The Guam Historical Club was a small group of people interested in Guam history in the 1950s and 1960s. Led by Paul Souder and Agueda Iglesias Johnston, the Club helped tell the story of Guam history at the Guam Museum when it was located at the Garden House at the Plaza de España. Members helped care for the artifacts, engaged with visitors as needed, and worked in cooperation with the Guam Women’s Club who staffed the museum at the time.
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Founded in 1965 by the late Senator Cecilia Cruz Bamba, the Guam Memorial Hospital Volunteers Association (GMHVA) is a nonprofit organization of dedicated people, who, through their gift of time, talent, and personal interest, supplement the professional hospital staff in caring for the comfort and welfare of the patients, personnel, and visitors to the hospital.
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First Woman to Establish a Music and Arts School on Guam. Carmen “Meling” Romualdez Dela Cruz (1910-1995), a life long musician, is the first woman to open a school for the arts on Guam. She is the daughter of Beatriz Buz and former Philippine Supreme Court Justice Norberto Romualdez.
Carmen Romualdez Dela Cruz Read Post »
Guam’s biggest celebration. After World War II was over community leader Agueda Iglesias Johnston convinced US military leaders on Guam to support a celebration to commemorate the Liberation of the island from the Japanese. It was enacted into law in 1951 in Bill 35 sponsored by Speaker Antonio B. Won Pat. This celebration continues to this day as one of Guam’s holidays – Liberation Day, which is celebrated on July 21st.
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Long studied, now disappearing disease. Lytico-bodig is the local name for a complex of neurological diseases (or diseases that affect the nervous system) on Guam that resembles amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gerhig’s disease), Parkinsonism-Dementia (PD) and possibly Alzheimer’s disease.
Lytico-Bodig on Guam Read Post »
Granted Congressional US citizenship to the people of Guam. The Organic Act of Guam is federal legislation passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by US President Harry S. Truman on 1 August 1950. In general, the act established a non-military, civil government on Guam; granted congressional US citizenship to residents of the island at the time and their descendants; and solidified the island’s political status as an unincorporated territory of the United States. Formerly a Spanish colony, Guam was ceded to the US in 1898.
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In the 1960s the United Nations issued Resolution 1514 (XV) “Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples,” as a call to end colonization around the world. As a result, many nations began the process of decolonization as territories negotiated new political statuses and exercised their rights of sovereignty and self-government.
Book: Secret Guam Study Read Post »
Richard Flores “Dick” Taitano was a prominent figure in Guam politics and community service following the establishment of the civilian government on Guam. Taitano was a six-term member of the Guam Legislature in the 1960s and 1970s. He was also the first Chamorro to be appointed to serve as the director of the Office of Territories (OOT) in the United States Department of Interior.
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In the 1960s and 1970s, several formal entities were organized by the Government of Guam to help assess the island’s political needs and desires and its relationship with the United States. It was a time of change as Guam transitioned from naval rule to civilian governance under the Organic Act of 1950
Political Status Commissions Read Post »
The Guam Elective Governor Act was passed by the United States Congress on 11 September 1968 and granted the people of Guam the authority to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Guam. Known officially as Public Law 90-497, the Elective Governor Act declared that the majority of qualified Guam voters would jointly choose the Governor and Lieutenant Governor and set the first election date for 3 November 1970.
Elective Governor Act 1968 Read Post »
