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People and Places

Profiles, villages, and island life

Historic Eras of Guam, Island Life, People and Places, US Naval Era, Villages, Heritage Sites and Island Life

American Legion

 

The American Legion is a federally chartered veterans organization that supports veterans’ issues and engages in other community projects. The American Legion Mid-Pacific Post No. 1 was founded in Guam in 1930 under Naval Governor Willis Bradley. When the Guam Museum was first established in 1932, Governor Edmund S. Root authorized the use of a small building adjacent to the Plaza de España’s historic grounds fronting and surrounding the Governor’s Palace. The newly formed American Legion offered to manage it. Hiram W. Elliot, post commander, and Naval Chaplain Francis Lee Albert. Elliot hired Joaquin T. Aguon to help with the collections.

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Historic Eras of Guam, People, People and Places, US Naval Era

Hiram W. Elliott

 

US Navy Corpsman Hiram W. Elliott (1880 – 1949) came to Guam in the early 1900s to work at the Maria Schroeder Naval Hospital. He married Concepcion Martinez of Hagåtña, and the couple had 12 children. He was also a teacher at the public night school in Hagåtña. After Elliott retired from the Navy he used his pharmacy training to open Elliott’s Drug Store, near where the Hagåtña precinct/police station is now located.

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Contemporary Guam Era, Historic Eras of Guam, People, People and Places

Andrew “Andy” Laguaña

 

Andrew T. Laguaña (1950 – 2022) was part of the first generation of island-born architects, and the first Chamorro elevated to Fellow status of the American Institute of Architects. Since 1989, he guided Guam’s architectural and engineering professions while defining the island’s building environment, honoring Guam’s cultural uniqueness, and serving as an outstanding example for future generations. He was the first Guam architect to chair a region (Region 6) of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. He also advocated for updating Guam’s Building Code.

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Guamanian Era, Historic Eras of Guam, Island Life, Modern Guam Rises, People and Places, Villages, Heritage Sites and Island Life

Guam Historical Club

 

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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Historic Eras of Guam, Non-CHamoru Ethnicity, People, People and Places, US Naval Era, Wars and Factors of Peace, WWI

SMS Cormoran II: Non-German Crew Members

 

When the SMS Cormoran II arrived in Guam in December 1914, among the hundreds of crew members were individuals who worked on the vessel but were not German. Twenty-nine men originally from German New Guinea in the South Pacific and four Chinese men from Tsingtao stayed on Guam along with their German counterparts for the duration of the Cormoran’s internment at Apra Harbor.

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