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Coping in Tragedy’s Aftermath

Twelve Years After
Pan Am 103 Claimed
Her Husband’s Life,
Mary Kay Stratis
Watches Accused Bombers
Stand Trial

By Angelo Carfagna

The solemn judicial process had concluded and all that was left was the verdict. Warnings had been issued to families and friends to maintain decorum and respect the Scottish High Court and the Dutch hosts. That meant no outbursts, neither from those whose loved ones perished in the sky, nor from those who supported the accused bombers of Pan American Flight 103.

FDU trustee Mary Kay Mastronardy Stratis, BS’69 (R), MAT’71 (T-H), knew she had to be there for this moment; to bear witness to this time in history; to watch the prosecution in action; to see the judges seated under a royal coat of arms, wearing traditional white wigs and white judicial robes; and, perhaps most of all, to look into the eyes of the men believed responsible for the loss of her husband and 269 other people. “It happened so quickly,” she recalls. “The judges came in, all rose; they sat, we sat. The question was asked, and the verdict was given.”

When the first defendant was pronounced “guilty,” she remembers the shoulders of the victims’ loved ones collectively falling as if the tension had sprung them to new heights and was suddenly released. “There was a cumulative sigh of relief and some audible gasps, but it was contained,” she says, “Justice had been done — halfway [the second defendant was found not guilty] — but it had been done.”

For Stratis, this was another round, but a major one, in a long journey of emotional trials that began at 1 a.m. on December 22, 1988, when London authorities called to confirm that her husband of nearly 20 years and her college sweetheart on FDU’s Rutherford Campus, Elia Stratis, BS’67 (R), MBA’76 (T-H), was on board the ill-fated Pan Am 103, a flight he was not scheduled to take.

Since that time, Stratis has raised their three children, cared for her handicapped brother and, for a time, her ill mother; and continued an impressive list of voluntary activities, ranging from Sunday school teacher to president of the local high school’s parent-faculty association, and now, following in her husband’s footsteps, FDU trustee. But through it all, she has never stopped working to preserve her husband’s memory, while clinging to the hope that someday those responsible would be brought to justice.

Judgment Day

For Stratis, that day arrived on January 31, 2001, when the Scottish Court, meeting in the Netherlands, sentenced Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi to life imprisonment, with no possibility of parole for 20 years, for planting the bomb that exploded in the plane, killing all 259 people on board and 11 people in the town below, Lockerbie, Scotland. A second defendant, Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah, was found not guilty.

Scottish law applied to the case because the midair bombing occurred over that country’s territory, and the right for the Scottish court to sit in the Netherlands was established by a landmark treaty among the British, Libyan and Dutch governments.

A critical part of the decision by the panel of three judges is the description of Megrahi as a Libyan state intelligence agency official of “fairly high rank.” Stratis says, “This was a big step because Megrahi is high in the Libyan intelligence system and his conviction directly implicates Libya.”

Suspicions previously focused on Libya, and United Nations sanctions were imposed on the nation; but up until the time of this writing Libya has denied responsibility, and Megrahi is appealing his conviction. Adding to the legal battles is a civil trial in a U.S. District Court in which more than 200 families, including the Stratis family, are plaintiffs seeking a judgment against the Libyan government and reparations. “To be honest, I’m not even sure where we stand with that case. I’ve never thought about reparations. I just want the truth about what happened. But I’ve also come to understand that a message must be sent that engaging in terrorism will be very expensive.”

An FDU Romance

The year was 1965. Mary Kay Mastronardy was a bright-eyed college freshman earning tuition credit by working for the University during registration. “I was one of the work-study students lined up at the admissions tables when I saw this big-shot upperclassman walk in. He just approached me and started talking.”

The son of a Greek import-export trader, Elia Stratis was born in Sudan and had come to the United States with his family when he was 12. He and Mary Kay hit it off instantly and began dating.

Both were extremely active on the Rutherford Campus. If there were a Mr. and Mrs. FDU, Elia and Mary Kay would have fit the bill. Elia was a leader in student organizations and a member of the soccer and track teams. Mary Kay was a member of the Class Council, Student Education Association and Dean’s Advisory Committee and worked on the yearbook. “It was a very friendly atmosphere, and we tried to take advantage of our opportunities.”

Elia graduated in 1967 with a BS degree in accounting and began working for the firm of Ernst & Ernst, now Ernst & Young. In 1969, Mary Kay earned her bachelor of arts in secondary education and began graduate courses in the MAT program, and Elia formed his own firm called Campos & Stratis. That same year, the two were married and they later purchased a home in Montvale, N.J.

Elia’s partnership grew considerably in the subsequent years. After starting humbly in a rented office, the firm eventually gained an international reputation and opened offices overseas. Elia was a pioneer in the field of forensic accounting. Focusing on serving the insurance industry, the company would investigate claims to sniff out fraudulent cases. The financial detective was in great demand.

In the meantime, Mary Kay became a high school math teacher. Later, she opted to be a full-time mom to Lia, Christopher and Sonia. The young children were enthralled by stories of where daddy had been and the gifts brought home from exotic countries. “Our children always had the best things for show and tell.” During the summer, Elia brought Mary Kay and the children wherever he went. “We toured Europe, the Orient, Australia, etc. It was wonderful.”

Mary Kay vividly remembers how Elia loved to see the children thrive academically, but how he also relished seeing them develop their physical talents. Elia could constantly be found tumbling with the children, helping with their gymnastics and karate lessons. All three children took quickly to karate, and Elia was their biggest fan.

“I remember in 1988,” Mary Kay says, “one young lady in our karate school was selected to represent the United States in an international tournament. My husband told my children that this was a great honor to be proud of. He sent her a telegram and brought flowers to the school. He was so excited.”

In a lamentable twist, one year later, just months after Elia’s death, both Lia and Christopher were selected to represent the United States in an international competition. In fact, in a span of 10 years, the Stratis children won numerous national championships and represented America in 10 international competitions. “He would have been so proud,” Stratis says.

A successful businessman and devoted father, Elia also was a loyal son to the institution he credited with launching his success, Fairleigh Dickinson University. “He was so grateful for the education that was given to him. He wanted to give something back,” Mary Kay says. Elia became the first alumnus appointed to the University’s Board of Trustees and served as president of the Alumni Association. He also would frequently involve his family with the University, bringing the children to athletic contests and alumni events.

On business trips, Elia helped recruit new students to FDU, and he opened his home to international students. The Stratis family grew to include two students from South Africa, who had been living in undesirable conditions, and another student from Cyprus, whose father was killed in an industrial accident. “He so appreciated his educational experience that he tried to help give others the same opportunity he had.”

When Time Stopped

On December 19, 1988, 43-year-old Elia Stratis left the United States for a quick business trip to Germany and the Netherlands. He was scheduled to return December 22, in plenty of time for the Stratis family holiday party. But he wrapped up business quickly and, without having the chance to notify his wife, decided to fly home a day earlier. With him was an insurance executive who grew up in Bergen County and worked for a client’s firm. The two checked out of a hotel in Rotterdam, leaving behind a note, which said they were booked on Pan Am Flight 103 departing from London on December 21.

Still believing her husband wasn’t due home for another day, Mary Kay Stratis was Christmas shopping with her mother when she heard on the car radio that a plane had gone down. “I remember thinking what a terrible thing but not dwelling on it because my husband was not supposed to be on that flight.”

When she got home, news of the crash was on all the networks but she again didn’t focus on the incident. A little after 3 p.m., her husband’s secretary called and, not having had access to any news that day, told Mary Kay that Elia was coming home a day early and that he was scheduled to catch a plane out of London.

Stratis was stunned but says she still wanted to believe her husband was not on that flight. “I clung to the hope that he was on some other plane but as the day progressed it became more and more evident that he probably was on the plane and that he wasn’t coming home.”

Moving On

Heartbroken and faced with raising three children, ages 13, 10 and 7, as well as taking care of her aging mother and brother, Stratis decided that, to the extent possible, life would go on as it had before. “This was such a big change, especially in the children’s lives, I was determined to keep everything else the same.”

So she continued to help them with their homework, take them to gymnastics and karate classes and volunteer at the schools. “My piece of mind came from knowing that my children were OK. If I saw they were coping, then I was able to cope better.”

The children displayed similar concern for their mother. Stratis recalls them huddling together behind closed doors, trying not to worry their mother and discussing issues relating to their father’s death. Sometimes, when they urgently needed to raise questions with mom, the older two would send Sonia to get an answer or float a topic. “She was the mouthpiece for the group.”

Stratis’ main message to her children always has been the same: don’t dwell on the tragedy. “Early on, I would tell them, ‘Your job is to be the best students you can be.’ I’ve tried to instill in them the importance of cultivating their natural talents and using the gifts they possess.”

Through the years, Stratis would try to “explain to them what I think their dad would have done in a certain situation or what he would have said.” She adds, “I had known him for almost a quarter century, so I knew him well. I really felt any decisions I made, I made with the two of us in mind.”

There were days Stratis felt like “my brain would explode with all that I was trying to process.” She says she made it through by taking it not one day at a time, but “one-half day at a time.” After school, of course, life was filled taking care of the children. While they were in school, she would tend to her mother and brother and also sort through the legal aspects of the case against Pan Am.

After the explosion, families of the victims filed lawsuits against the airline for its lax security. This suit brought together for the first time Stratis and a fellow Fairleigh Dickinson University graduate Mitch Baumeister, BA’66 (F-M). In 1988, after 16 years of practicing law, Baumeister founded his own law firm, Baumeister & Samuels, P.C., specializing, among other things, in aviation law. In addition to this case, Baumeister has represented plaintiffs and worked with cases relating to the Swissair Flight 111, TWA Flight 800 and ValuJet Flight 92 disasters. Another lawyer recommended him to Stratis, who says, “I didn’t even know Mitch was an FDU graduate.”

Stratis was deeply touched by Baumeister’s devotion, which went beyond his routinely intense legal preparations. “When I first retained him, he said he wanted to come to my house to feel my husband’s presence and to meet my children in order to get a sense of the loss in their lives. He actually sat in my children’s room and talked with them about Elia. That was very special.” Baumeister says his role isn’t confined to legal issues, but includes “learning about the family and helping them as best I can.”

In a three-month trial in 1992, Baumeister, who represented 21 families in the suit against Pan Am, and his fellow attorneys representing other families, successfully showed that Pan Am was “grossly negligent” and “failed to provide adequate security to prevent this disaster.” Among other things, Baumeister said Pan Am had ignored bomb warnings and had violated regulations in allowing an unaccompanied bag on board the plane. The total compensation awarded to the families — between $450 and $500 million — was the largest amount of money ever awarded in a commercial aviation disaster.

Stratis remembers Pan Am “putting us through the ringer” with inquiries and questions, including medical statements to prove that Elia wasn’t ill (the presumption was that an ill Elia would be worth less). Even the final verdict was not without grief, because on the same day the decision was announced, cancer claimed the life of Mary Kay Stratis’ mother.

In the Fields

Lockerbie, a small village community in rural Southern Scotland, was plunged into the global spotlight by the destruction of the Boeing 747 jumbo jet. Over the years, many family members of the victims traveled to this scenic farmland setting where sheep graze and farmhouse lights flicker over endless rolling lands. Mary Kay Stratis was not one of the early visitors.

“As much as I was curious to go there and see what happened, I had three kids in a very vulnerable state. I was not about to tell them mommy was going on a plane.” Four years later, Stratis felt the time was right to walk the fields where Pan Am 103 melted into the landscape. Older and more mature, her three children joined her on the journey.

“Like all of the families who went there, we definitely benefited from the experience,” she says, “and that’s a great tribute to the Scottish people who made sure we had every comfort and access to wherever we wanted to go.”

For Stratis, that meant visiting a sheep farm where the aircraft’s nose cone, and the portion of the plane where her husband was seated, landed. “The owner of this field took us right to the spot where this happened.” Stratis remembers not talking very much with her children, standing amid silence, while trying to process the enormity of what had transpired. “Visiting the location where he was found, the town that was affected, somehow seemed to help. In a way, it made it tangible for me.”

In Memory Of

Devoted so heartily to her children, it might have been easy for Mary Kay Stratis to lose herself in her mothering role and leave behind causes she and Elia treasured. She refused to let this happen. A dedicated volunteer, her activities have focused on helping others realize their educational goals. Continuing to reside in Montvale, she has been active with the Parent Faculty Association of Pascack Hills High School in Montvale and has served as its president. To honor Elia’s ideals of self-improvement, good sportsmanship and academic excellence, she has established six scholarships (three for males and three for females) at the high school.

Stratis also has been involved in fund raising for the Association of Retarded Citizens, and her service at Westwood (N.J.) United Methodist Church has included positions as a church school teacher and youth group coordinator.

In addition, Stratis has maintained her husband’s support for their alma mater and today is a member of the University’s Board of Trustees. “Had Elia been here, he would still be playing a big role at the University.”

Elia’s mark is indelibly stamped on the University he loved. Made possible through the support of Stratis, the University today offers the Elia G. Stratis Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded to an undergraduate accounting major and an incoming freshman on the soccer or track and field team. Thus far, 12 students have earned Stratis Scholarships. FDU also boasts tributes to Elia on both New Jersey campuses: the Elia G. Stratis Lounge in the George and Phyllis Rothman Center on the Teaneck-Hackensack Campus and the Elia G. Stratis Running Track in the Roberta Chiaviello Ferguson and Thomas G. Ferguson Recreation Center on the Florham-Madison Campus. (Stratis also has donated her collection of books about the Pan Am 103 case to the FDU library and another set to the Bergen County library system.)

For Stratis, these efforts are more than just a way to preserve the memory of Elia, they represent a way to keep his ideals alive. “If people see a plaque bearing his name, they might ask who was he and what he stood for.”

When asked to speak about her husband, Stratis doesn’t shy away from bringing up the cause of Elia’s death. In fact, the plaque on the Ferguson Recreation Center track is dedicated to his memory as well as the other victims of Pan Am 103. “I know some people are uncomfortable when I mention the bombing, but to forget about it would be a show of apathy toward terrorism. I decided to put that wording on the plaque so people wouldn’t be apathetic toward security or apathetic about punishing terrorism.”

Bittersweet Triumphs

As Lia, Christopher and Sonia grew, Stratis says there was no shortage of stories about their father. “Because he was so active at Fairleigh, and because the family attended many University events, the kids heard about the wonderful things he did and the goals he had. That has helped them know what Elia was like and would have been like as they were growing up.”

Still, loving words and fond recollections could not fill the void. “I know they’ve missed him terribly and often wondered how their teen years would have been with him here.”

Their dad certainly would have smiled with each triumph. Lia has been married for nearly two years and, like her father, is an accountant. Christopher graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa., in May and is working in information systems, and Sonia is studying fashion design at Baylor University, Waco, Texas.

Stratis is obviously proud of her children’s achievements, but she says each celebration has been a little “bittersweet. All of the things that the children have accomplished have been fabulous, but the joy is always tempered somewhat because he’s not there to see it, and they’re missing his pat on the back.”

United in Grief

While Stratis’ focus was riveted on her family, others who lost loved ones on Pan Am 103 spent time organizing and demanding action. Their outcry was crucial in getting sanctions imposed against Libya, and their continued lobbying in Washington resulted in the Aviation Security Act, which enhanced security standards. As Baumeister says, “Pan Am 103 marked the beginning of family group associations that came together to support each other and lobby for changes.”

The voice of the families also was heard when the Anti-Terrorism Bill, which gave Americans the right to sue directly nations that sponsor terrorism, was enacted in 1996. This cleared the way for the civil suit against Libya.

While Stratis has become friends with many of the family members, she hasn’t been in the forefront of advocacy efforts. Still, she says, “I think what they have done has been wonderful. I admire and appreciate what they’ve accomplished.”

The close bonds that have developed among family members were never more evident than during the recent trial. Alongside Stratis watching the proceedings in the Netherlands were about 60 members of the victims’ families and overall more than 200 relatives attended parts of the trial. “It was good to be among the other family members,” Stratis says, “and to discuss what we heard and our feelings. There were so many ups and downs, we were never sure which way the verdict would go.”

Stratis especially remembers watching the accused and wondering what they were thinking as the prosecutor described the impact of the bombing and mentioned that more than 400 parents lost a son or a daughter, 46 parents lost their only child, 65 women were widowed, and 11 men lost their wives. “That was overwhelming to hear.”

Whether the conviction of Megrahi will withstand appeal is unclear. Baumeister says a decision can be expected by the end of the year. In the meantime, the Bush Administration has promised to keep pressure on the Libyan government to acknowledge its complicity in the bombing. Stratis believes the sanctions need to continue against Libya. “I don’t want them to soften on that stand.”

Stratis also expects the U.S. government will continue to support the families of the victims, particularly in the civil suit against Libya. Baumeister is representing Stratis and 20 other families in that case before U.S. District Judge Thomas Platt in the Eastern District of New York. According to Baumeister, “The conviction of Megrahi helps the action we have pending since it’s a public statement that Libya is responsible. Megrahi was convicted most importantly as an employee/agent of a Libyan government agency.”

The question in the civil case, Baumeister says, “is whether the Libyan government will even defend itself. If it doesn’t, we could win a default judgment, but it will probably be uncollectible.”

Some, though, believe Libya might eventually be willing to pay damages to end the economic sanctions. Baumeister adds that he is confident their side can demonstrate that this was a state-sponsored act of terrorism, and added that many believe other nations also may have been involved, particularly Iran, which could have been looking for retribution following an American attack on an Iranian airliner. One motive commonly attributed to Libya is revenge for U.S. airstrikes in 1986 that killed 37 people. But the final answers to what really happened to Pan Am 103, and why, continue to be elusive.

In His Name

Today, Mary Kay Stratis is a different person from the wife who was waiting for her husband to come home for Christmas in 1988. She has developed a broader outlook on the world and taken a much deeper interest in international issues. She acknowledges that she is much more cynical about the world, but adds that she has “really tried to curb the anger. I do not want to be an angry person. I just want justice to be done.”

She also is quick to admonish those complaining about airport delays due to security measures such as examining passengers’ bags. “Don’t complain about such things, be glad for them.”

On the inside, though, the essence of Mary Kay Stratis, what she shared with her husband, and what has helped her rebuild a life so radically altered, remains the same. “Whatever I have done and whatever I will do, I’m going to give everything I have. That’s how Elia lived his life and that has been passed on to my children.”

Mitch Baumeister has known Stratis for more than a decade now and continues to marvel at her resiliency. “She’s a remarkable person whose warmth, love and courage continue to be an inspiration for all of us.”

Stratis had her chance recently to return the tribute when she personally presented Baumeister with the FDU Alumni Association Elia G. Stratis Service Award for outstanding contributions to the University. Fittingly, the presentation took place during the rededication of the Stratis Lounge in the Rothman Center. “That was very special,” Stratis says, “and Mitch has since said how much closer he feels to my husband by receiving that award.”

Baumeister humbly denies being in “the same league with Elia” when it comes to serving others but says, “I’m truly honored to be mentioned in the same breath. I hope I can carry on his tradition.”

Elia’s influence has spread so far and wide that Stratis and Baumeister have a lot of company looking to continue his legacy. Last summer, Stratis traveled to South Africa to see two of the students who Elia took into their home. She’s happy to report that they are both doing well and are now married. The younger man has a child with an unusual name for a South African. In tribute to the successful businessman who took desperate strangers into his home a continent away, who supported education above all pursuits, whose heart filled with love for his wife and children, whose light was untimely dimmed but whose spirit forever lives on, the child bears the name “Elia.”

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