When talking about Denice O’Neill 85F, friends and family still find it difficult not to be overcome by emotion. 20 years have passed since her death, but her memory, and the many things she did in her short life, remain vivid.
“The word I heard over and over again about Denice was enthusiasm,” said Laura Nasir 85F, a classmate of O’Neill’s who visited Hampshire on Oct. 24 to deliver the annual Denice O’Neill Colloquy and Lecture as part of the Family and Friends weekend.
Though she was only an acquaintance, Nasir said she spoke to many of O’Neill’s friends before delivering the lecture based on her experience as a nurse and educator. “They said Denice was a visionary, she had so much potential.”
O’Neill was 21 and on her way back from Nigeria when she and more than 200 others were killed in the bombing of PanAm flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on Dec. 21, 1988. She had visited the country to research the health of infants and mothers for her Div III project, and though she could not complete her studies, in tribute to her interests in medicine, anthropology, health and children, the Denice O’Neill Fellowship Award was started in her name to assist two students each year carrying out Div III research in those fields.
“It’s just a remarkable group of students that has been able to benefit from this,” said biology professor Merle Bruno.
Several family members and friends returned to Hampshire for the lecture and the re-dedication of a gingko tree planted outside of the Cole Science Center in O’Neill’s honor ten years ago. O’Neill’s cousin Kevin Gillis and her aunt and uncle David and Margaret Gillis were among the visitors, while her friend Annie Shull 87F spoke of the lasting impact O’Neill has had on her.
“She was just a very spontaneous person, full of life,” said Shull, who helped mark the 20th anniversary by hosting a wine tasting with wines from Raptor Ridge Winery, which she and her husband Scott own in Oregon. “She was always very positive, so whenever life is hard, I think how she approached things. I owe it to her to make the most out of everything, and not to sweat the small stuff.”
Hampshire College President Emeritus Gregory Prince, Jr. pointed out that it was clear O’Neill’s life made a deep impression on Hampshire College.
“Her whole life had an impact no one could have predicted at that time,” he said.