Our Heroes

Pamela Boyce

Brooklyn, N.Y.

The vice president of a World Trade Center firm was also a fun-loving aunt and a competitive disco dancer.

Described as a direct person who always got straight to her point, 43-year-old Pamela Boyce was a driven woman who loved competitive disco dancing and being an aunt to two nieces and a nephew.

Boyce, a resident of Brooklyn, was the assistant vice president of accounting for Carr Futures Inc. She was working in her 92nd-floor office at 1 World Trade Center when the building was hit by the hijacked American Airlines Flight 11.

Despite holding a full-time job, she had recently earned an associate’s degree and graduated with stellar marks. She was planning to continue her education, seeking bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Family was an integral part of her life, and she served as a spirited Lamaze coach during her sister’s pregnancy with one of her nieces. In the summer months, she was a beach enthusiast who cherished getting tans and relaxing on the shore.

But Catherine Anello, her partner of 61⁄2 years, said that while Boyce delighted in life, she was not afraid of death. The two had discussed the topic several times, and Boyce had said, “Don’t mourn my death; celebrate my life,” Anello told the Los Angeles Times. “I’m not afraid to die,” she had said, “because where I’m going is beautiful.”