Dr. Olivia Torres Cruz (1934 – 2022) was the first CHamoru woman to become a medical doctor. She was a trailblazer who advocated for more accessible medical care and helped to pave the way for more women in medicine.
Dr. Olivia Torres Cruz Read Post »
Richard Hugh Benson (1926 – 2021) was a judge for the Superior and Supreme Courts of Guam for over 40 years.
Richard Hugh Benson Read Post »
Pilar Cruz Lujan (1930 – 2022) was a CHamoru language advocate and leader, groundbreaking educator, and a six-term senator in the Guam Legislature.
Guam’s first CHamoru policewoman. She enlisted in 1946 and served for 29 years.
Culture clashes. In the years following the end of WWII in Guam, the naval administration, followed by a civilian administration in 1950, took on the great endeavor of building the government departments and agencies that served the island. Among the numerous challenges that this effort required was restructuring the island’s education system. One of the paramount issues in this was staffing schools with accredited teachers.
Contract Teachers in the Classroom Read Post »
Postwar leader. Joaquin “Kin” C. Arriola (1925 – 2022) was a prominent figure at the forefront of Guam’s legal history. Arriola was one of Guam’s leaders who took part in making the island what it is today. Guam’s current form of limited self-government took decades of vision, calls for justice, and tenacity by local leaders such as Arriola.
Speaker Joaquin C. Arriola Read Post »
SPAM® in Guam history and culture. SPAM®, the famous pink loaf in a blue square can found in kitchens around the world, has a particular place in the Guamanian household. Alongside, and maybe more so than, canned corned beef, SPAM® is probably the most versatile food item that people on Guam have handled, prepared and consistently consumed since its introduction to the Pacific islands in the mid-20th century.
CHamoru’s Love of Spam Read Post »
Establishment of Religious Sisters in Guam. Religious sisters have been actively working and praying with Guam’s Catholic faith community since 1946. From the classroom to the hospital, the women’s shelter to the senior care home, religious sisters have had a significant presence in people’s lives here in Guam and hold an important place in the island’s history.
Chamorro Nuns in Postwar Guam Read Post »
Public servant for more than six decades. Speaker Joe Taitano San Agustin (1930 – 2021) was the epitome of a public servant and a leader in Guam for more than six decades. He was born to Candido Sanchez and Maria Taitano San Agustin of Hagåtña. San Agustin married Carmen Shimizu San Agustin. They had four children, Ann, Mary, Joe, and John.
Speaker Joe T. San Agustin Read Post »
Need for teachers in Guam grew after WWII. In the years following the end of World War II, Guam became a new military stronghold in the Pacific, leading to a massive increase of US military troops and their dependents on the island. The increase in military dependents, coupled with a rise in local birth rates, caused an increase in student population. As a result, the Naval administration began its reconstruction of the local education system with the ability to accommodate the large school population.
Stateside Teacher Hiring Program Read Post »
