Sag Harbor resident Doris Gronlund's daughter died aboard Flight 93.
A lawyer, Linda was working her dream job with BMW North America in Montvale, N.J., where she was apart of a team designing a hydrogen-fueled car. But on 9/11, she and her boyfriend Joseph DeLuca were heading west for a tour of California vineyards for her 47th birthday when the plane was hijacked and crashed after passengers tried to take back control of the aircraft.
Since her death, A 500-acre county park in Sag Harbor was named in Linda's honor since it had been a favorite spot of hers. She often disappeared to the park on visits home and once took her mother to her secret spot, overlooking Barcelona Neck.
Gronlund said she has found solace in celebrating her daughter’s life; Young women pursuing engineering careers at MIT receive scholarships in her daughter's name.
The mother also attended an unveiling of the hydrogen-fueled car at BMW's headquarters. She was even allowed to drive the car after the company came to pick her up in it.
“Her desire to make the world a better place was inspiration for all of us,” Gronlund said.
With reporting by Lisa Finn
Ellen Campbell (Cooper)