On September 11th, 2001, La Jolla Country Day suffered its own loss with the passing of Deora Bodley on Flight 93. The U.S. faced a terrorist attack on U.S. soil, taking over 2,000 lives. Hearing of the other three hijacked planes, those on Flight 93 overtook the hijackers. It crashed into an empty field in Stonycreek Township, near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Out of the thirty-three passengers and crew on Flight 93, at the age of twenty, she was the youngest on the flight. Bodley had been returning to California from a visit to friends in New Jersey the summer before her junior year at Santa Clara University.
Deora Bodley was a lifer at LJCDS, joining in pre-K and graduating in 1999. She was involved in both community service and sports, including basketball and track. After graduating, she attended Santa Clara University, double-majoring in both child psychology and French. She planned to become a child psychologist.
To celebrate her life, her mother, Deborah Borza, donated a memorial flag. For 24 years since 2001, every morning of the anniversary, the flag is raised on the Ings Family Football Field. The flagpole was a gift from the Class of 2012, inscribed with a diary entry from Deora at eleven: “People ask who, what, where, when, why, how, I ask peace.” Afterwards, the Middle School band performs “America the Beautiful.” The school also invites those who knew Deora to speak about her life. Additionally, located in the Lower School, the Flight 93 rose garden hosts special hybrid roses. These rose gardens are located in the hometowns of every passenger.
The Deora Bodley Alumni Association Award for Service is awarded by Deborah Borza every year to a student who best demonstrates a passion for community service. An active part of the community, Bodley volunteered with America Reads, where she read to local elementary schools; TRACE, Teens Respond to AIDS with Caring Education; St. Jude’s, a pediatric cancer-research institution; and the Special Olympics. The Deora Bodley Alumni Association Award reflects her dedication to community service.
