Dora Menchaca, 45, of Santa Monica, Calif.
Cynthia Tomayo, a ’97 UCLA graduate who is a distant relative of
Menchaca, wants the UCLA community to know: "A fellow Bruin was on
one of the planes." Menchaca, the associate director of clinical
research for the biotech firm Amgen Inc., earned her Ph.D. at the
School of Public Health in 1986. According to Tomayo, Menchaca
considered it one of her greatest achievements. "My cousin was very
proud of that degree," Tomayo said. Menchaca, mother to a
4-year-old son and an 18-year-old daughter, walked in the Los
Angeles Marathon the past two years. She is survived by her
children and husband Earl Dorsey, also a UCLA alumnus. "She was a
devoted mother," said daughter Imani Dorsey. Memorial services for
Menchaca will be held at the Thousand Oaks Civic Auditorium on
Sunday at 10 a.m.
Christopher Newton, 38, of Anaheim, Calif. Newton earned his
M.B.A. from the Anderson School Executive Program in 1998. He was
on his way back to Orange County to retrieve his family’s yellow
Labrador, who had been left behind until the family could settle
into their new home in Arlington, Va. Newton was an executive for
Work Life Benefits of Cypress, which was relocating to the East
Coast. He decided to move his family there so he wouldn’t be away
from home so much. "He was happy to do less flying," said Sandy
Haines, a friend. "He was not happy to be in a million-miles club.
He once joked with me that he had enough (frequent-flier) miles to
bump the pilot." Church members said Newton was a devoted family
man, Little League coach and church Cub Scout leader. He was an
avid golfer and fitness buff who cut an impressive figure at
6-foot-1. He often wore snappy, color-coordinated outfits. Newton
is survived by his parents, Michael and Barbara Newton of Lakewood;
wife Amy, and children Michael, 10, and Sarah, 7.
Ruben Ornedo, 39, of Los Angeles. Born in the Philippines,
Ornedo graduated from UCLA in 1984 with a B.S. from the School of
Engineering. Ornedo was a propulsion engineer for Boeing. He was
scheduled to board a plane next week, but a lull in an extended
business trip in Washington, D.C., gave him an opportunity to
return home for a day or two. He wanted to see his wife of three
months, Sheila, who is pregnant. "He thought it was worth the trip
just to see her," said his brother, Dr. Eduardo Ornedo of Los
Angeles. Ornedo, who loved to travel, and his wife had just bought
a house in the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles. One of his
favorite hobbies was going to Home Depot, according to his
brother.
With reports from Robert Salonga, Daily Bruin Staff.