The following remembrance of Dora Marie Menchaca was written by San Gabriel Vice Mayor Denise Menchaca to honor her sister-in-law’s memory on September 11th. Dora was an Amgen scientist, and the company donated $3 million to build a cancer treatment wing named for Dora at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The company also established a reflection garden and marker honoring Dora at the company’s headquarters.
Although it has been 23 years, the memory of the horror we all witnessed on that tragic September morning in 2001 remains fresh in our minds. We could never have prepared ourselves for the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York City, Flight 93 crashing in Pennsylvania and Flight 77 crashing into the Pentagon. Nor were we ready to say goodbye to so many of our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, coworkers, fellow neighbors and service people.
One of those victims included my husband’s sister, Dora Marie Menchaca. She was on Flight 77 traveling back home to Santa Monica after helping develop a new drug for prostate cancer. Instead, her flight crashed into the Pentagon at 9:41 am. She, like every other victim of this senseless act that will remain in America’s collective consciousness, was a beloved family member and friend who was a part of something bigger. She was a fierce protector of her family and vulnerable populations in need of healthcare, as well as a supporter of women pursuing careers in science. Let us draw from her memory as inspiration to continue with the hopes and dreams of a better future and support each other in the process.
On a more personal note, I am often asked what are my enduring memories of September 11th. So many, but in summary: that Dora was not originally scheduled to be on the plane, that 9/11 was my in-laws wedding anniversary, that my father-in-law was admitted to the hospital that same day to never return home as he passed away 3 weeks later from a broken heart and that we had to explain to our children (10 years old and under) how these life-changing attacks against our country directly impacted our family.
May we never forget all those who perished on September 11th.
— Denise Menchaca
