COMMEMORATIVE

‘I placed a flower in her name and bent down and A ’S kissed it. I was so totally focused on my sister that I broke down.‘ FINAL CALL – Harry Jr. By Elliot Owen

Betty Ann Ong kissed her boyfriend gently on the chin as he slept before she left her colonial home. “I’ll see you Wednesday,” she whispered. It was still dark when Betty, 45, stepped outside into the early morning air. She got into her beat-up, gray Toyota Corolla and made the half-hour drive to Boston. A humble upbringing in ’s Chinatown had taught Betty to be frugal. She parked at a Holiday Inn to avoid paying $22 in airport parking fees, and then took the eight-minute air shuttle ride to Logan International Airport. After passing through Terminal B security and signing in at flight operations, Betty chatted with colleagues before proceeding to her assigned gate with 10 other crew members headed to on Flight 11. A white button-up shirt peeked out of her navy-blue blazer. The embroidered crest sat just below the fold of her collar. Her wings, gold and distinguished, were pinned to her breast. Betty had been working for American Airlines for 14 years. It was her dream job. After all, one of her favorite pastimes before enrolling at City College in the mid- 1970s was to visit San Francisco International Airport with her two sisters and their friends to watch airplanes take off for hours. She rolled her light carry-on over the blue-gray berber carpet down the jet bridge toward the 767 aircraft that would board 81 passengers that clear, Tuesday morning. Among them were five hijackers.

Betty Ong's name appears at the National September 11 Memorial in . !"#$#%&'!" () "*&#+* #$,-(#

2 | etc. magazine spring  | 3

Betty_print_ready.indd 2 12/8/11 10:18 PM Betty_print_ready.indd 3 12/8/11 10:18 PM ‘I placed a flower in her name and bent down and kissed it. I was so totally focused on my sister that I broke down.‘ – Harry Ong Jr.

spring  | 3 light !! pushed back from the gate 12345617 15485739 :85;<= attendant <144> ?7; @4., Betty’s brother, was awaken- “You’re kidding me,” Cathie said. “I really at ":#$ a.m. By %:!& a.m., the plane had Christine Litch, /', was enjoying a quiet ed around ( a.m., PDT, by his wife, Dorothy, hope Betty’s not on that !ight.” ascended to '(,))) feet, around the morning in her Georgetown, Mass., home a now-retired Chinese language teacher at "ey hung up a#er agreeing to call Betty’s F same time the seatbelt light would have with her two young children when her San Francisco’s Lowell High School. cell phone. been turned o*. local ABC channel .ashed to the burning “History is in the making!” she said, “We both got the busy signal so we thought, +e aircra,’s last routine communication North Tower. +e news anchor indicated pointing to the .aming skyscraper on TV. ‘Good, maybe she’s trying to call us,’” Cathie, occurred just a minute before. All subsequent that a commercial jet out of Boston may Harry sat up, focusing on the screen. a $%-year-old dental hygienist, recalls. e*orts by ground o-cials to contact the have crashed into the building. “Frankly, I didn’t even know where the She also called Rob Landrum, Betty’s cockpit were unsuccessful. Christine had been .ying out of Boston World Trade Center was,” the (/-year-old boyfriend of &' years. She asked him what By %:!# a.m., Flight !! was hijacked. for more than a decade. Her .ight colleagues pharmacist remembers. !ight Betty was working that morning. Ong family portrait Four minutes later, Betty grabbed a bulky were like family. Betty was among the 0rst “I thought, ‘Wow, this is really important, He didn’t know. taken in the mid- AT&T air phone from the back galley of the she thought of that morning. this big, tall building on 0re.’ +en I see the At $:() a.m., news networks !ashed to the 1990’s. STANDING: Betty, Gloria, Cathie, plane and dialed the code for the American “My heart sunk,” she remembers. “I called second plane knife through the South Tower.” Pentagon, where American Airlines Flight )) Harry Jr. SEATED: Yee Airlines Southeastern Reservations O-ce my girlfriend.” Seventeen minutes a,er Flight !! struck had just crashed and killed &*' people. Gam Oy and Harry Sr. in Cary, N.C., to report an emergency She reached Sherry Stucker, another the North Tower, United Airlines Flight !"#$# %#&'$()* #+ aboard the .ight. American Airlines .ight attendant based !"# .ew into the South Tower at #&) mph. ",''* #-. Her voice was calm. Unwavering. in Boston. +ey decided to access an Networks around the world aired the crash ‘Betty was a character, very “At - o’clock, I called American again “He felt so guilty he wasn’t there to protect “+e cockpit’s not answering, somebody’s employee-only database that contains the on live television. because by then Betty de,nitely would have her that day,” says his wife. stabbed in business class — I think there’s names of passengers and crew members America was under attack. humorous. The jokester of called,” Harry says. Despite being devastated, Harry is able Mace — that we can’t breathe. I don’t know, aboard all AA .ights. Harry called his daughter in Berkeley American Airlines representatives told to look back and remember the good times. I think we’re getting hijacked.” “Sherry immediately started pulling up to tell her the news. +en he called his sister, the family.‘ him that Betty was scheduled to work “Betty was a character, very humorous. Betty’s call went far beyond the scope .ights with departures around % a.m. +e Cathie Ong-Herrera, at her Bakers0eld home. – Harry Ong Jr. Flight &&, but her presence on the plane was "e jokester of the family,” he says. of her training; a hijacker could easily 0rst .ight she pulled up we knew we had He told her what was happening in uncon,rmed. Harry called Cathie to relay “As a youngster, she loved the Chinese have attacked her. +at’s what happened the right one because they were purging New York. +ey casually talked for a few Just before ) a.m., the South Tower collapsed. the latest news. opera,” Cathie says. “["e singers] dressed to passenger , a former Israeli the crew names,” Christine says. minutes before Harry asked where their At ):%( a.m., United Flight +( crashed into a A#er hanging up, Cathie le# Bakers- in ornate costumes with draping sleeves, military o-cer sitting in business class, who youngest sister, Betty, was. Pennsylvania ,eld, killing all '% on board. ,eld and began the ,ve-hour drive to their things in their hair, singing in high voices. reportedly rose from his seat to take action. “She’s on her way to Los Angeles,” Cathie "e World Trade Center’s North Tower ‘I was just devastated and parent’s home in San Francisco. Betty would imitate them by pinning toilet A hijacker sitting behind Lewin stabbed him. said. “I’m supposed to meet her. Why?” ,nally collapsed at &%:-* a.m., EDT, a#er burn- “Finally, at . o’clock, I called American paper to her sleeves and hair.” For the next '/ minutes, Betty relayed Betty and Cathie had planned to meet ing for &%- minutes. in shock because I knew again,” Harry says. “"ey con,rmed that Harry remembers the same story. crucial information to air tra-c control. for lunch around !! a.m. in L.A. to discuss Nearly (,%%% people died within two Betty was on Flight &&.” “She’d !ow the toilet tissue back and forth She relayed seat numbers that led to the Betty was on the flight.‘ their "-day “sisters’ trip” to scheduled hours. It was the largest, single-day death Dorothy hands him a tissue. like a robe and mimic what [the singers] hijackers’ identi0cation, reported injuries the following week. toll on U.S. soil since the Civil War. – Christine Litch “I just fell apart,” he says. were saying, even though she didn’t really sustained by passengers and crew, and provid- “It’s not con0rmed but as more details But Betty was all Harry and Cathie could A single tear drops from Harry’s cheek know what they were saying. Everyone ed insight into how the cockpit was entered. are coming in, they think it’s a plane from think about. to the speckled marble counter in front of would laugh.” Her call triggered the order to ground One by one, Sherry watched the names Boston to Los Angeles,” Harry said. When the busy signal stopped, Harry him. It’s the same counter-top he was sitting Betty graduated from George Washington all .ights nationwide, and is thought to have of Flight !!’s crew disappear from her and Cathie began leaving messages. Anxiety at when he received the news. High School in &+)'. Shortly a#er, she enrolled indirectly prevented Flight $/, the last plane computer screen. Christine scrambled for grew. Harry’s wife remembers coming home Cathie was an hour into her northbound at City College to study nutrition and liberal hijacked, from taking more lives. a pen and paper while Sherry frantically to a distraught husband. drive from Bakers,eld when Harry called arts while working at her parent’s beef jerky At %:'( a.m., Flight !!’s trajectory shi,ed read the names aloud over the phone. “School was canceled, so I came back,” to con,rm that Betty was on the !ight. store on Jackson Street. south — toward New York City. Betty’s call “As she was saying them, I was writing Dorothy, $-, says. “I saw Harry being very “I had to pull o/ the freeway,” Cathie Betty’s fascination with !ying grew. Her disconnected at %:&& a.m. Among her last them. We were the 0rst two to know the frantic on the phone. I walked in and said, says. “I remember getting out of the car, ,rst job outside the family store was working words were: whole crew. +at’s how fast we were on ‘Betty.’ "at was all I needed to say … he shaken. I remember looking up into the sky for Paci,c Southwest Airlines’ baggage claim “Pray for us.” top of it,” Christine says. was already searching.” and screaming, ‘Why? Why?’ It’s something department. "en, she became a ticket agent Flight !! crashed into the northeast face Flight attendant No. /, Betty Ong, was Cathie and Betty’s && a.m. lunch date you just don’t understand.” for Delta in her late -%s. of the World Trade Center’s North Tower among the names. came and went. Betty had still not called. What’s worse — Betty wasn’t originally When her parents sold the store in &+*), at %:&( a.m. Flying at &&) mph and carrying “I was just devastated and in shock because “Of course I didn’t hear from her that scheduled to work Flight &&. She picked up Betty went to !ight attendant school in Dallas !),))) gallons of fuel, the plane’s impact I knew Betty was on the .ight. My heart … morning,” Cathie says. “Knowing what had the extra shi# to make up for the time she and became a !ight attendant for American created a hole from .oors $/ to $$. I was a mess from then on,” she says. happened, I kept thinking that she could be planned to be on vacation in Hawaii. Airlines three months later. "e company All aboard the plane and an unknown Christine and Betty had .own the same grounded. "e airways were so busy it was stationed her in Boston. number of people in the building were routes together for more than a decade. hard to get your call through. I wanted to 0123 43 563 726384581 on Feb. ., &+.$, “She quite liked it,” Harry says. “She stayed killed instantly. Among them: Flight !!, Boston to Los Angeles. keep every possible hope that Betty was OK.” Betty grew up in a modest, three-bedroom there for all of her &' years.” About /,))) emergency calls were “It could have been me,” Christine says. Harry called American Airlines to ask !at on Broadway Street with her parents, In &++&, Betty became a purser, the lead made from above the impact zone within “I had guilt for weeks.” if Betty was on Flight &&. He hung up the Harry Ong Sr. and Yee Gam Oy, and three !ight attendant responsible for running the !) minutes of the crash. All three of the She remembers her /-year-old daughter !"#$# %#&'$()* #+ %"',)$,-( .,$%" phone relieved a#er they informed him that siblings, Harry Jr., Cathie and Gloria. aircra# cabin. !!)-story tower’s stairwells were damaged, tottering into the kitchen where Christine Christine Litch and Betty Ong during an annual his sister was not on the plane. "e airline’s As the oldest, Harry was protective of She was good at her job. trapping hundreds above the $!st .oor. had been scribbling the crew’s names. Professional Flight Attendant awards celebration representative had mistakenly looked at the his sisters, especially Betty, the youngest, Betty was nominated several times for the None of them would survive. “Mommy, a plane hit another building.” in 1991. passenger list — not the aircra# crew’s. who followed him everywhere. Professional Flight Attendant award, an honor 4 | etc. magazine spring  | 5

Betty_print_ready.indd 4 12/8/11 10:18 PM Betty_print_ready.indd 5 12/9/11 10:50 AM light !! pushed back from the gate 12345617 15485739 :85;<= attendant <144> ?7; @4., Betty’s brother, was awaken- “You’re kidding me,” Cathie said. “I really at ":#$ a.m. By %:!& a.m., the plane had Christine Litch, /', was enjoying a quiet ed around ( a.m., PDT, by his wife, Dorothy, hope Betty’s not on that !ight.” ascended to '(,))) feet, around the morning in her Georgetown, Mass., home a now-retired Chinese language teacher at "ey hung up a#er agreeing to call Betty’s F same time the seatbelt light would have with her two young children when her San Francisco’s Lowell High School. cell phone. been turned o*. local ABC channel .ashed to the burning “History is in the making!” she said, “We both got the busy signal so we thought, +e aircra,’s last routine communication North Tower. +e news anchor indicated pointing to the .aming skyscraper on TV. ‘Good, maybe she’s trying to call us,’” Cathie, occurred just a minute before. All subsequent that a commercial jet out of Boston may Harry sat up, focusing on the screen. a $%-year-old dental hygienist, recalls. e*orts by ground o-cials to contact the have crashed into the building. “Frankly, I didn’t even know where the She also called Rob Landrum, Betty’s cockpit were unsuccessful. Christine had been .ying out of Boston World Trade Center was,” the (/-year-old boyfriend of &' years. She asked him what By %:!# a.m., Flight !! was hijacked. for more than a decade. Her .ight colleagues pharmacist remembers. !ight Betty was working that morning. Ong family portrait Four minutes later, Betty grabbed a bulky were like family. Betty was among the 0rst “I thought, ‘Wow, this is really important, He didn’t know. taken in the mid- AT&T air phone from the back galley of the she thought of that morning. this big, tall building on 0re.’ +en I see the At $:() a.m., news networks !ashed to the 1990’s. STANDING: Betty, Gloria, Cathie, plane and dialed the code for the American “My heart sunk,” she remembers. “I called second plane knife through the South Tower.” Pentagon, where American Airlines Flight )) Harry Jr. SEATED: Yee Airlines Southeastern Reservations O-ce my girlfriend.” Seventeen minutes a,er Flight !! struck had just crashed and killed &*' people. Gam Oy and Harry Sr. in Cary, N.C., to report an emergency She reached Sherry Stucker, another the North Tower, United Airlines Flight !"#$# %#&'$()* #+ aboard the .ight. American Airlines .ight attendant based !"# .ew into the South Tower at #&) mph. ",''* #-. Her voice was calm. Unwavering. in Boston. +ey decided to access an Networks around the world aired the crash ‘Betty was a character, very “At - o’clock, I called American again “He felt so guilty he wasn’t there to protect “+e cockpit’s not answering, somebody’s employee-only database that contains the on live television. because by then Betty de,nitely would have her that day,” says his wife. stabbed in business class — I think there’s names of passengers and crew members America was under attack. humorous. The jokester of called,” Harry says. Despite being devastated, Harry is able Mace — that we can’t breathe. I don’t know, aboard all AA .ights. Harry called his daughter in Berkeley American Airlines representatives told to look back and remember the good times. I think we’re getting hijacked.” “Sherry immediately started pulling up to tell her the news. +en he called his sister, the family.‘ him that Betty was scheduled to work “Betty was a character, very humorous. Betty’s call went far beyond the scope .ights with departures around % a.m. +e Cathie Ong-Herrera, at her Bakers0eld home. – Harry Ong Jr. Flight &&, but her presence on the plane was "e jokester of the family,” he says. of her training; a hijacker could easily 0rst .ight she pulled up we knew we had He told her what was happening in uncon,rmed. Harry called Cathie to relay “As a youngster, she loved the Chinese have attacked her. +at’s what happened the right one because they were purging New York. +ey casually talked for a few Just before ) a.m., the South Tower collapsed. the latest news. opera,” Cathie says. “["e singers] dressed to passenger Daniel Lewin, a former Israeli the crew names,” Christine says. minutes before Harry asked where their At ):%( a.m., United Flight +( crashed into a A#er hanging up, Cathie le# Bakers- in ornate costumes with draping sleeves, military o-cer sitting in business class, who youngest sister, Betty, was. Pennsylvania ,eld, killing all '% on board. ,eld and began the ,ve-hour drive to their things in their hair, singing in high voices. reportedly rose from his seat to take action. “She’s on her way to Los Angeles,” Cathie "e World Trade Center’s North Tower ‘I was just devastated and parent’s home in San Francisco. Betty would imitate them by pinning toilet A hijacker sitting behind Lewin stabbed him. said. “I’m supposed to meet her. Why?” ,nally collapsed at &%:-* a.m., EDT, a#er burn- “Finally, at . o’clock, I called American paper to her sleeves and hair.” For the next '/ minutes, Betty relayed Betty and Cathie had planned to meet ing for &%- minutes. in shock because I knew again,” Harry says. “"ey con,rmed that Harry remembers the same story. crucial information to air tra-c control. for lunch around !! a.m. in L.A. to discuss Nearly (,%%% people died within two Betty was on Flight &&.” “She’d !ow the toilet tissue back and forth She relayed seat numbers that led to the Betty was on the flight.‘ their "-day “sisters’ trip” to Hawaii scheduled hours. It was the largest, single-day death Dorothy hands him a tissue. like a robe and mimic what [the singers] hijackers’ identi0cation, reported injuries the following week. toll on U.S. soil since the Civil War. – Christine Litch “I just fell apart,” he says. were saying, even though she didn’t really sustained by passengers and crew, and provid- “It’s not con0rmed but as more details But Betty was all Harry and Cathie could A single tear drops from Harry’s cheek know what they were saying. Everyone ed insight into how the cockpit was entered. are coming in, they think it’s a plane from think about. to the speckled marble counter in front of would laugh.” Her call triggered the order to ground One by one, Sherry watched the names Boston to Los Angeles,” Harry said. When the busy signal stopped, Harry him. It’s the same counter-top he was sitting Betty graduated from George Washington all .ights nationwide, and is thought to have of Flight !!’s crew disappear from her and Cathie began leaving messages. Anxiety at when he received the news. High School in &+)'. Shortly a#er, she enrolled indirectly prevented Flight $/, the last plane computer screen. Christine scrambled for grew. Harry’s wife remembers coming home Cathie was an hour into her northbound at City College to study nutrition and liberal hijacked, from taking more lives. a pen and paper while Sherry frantically to a distraught husband. drive from Bakers,eld when Harry called arts while working at her parent’s beef jerky At %:'( a.m., Flight !!’s trajectory shi,ed read the names aloud over the phone. “School was canceled, so I came back,” to con,rm that Betty was on the !ight. store on Jackson Street. south — toward New York City. Betty’s call “As she was saying them, I was writing Dorothy, $-, says. “I saw Harry being very “I had to pull o/ the freeway,” Cathie Betty’s fascination with !ying grew. Her disconnected at %:&& a.m. Among her last them. We were the 0rst two to know the frantic on the phone. I walked in and said, says. “I remember getting out of the car, ,rst job outside the family store was working words were: whole crew. +at’s how fast we were on ‘Betty.’ "at was all I needed to say … he shaken. I remember looking up into the sky for Paci,c Southwest Airlines’ baggage claim “Pray for us.” top of it,” Christine says. was already searching.” and screaming, ‘Why? Why?’ It’s something department. "en, she became a ticket agent Flight !! crashed into the northeast face Flight attendant No. /, Betty Ong, was Cathie and Betty’s && a.m. lunch date you just don’t understand.” for Delta in her late -%s. of the World Trade Center’s North Tower among the names. came and went. Betty had still not called. What’s worse — Betty wasn’t originally When her parents sold the store in &+*), at %:&( a.m. Flying at &&) mph and carrying “I was just devastated and in shock because “Of course I didn’t hear from her that scheduled to work Flight &&. She picked up Betty went to !ight attendant school in Dallas !),))) gallons of fuel, the plane’s impact I knew Betty was on the .ight. My heart … morning,” Cathie says. “Knowing what had the extra shi# to make up for the time she and became a !ight attendant for American created a hole from .oors $/ to $$. I was a mess from then on,” she says. happened, I kept thinking that she could be planned to be on vacation in Hawaii. Airlines three months later. "e company All aboard the plane and an unknown Christine and Betty had .own the same grounded. "e airways were so busy it was stationed her in Boston. number of people in the building were routes together for more than a decade. hard to get your call through. I wanted to 0123 43 563 726384581 on Feb. ., &+.$, “She quite liked it,” Harry says. “She stayed killed instantly. Among them: Flight !!, Boston to Los Angeles. keep every possible hope that Betty was OK.” Betty grew up in a modest, three-bedroom there for all of her &' years.” About /,))) emergency calls were “It could have been me,” Christine says. Harry called American Airlines to ask !at on Broadway Street with her parents, In &++&, Betty became a purser, the lead made from above the impact zone within “I had guilt for weeks.” if Betty was on Flight &&. He hung up the Harry Ong Sr. and Yee Gam Oy, and three !ight attendant responsible for running the !) minutes of the crash. All three of the She remembers her /-year-old daughter !"#$# %#&'$()* #+ %"',)$,-( .,$%" phone relieved a#er they informed him that siblings, Harry Jr., Cathie and Gloria. aircra# cabin. !!)-story tower’s stairwells were damaged, tottering into the kitchen where Christine Christine Litch and Betty Ong during an annual his sister was not on the plane. "e airline’s As the oldest, Harry was protective of She was good at her job. trapping hundreds above the $!st .oor. had been scribbling the crew’s names. Professional Flight Attendant awards celebration representative had mistakenly looked at the his sisters, especially Betty, the youngest, Betty was nominated several times for the None of them would survive. “Mommy, a plane hit another building.” in 1991. passenger list — not the aircra# crew’s. who followed him everywhere. Professional Flight Attendant award, an honor 4 | etc. magazine spring  | 5

Betty_print_ready.indd 4 12/8/11 10:18 PM Betty_print_ready.indd 5 12/9/11 10:50 AM given to fewer than ! percent of American cockpit. It was his last "ight so we greeted “Having just lost my sister and going from the North Tower’s footprint, a two-inch for the double mastectomy she underwent ‘For the first time ever, Airlines "ight attendants. To be recognized, him with a huge cake and "owers. A%er- through her belongings in that way. Every- piece of thigh bone and some so! tissue had in June 1/./ to combat breast cancer. To "ight attendants must earn a high volume wards, Betty packaged up the cake and thing in her apartment was still so fresh.” been found — and matched Betty’s DNA. her, having to lie down in the back of the there’s something named of complimentary letters written by pass- asked me to take it home to my kids.” A few weeks later, a moving truck deliver- Harry contacted American Airlines car the entire trip didn’t matter. engers and a supervisor’s nomination. When they arrived back in Boston, ed 3' large boxes to Betty’s parents home to ask that Betty’s remains be "own back to “Anything for Betty,” she says. after Betty. It’s not just “Betty always had a ton of letters sent in,” Christine hugged Betty goodbye. in the Excelsior. Beanie Babies, Barbie dolls, San Francisco with honors. #e company Christine brought a dozen pink rose Christine says. “I told her I’d look forward to seeing clothes and household items were among the curtly declined. boutonnieres. about Betty, but also for “During red-eye "ights, Betty would go her the next time. If Betty was on my trip, contents. Most of the boxes remain unopened. “Betty was "own back via U.S. mail from “Back in the day, we used pink roses in up and down the aisles, tirelessly making it was going to be amazing.” “It’s something we just don’t feel like a New York funeral home to a Bay Area one,” 4rst class,” she explains. “#at pink rose was the Chinatown and San sure everyone was comfortable, handing out On (/!!, Betty’s professionalism was doing,” Cathie says. Harry says, shaking his head. so special to Betty. At the end of the "ight, Francisco communities.’ blankets, pillows, something to drink, and evident. When faced with the choice to While visiting her parents that same year, “To see her reduced from a person to she would collect them and then pass them making sure that kids were well taken care call her family like many others did, Betty Cathie remembers walking past the living ashes in a box, I just felt so badly. Missing back out. She’d give a rose to the van driver – Cathie Ong-Herrera of,” Harry says. called headquarters without hesitation. room late one night. Her father was sitting her already, then receiving her in this and the hotel desk. She was always making with the days when Betty was in Boston,” “She even o#ered to take babies so that their “When her "ight attendant friends on the couch watching CNN — a habit manner, this disgusting manner … She use of things to make other people happy.” Christine says. parents could get some rest,” Cathie adds. learned about that phone call, they said he had developed since Betty’s death. His didn’t get what she deserved — to be honor- Just as Betty had placed the 4rst call on 0/.., #e Ong family also keeps in touch “Every "ight, Betty would $nd the honey- that if anybody had made that call — it was cheeks were wet with tears. ably brought back.” Harry placed the 4rst rose into a nameplate with Rob Landrum, the boyfriend Betty moon couple or elderly couple celebrating Betty. &ey said they just knew it was her. “Dad, why don’t you go to bed?” she asked. A!er a request for comment, Ed Martelle, that morning. Hundreds of other grieving kissed on the morning of 0/... their anniversary. She would wrap up a It was her strength in character,” Harry says. “I can’t. What if they have news about my an American Airlines media relations repre- families followed suit. Rob, who has been married for four years bottle of wine and make sure it was a special “I’m very proud of her,” Cathie says. “She daughter? I’ll miss it.” sentative, responded with this email: “I placed a "ower in her name and bent and is a sixth degree black belt Taekwondo "ight for them,” Christine says. had the presence of mind to call ground “I felt bad,” Cathie remembers. “We do not talk about the events of that day. down and kissed it. I was so totally focused instructor, serves on the Betty Ann Ong She laughs as she recalls the time Betty authorities to report what was happening “I worried about my parents and siblings #e scars that our company and our employ- on my sister that I broke down. I said, ‘Betty, Foundation Advisory Committee. was late for a "ight. in such a calm, lucid manner. She could have and wondered how they were doing. To ees carry are still too fresh. We have made a you shouldn’t be here. I just can’t believe In the ./ years since 0/.., Harry has “On trips to San Francisco, Betty always called any one of us, but she didn’t. To me, see my dad sitting there day a%er day not conscious decision that as a company, we look you’re here,’” he says in a wavering voice. received condolence letters ranging from asked the crew if they needed anything it makes her that much more brave. She did going to sleep, watching the news … To forward, not back, and as a result we have A!er Harry placed the pink roses in notes scribbled on newspaper articles to a from Trader Joe’s. I was in love with their what she did, not thinking about herself, watch my parents go through something never spoken to the media about that day.” Betty’s nameplate, several small bumble- personal acknowledgement letter from the sourdough bread, so I asked her to pick but the crew and passengers.” like that is very sad.” Betty’s remains are interred at Cypress bees landed on the petals. Although other “She always made it about everyone National Commission on Terrorist Attacks me up some.” &at night weighed heavily on Cathie. Lawn Memorial Park in Colma. families had placed "owers in the name- else,” Christine says. She didn’t speak of it until years later. plates of their loved-ones, only Betty’s Upon the United States (the 0/.. Commis- ‘When her flight attendant )*+ ,-.. -/ 0+))1 has been hard for In 4''5, Betty’s father was diagnosed $ %&'$%& $()&* )+& $))$',-, Betty’s family roses attracted the tiny visitors. sion). #e commission’s letter reads: the Ong family. with cancer. He died at the age of 67 — and friends are still grieving. In September, “Look,” Harry said. “#ey’re bees on “#e story of your sister’s strength and friends learned about that A few weeks a%er (/!!, they "ew to three years later. ./ family members "ew to New York City to Betty’s "owers. Betty Bee.” courage touched us all, and has inspired the attend the 0/.. remembrance ceremony at Boston to attend a memorial service held “He never felt any pain,” Harry says. “We called her Bee, which means in nation. We are proud of Betty and grateful to Ground Zero. phone call, they said that at one of Logan’s aircra% hangers. &at’s “We’ve always attributed it to Betty protect- an endearing way, the baby of the family,” her, just as we are proud and grateful to you.” where Christine met the Ongs. ing him. Even the oncologist said, ‘He’s a “I didn’t quite know what to expect,” Cathie says. #e City of San Francisco is commemor- if anybody had made that Cathie stayed alone on the East Coast trooper. He’s never complained. He claims Cathie says. ating Betty, too. for an extra week to collect Betty’s belong- your sister is watching over him.’” “When you look at the pools, it helps you +$**5 +$- 6&&7 87)&*98&:&% nearly In September, Mayor Ed Lee announced call — it was Betty.‘ ings from her one-story Andover home. In April 4''4, Harry received a call from realize the enormity of the buildings that were 3/ times since Betty’s death. a proposal to name the recently rebuilt – Harry Ong “It was the most di2cult thing I’ve ever New York City’s O2ce of Chief Medical taken down. To see all the names engraved “He’s not comfortable talking about it, but Chinese Recreational Center in honor had to do,” Cathie says. Examiner. &ey told him that two blocks around both pools, it’s just gut-wrenching,” he does it for Betty,” says his wife, Dorothy. of Betty. A month later, the San Francisco “I’ll do my best!” Betty said. she says. Shortly a!er 0/.., Cathie founded the Recreation and Park Commission unanimous- “I’ll just never forget our return "ight Betty’s name is one of 1,023 engraved Betty Ann Ong Foundation, which a;ords ly voted to name the building, the Betty Ong home and Betty was missing. We shut the in bronze parapets bordering the acre- overweight and obese children from low- Chinese Recreational Center. aircra% door and started pushing away sized footprints of the fallen skyscrapers. income households the opportunity to #e facility, located at ..00 Mason St., from the gate. &en, I saw Betty through North America’s largest man-made water- attend annual summer camps to learn is six blocks from where Betty grew up. the window running down the jet bridge falls cascade into pools that 4ll the twin about healthy eating and exercise. “#e Chinese Recreation Center is an with Trader Joe’s bags in both hands.” impressions. “I see Betty’s spirit living on in each important place for us because it was our Christine knocked on the cockpit door Cathie Ong, former “When we came to Betty’s name, it really of the kids we work with,” Cathie says. playground. Swings, slides, Chinese checkers, and asked the pilots to pull forward. American Airlines hit home. It’s been real all along, but to 4nally While nothing will ever make up for basketball. All good memories,” Cathie says. “Anything for Betty,” they responded. flight attendant see her name where she fell is … I don’t quite the loss of Betty, those who knew her (and It’s slated for completion this Spring. “She said she had gotten a "at tire on her Candice Lannaco, know how to put it into words,” Cathie says. many who didn’t) remind the Ong family “For the 4rst time ever, there’s something way to the airport a%er going to Trader Joe’s,” Harry Ong, and Christine also made the trip to New York. that she will never be forgotten. named a!er Betty,” Cathie says. “It’s not just Christine Litch visit Christine says. “She really wanted to bring She drove down from Massachusetts with Christine speaks frequently with Harry about Betty, but also for the Chinatown and the 9/11 Memorial me my bread.” retired American Airlines "ight attendant over the phone and through email, sharing opening ceremony San Francisco communities — and also for Christine also remembers the last time Candice Lannaco, who also knew Betty and photos and memories of Betty. 10 years after the the country. she saw Betty, !' days before (/!!. terrorist attacks. other Flight .. crewmembers. “[#e family] is so thankful to have people “Betty is a national hero.” “&e last time I "ew with Betty, we had !"#$# %#&'$()* #+ Just three weeks before the ceremony, like myself and some of Betty’s other friends. Email Elliot Owen a birthday celebration for the captain in the %"',)$,-( .,$%" Christine endured reconstructive surgery It puts them at peace to connect them [email protected] 6 | etc. magazine spring  | 7

Betty_print_ready.indd 6 12/8/11 10:18 PM Betty_print_ready.indd 7 12/8/11 10:18 PM given to fewer than ! percent of American cockpit. It was his last "ight so we greeted “Having just lost my sister and going from the North Tower’s footprint, a two-inch for the double mastectomy she underwent ‘For the first time ever, Airlines "ight attendants. To be recognized, him with a huge cake and "owers. A%er- through her belongings in that way. Every- piece of thigh bone and some so! tissue had in June 1/./ to combat breast cancer. To "ight attendants must earn a high volume wards, Betty packaged up the cake and thing in her apartment was still so fresh.” been found — and matched Betty’s DNA. her, having to lie down in the back of the there’s something named of complimentary letters written by pass- asked me to take it home to my kids.” A few weeks later, a moving truck deliver- Harry contacted American Airlines car the entire trip didn’t matter. engers and a supervisor’s nomination. When they arrived back in Boston, ed 3' large boxes to Betty’s parents home to ask that Betty’s remains be "own back to “Anything for Betty,” she says. after Betty. It’s not just “Betty always had a ton of letters sent in,” Christine hugged Betty goodbye. in the Excelsior. Beanie Babies, Barbie dolls, San Francisco with honors. #e company Christine brought a dozen pink rose Christine says. “I told her I’d look forward to seeing clothes and household items were among the curtly declined. boutonnieres. about Betty, but also for “During red-eye "ights, Betty would go her the next time. If Betty was on my trip, contents. Most of the boxes remain unopened. “Betty was "own back via U.S. mail from “Back in the day, we used pink roses in up and down the aisles, tirelessly making it was going to be amazing.” “It’s something we just don’t feel like a New York funeral home to a Bay Area one,” 4rst class,” she explains. “#at pink rose was the Chinatown and San sure everyone was comfortable, handing out On (/!!, Betty’s professionalism was doing,” Cathie says. Harry says, shaking his head. so special to Betty. At the end of the "ight, Francisco communities.’ blankets, pillows, something to drink, and evident. When faced with the choice to While visiting her parents that same year, “To see her reduced from a person to she would collect them and then pass them making sure that kids were well taken care call her family like many others did, Betty Cathie remembers walking past the living ashes in a box, I just felt so badly. Missing back out. She’d give a rose to the van driver – Cathie Ong-Herrera of,” Harry says. called headquarters without hesitation. room late one night. Her father was sitting her already, then receiving her in this and the hotel desk. She was always making with the days when Betty was in Boston,” “She even o#ered to take babies so that their “When her "ight attendant friends on the couch watching CNN — a habit manner, this disgusting manner … She use of things to make other people happy.” Christine says. parents could get some rest,” Cathie adds. learned about that phone call, they said he had developed since Betty’s death. His didn’t get what she deserved — to be honor- Just as Betty had placed the 4rst call on 0/.., #e Ong family also keeps in touch “Every "ight, Betty would $nd the honey- that if anybody had made that call — it was cheeks were wet with tears. ably brought back.” Harry placed the 4rst rose into a nameplate with Rob Landrum, the boyfriend Betty moon couple or elderly couple celebrating Betty. &ey said they just knew it was her. “Dad, why don’t you go to bed?” she asked. A!er a request for comment, Ed Martelle, that morning. Hundreds of other grieving kissed on the morning of 0/... their anniversary. She would wrap up a It was her strength in character,” Harry says. “I can’t. What if they have news about my an American Airlines media relations repre- families followed suit. Rob, who has been married for four years bottle of wine and make sure it was a special “I’m very proud of her,” Cathie says. “She daughter? I’ll miss it.” sentative, responded with this email: “I placed a "ower in her name and bent and is a sixth degree black belt Taekwondo "ight for them,” Christine says. had the presence of mind to call ground “I felt bad,” Cathie remembers. “We do not talk about the events of that day. down and kissed it. I was so totally focused instructor, serves on the Betty Ann Ong She laughs as she recalls the time Betty authorities to report what was happening “I worried about my parents and siblings #e scars that our company and our employ- on my sister that I broke down. I said, ‘Betty, Foundation Advisory Committee. was late for a "ight. in such a calm, lucid manner. She could have and wondered how they were doing. To ees carry are still too fresh. We have made a you shouldn’t be here. I just can’t believe In the ./ years since 0/.., Harry has “On trips to San Francisco, Betty always called any one of us, but she didn’t. To me, see my dad sitting there day a%er day not conscious decision that as a company, we look you’re here,’” he says in a wavering voice. received condolence letters ranging from asked the crew if they needed anything it makes her that much more brave. She did going to sleep, watching the news … To forward, not back, and as a result we have A!er Harry placed the pink roses in notes scribbled on newspaper articles to a from Trader Joe’s. I was in love with their what she did, not thinking about herself, watch my parents go through something never spoken to the media about that day.” Betty’s nameplate, several small bumble- personal acknowledgement letter from the sourdough bread, so I asked her to pick but the crew and passengers.” like that is very sad.” Betty’s remains are interred at Cypress bees landed on the petals. Although other “She always made it about everyone National Commission on Terrorist Attacks me up some.” &at night weighed heavily on Cathie. Lawn Memorial Park in Colma. families had placed "owers in the name- else,” Christine says. She didn’t speak of it until years later. plates of their loved-ones, only Betty’s Upon the United States (the 0/.. Commis- ‘When her flight attendant )*+ ,-.. -/ 0+))1 has been hard for In 4''5, Betty’s father was diagnosed $ %&'$%& $()&* )+& $))$',-, Betty’s family roses attracted the tiny visitors. sion). #e commission’s letter reads: the Ong family. with cancer. He died at the age of 67 — and friends are still grieving. In September, “Look,” Harry said. “#ey’re bees on “#e story of your sister’s strength and friends learned about that A few weeks a%er (/!!, they "ew to three years later. ./ family members "ew to New York City to Betty’s "owers. Betty Bee.” courage touched us all, and has inspired the attend the 0/.. remembrance ceremony at Boston to attend a memorial service held “He never felt any pain,” Harry says. “We called her Bee, which means in nation. We are proud of Betty and grateful to Ground Zero. phone call, they said that at one of Logan’s aircra% hangers. &at’s “We’ve always attributed it to Betty protect- an endearing way, the baby of the family,” her, just as we are proud and grateful to you.” where Christine met the Ongs. ing him. Even the oncologist said, ‘He’s a “I didn’t quite know what to expect,” Cathie says. #e City of San Francisco is commemor- if anybody had made that Cathie stayed alone on the East Coast trooper. He’s never complained. He claims Cathie says. ating Betty, too. for an extra week to collect Betty’s belong- your sister is watching over him.’” “When you look at the pools, it helps you +$**5 +$- 6&&7 87)&*98&:&% nearly In September, Mayor Ed Lee announced call — it was Betty.‘ ings from her one-story Andover home. In April 4''4, Harry received a call from realize the enormity of the buildings that were 3/ times since Betty’s death. a proposal to name the recently rebuilt – Harry Ong “It was the most di2cult thing I’ve ever New York City’s O2ce of Chief Medical taken down. To see all the names engraved “He’s not comfortable talking about it, but Chinese Recreational Center in honor had to do,” Cathie says. Examiner. &ey told him that two blocks around both pools, it’s just gut-wrenching,” he does it for Betty,” says his wife, Dorothy. of Betty. A month later, the San Francisco “I’ll do my best!” Betty said. she says. Shortly a!er 0/.., Cathie founded the Recreation and Park Commission unanimous- “I’ll just never forget our return "ight Betty’s name is one of 1,023 engraved Betty Ann Ong Foundation, which a;ords ly voted to name the building, the Betty Ong home and Betty was missing. We shut the in bronze parapets bordering the acre- overweight and obese children from low- Chinese Recreational Center. aircra% door and started pushing away sized footprints of the fallen skyscrapers. income households the opportunity to #e facility, located at ..00 Mason St., from the gate. &en, I saw Betty through North America’s largest man-made water- attend annual summer camps to learn is six blocks from where Betty grew up. the window running down the jet bridge falls cascade into pools that 4ll the twin about healthy eating and exercise. “#e Chinese Recreation Center is an with Trader Joe’s bags in both hands.” impressions. “I see Betty’s spirit living on in each important place for us because it was our Christine knocked on the cockpit door Cathie Ong, former “When we came to Betty’s name, it really of the kids we work with,” Cathie says. playground. Swings, slides, Chinese checkers, and asked the pilots to pull forward. American Airlines hit home. It’s been real all along, but to 4nally While nothing will ever make up for basketball. All good memories,” Cathie says. “Anything for Betty,” they responded. flight attendant see her name where she fell is … I don’t quite the loss of Betty, those who knew her (and It’s slated for completion this Spring. “She said she had gotten a "at tire on her Candice Lannaco, know how to put it into words,” Cathie says. many who didn’t) remind the Ong family “For the 4rst time ever, there’s something way to the airport a%er going to Trader Joe’s,” Harry Ong, and Christine also made the trip to New York. that she will never be forgotten. named a!er Betty,” Cathie says. “It’s not just Christine Litch visit Christine says. “She really wanted to bring She drove down from Massachusetts with Christine speaks frequently with Harry about Betty, but also for the Chinatown and the 9/11 Memorial me my bread.” retired American Airlines "ight attendant over the phone and through email, sharing opening ceremony San Francisco communities — and also for Christine also remembers the last time Candice Lannaco, who also knew Betty and photos and memories of Betty. 10 years after the the country. she saw Betty, !' days before (/!!. terrorist attacks. other Flight .. crewmembers. “[#e family] is so thankful to have people “Betty is a national hero.” “&e last time I "ew with Betty, we had !"#$# %#&'$()* #+ Just three weeks before the ceremony, like myself and some of Betty’s other friends. Email Elliot Owen a birthday celebration for the captain in the %"',)$,-( .,$%" Christine endured reconstructive surgery It puts them at peace to connect them [email protected] 6 | etc. magazine spring  | 7

Betty_print_ready.indd 6 12/8/11 10:18 PM Betty_print_ready.indd 7 12/8/11 10:18 PM