barringer Instruments, Inc. circa 1991
Box 13		Body identification December 1988  Body Number 167, Alexander Lowenstein (not graphic)
Box 12		CDI's Security Service Bureau (SSB) 1991
Box 13		Class schedules 1987
Box 13		Donahue syndication list 1 November 1989
Box 13		Eulogies 30 December 1988
Box 13		Estate of Alexander Lowenstein 1991
Box 13		Federal Aviation Administration security bulletin process undated
		Found in wreckage
Box 15			Audiocassette pouch undated
Box 14			Journal pages 1988
Box 14			Personal papers 1988, undated  Tower of London postcard  British Rail pass
Box 14			Photographs 1988  Stonehenge
Box 15			Radio and cassette player undated
Box 15			Sweater undated
Box 15			Underwater camera undated
Box 15			Wallet undated
Box 13		Letter of recommendation for Alex Lowenstein 10 December 1984
Box 13		Memorials 1990
Box 13		Pan Am 103 passenger statistics compiled by Barry J. Flick undated - includes seat assignments  Pan Am 103 passenger statistics
Box 13		Obituaries December 1988
Box 13		Report cards and grade reports 1979-1988
Box 13		Return of personal property 1989-1990
Box 14		Rubbing from Memorial Wall in Lockerbie, Scotland undated
Box 13		Trial at Camp van Zeist, Netherlands, verdict 31 January 2001
Box 13		United States Mission to the United Nations 1992-1993
Box 13		Warsaw Convention and liability undated