Betty Ong

Betty Ann Ong was born on February 5, 1956 in San Francisco, California, USA to Harry Ong, Sr., and Yee-gum Ong. Betty had three siblings: brother Harry Ong and sisters Cathie Ong Herrera and Gloria Ong Woo. Betty grew up in San Francisco's Chinatown and graduated from George Washington High School. Her family owned a grocery store on Jackson Street. Betty began her career as a flight attendant in 1987. Her professionalism and hard work later earned her the position of a purser, a head flight attendant. At the time of her death, Betty lived in Andover, Massachusetts. On September 11, 2001, Ong assigned herself to Flight 11, so she could return to Los Angeles and go on vacation to Hawaii with her sister. During the hijacking, she called in to American Airlines' emergency line; she identified herself and alerted the supervisor that the aircraft had been hijacked. Along with fellow flight attendant Amy Sweeney, she relayed the seat numbers of the hijackers. During her 23-minute call, she reported that none of the crew could open the cockpit door, passenger Daniel M. Lewin and two flight attendants had been stabbed and one of the hijackers had sprayed Mace in the first class cabin. On September 21, 2001, some 200 members of the Chinese American community in San Francisco gathered in a small park to pay tribute to Ong. Mayor of San Francisco Willie Brown, who was present, gave a proclamation honoring the people who died in the tragedy and called September 21 "Betty Ong Day". Ong is also memorialized on Gold Mountain, a mural dedicated to Chinese contributions to American history on Romolo Place in North Beach, a street where she used to skateboard and play as a child, and a foundation named in her honor. In 2011, the recreation center in San Francisco's Chinatown where she had played as a child was renamed in her honor. Betty Ong was played by Jean Yoon in the miniseries The Path to 9/11. At the National 9/11 Memorial, Ong is memorialized at the North Pool, on Panel N-74.