Melina Kristina Hudson Family Papers, 1972-2007

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Summary

Creator:
Hudson, Melina Kristina.
Abstract:
The Melina Kristina Hudson Family Papers contain materials related to Melina Hudson, killed in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, and her parents, Eleanor and Paul Hudson.
Extent:
19 boxes, 3 oversize boxes, 4 rolled items; 18 linear feet
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Melina Kristina Hudson Family Papers,

Background

Scope and content:

The Melina Kristina Hudson Family Papers contain information and materials related to Melina Hudson, killed in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The collection includes series for Clippings, Correspondence, Items from the disaster site at Lockerbie, Memorials, Personal belongings, Photographs, Publications, and Subject files.

Clippings includes articles about Melina Kristina Hudson, the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, Lockerbie, memorials, and related investigations and trials.

Correspondence is divided into two subseries. The first subseries includes condolences and letters to and from Eleanor and Paul Hudson. It includes correspondence with President George H.W. Bush, organizations, and various U.S. and international government officials. The second series includes the correspondence of Others regarding the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing. It features correspondence of U.S. government officials and organizations.

Items from the disaster site at Lockerbie include airplane fragments of the Clipper Maid of the Seas and dirt from the Tundergarth Church yard in Lockerbie, Scotland.

Memorials contains materials related to services and memorials in Albany, New York, Lockerbie, Scotland, and New York City, honoring Melina Hudson and the other victims of the Pan Am 103 tragedy.

Personal belongings is divided into two subseries. The first subseries includes materials related to Melina Kristina Hudson, such as books and a magazine for Miss National Teen-Ager, and contains her personal effects. It also includes some of her vinyl records, which were retrieved from the Lockerbie site. They include Billy Joel's The Stranger, which features notes to Melina from friends, Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water, and Bobby McFarrin's Simple Pleasures. The second subseries contains materials belonging to Eleanor and Paul Hudson and includes items such as personal and Pan Am Flight 103 buttons and Paul's day planner.

Photographs contains photographs of the Hudson family on a trip to Rome, CAPBOR (a conference at which Paul spoke), and other Pan Am Flight 103 victims. All items are photographic prints unless otherwise noted.

Publications include materials about terrorism and airport security.

Subject files is divided into five subseries. The first subseries is Events, which includes information about other airplane crashes and terrorist attacks, as well as agendas and promotional materials for a symposium on terrorism and airport security. Government and trial contains government resolutions, press releases, statements and testimonies of victims' family members, and trial transcripts related to the Pan Am tragedy. The third subseries, Media, includes broadcast transcripts of interviews about airline security and terrorism, as well as media contacts. The People and organizations subseries contains individual case studies, notes, promotional materials, and press releases related to various people and organizations. The final subseries, Posters, contains oversize posters related to Pan Am Flight 103 and poster board collages created in remembrance of the Pan Am Flight 103 victims.

Biographical / historical:

Photograph of Melina Kristina Hudson

Melina Kristina Hudson (1972-1988) was among the 270 victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988. A resident of Albany, New York, Melina was an American high school student studying abroad in England during fall 1988. Through an exchange program agreement with her high school, the Albany Academy for Girls, Melina studied abroad at the Exeter School in Exeter, England when she was 16. She was the first American girl to attend the Exeter School. Melina had originally been scheduled to fly home on December 22, but her travel plans were inexplicably changed. Melina left behind her parents, Paul and Eleanor; her three brothers, Stephen, Paul J., and William David; and her grandparents, William and Maybelle Hudson, and Jus and Melina Rossi.

Melina's father described her as being "full of life, beautiful and beloved." Her brother, Stephen, said Melina always spoke her mind and he described her as being individual and having an intense love for her family and friends. Melina's school notebook was found among the wreckage of Pan Am Flight 103 in Lockerbie, Scotland. On it she had written, "No one dies unless they are forgotten."

Paul Hudson, Melina's father, served as General Counsel to the New York State Crime Victims Board from 1977 to 1987 and is recognized as a legal expert on crime victims' rights and legislation. After Melina's death, Eleanor and Paul joined with other families of victims to create the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, Inc. (VPAF 103, Inc.), an organization devoted to ensuring similar acts of terrorism could never happen again. Paul served as a Chairman of the Steering Committee for VPAF 103, Inc.before leaving the group to create Families of Pan Am 103/Lockerbie, which was similarly devoted to revealing the full story of the Pan Am tragedy. He served as the Chairman for Families of Pan Am 103/Lockerbie, organizing and speaking at press conferences and during media segments about the Pan Am tragedy. In this role, Paul arranged several Congressional hearings and contributed to written and oral testimonies. He also discussed the Pan Am tragedy and its investigation with various U.S. government officials, such as President George H. W. Bush, Department of Transportation Secretary Samuel K. Skinner, agents of the FBI, and senators.

Acquisition information:
Paul Hudson donated the Melina Kristina Hudson Family Papers in 2011.
Processing information:

The Melina Kristina Hudson Family Papers are fully processed and are housed in acid-free folders and archival boxes.

Arrangement:

The Melina Kristina Hudson Family Papers are arranged by subseries and alphabetically or chronologically within each series.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Please note that some materials have been restricted for preservation purposes. Folders containing restricted materials are indicated in the inventory below. Please contact the archivist for further information about accessing these materials.

Terms of access:

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.

Preferred citation:

Melina Kristina Hudson Family Papers,

Location of this collection:
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries
Bird Library, Room 600
Syracuse, NY 13244, United States
Link to repository site
Contact:
315.443.2697
scrc@syr.edu