Senator and CHamoru language champion 

Pilar Cruz Lujan (1930 – 2022) was a CHamoru language advocate and leader, groundbreaking educator, and a six-term senator in the Guam Legislature. Lujan’s dedication to CHamoru language use and preservation led her to implement CHamoru language classes in the curriculum of public elementary schools. During her time at the Legislature, Lujan was responsible for re-establishing the Supreme Court of Guam, crafted legislation to protect children from abuse, and create rights for victims of crime. 

Lujan married Senator Frank George Lujan in 1956. The couple shared four children: Monessa, Davina, Galen, and Rolenda, along with numerous grandchildren. 

Childhood and wartime experiences 

Lujan was the second youngest out of nine children. In testimony before the Guam War Claims Review Commission held 9 December 2003, Lujan stated that she was 11 years old when Guam was invaded by the Japanese during World War II. She recalled coming out of Mass with her family at Santa Cruz Church in Hagåtña, and seeing planes flying overhead – which they didn’t know had come from bombing the village of Sumai. 

Lujan was forced to labor under the Japanese occupation, and was tasked with collecting flies from the horses that the Japanese had brought to the island. She said that she became sickly from the working conditions, and that the children who underwent forced labor worked under extremely unsanitary conditions. 

In her testimony before the War Claims Commission, Lujan articulated the lasting trauma of surviving the war: 

“I for one, I’m 73 years old, but to date, although I know that the end result of the blasting of firecrackers may be pretty and sometimes spectacular, the sound of the blast makes me tremble with fear as if there were shelling from the ships and bombardment from the air. I am also terribly afraid of the rat-a-tat-tat sound even from toy machine guns. The flickering of light reminds me of incendiary bombs exploding around me as I try to dodge them. I’m even reluctant to watch violent movies. It doesn’t matter whether they were Academy Award winners or not.” 

After the war, Lujan graduated from George Washington High School in 1951. She obtained a scholarship to study at Siena Heights College in Michigan, where she earned a degree in secondary education. 

Service as an educator

After completing her studies, Lujan returned to Guam in 1956 and dedicated many years to strengthening the Guam public school system. She met Frank G. Lujan, and the two were married on 7 July 1956. In 1957, they had their first child, Monessa – a future lawyer. In 1960, their daughter Davina, a future doctor, was born, and the couple had their son Galen, a future businessman, in 1962. After the birth of her third child, Lujan was promoted to assistant principal of East Barrigada, in Radio Barrigada, Guam. 

Lujan and her husband, Frank, decided to continue pursuing their education to advance their careers and enrich their family. The couple enrolled at Indiana University, in Bloomington, Indiana. Pilar Lujan received a Master of Science in Elementary School Administration in 1966, while Frank Lujan received his Juris Doctorate Degree. Shortly after completing her Masters, Lujan gave birth to her youngest daughter, Rolena – a future government administrator. The family returned to Guam, new degrees in hand. 

From 1967 to 1969, Lujan served as the principal of Wettengel Elementary School. Through her role as school principal, Lujan realized that she would be better equipped to handle the challenges and bureaucratic barriers that she encountered if she were able to serve as administrator. With her sights set on this goal, Lujan enrolled in the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and received an Educational Specialist degree in General School Administration in 1970. 

Upon returning home to Guam, Lujan was appointed Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction in 1970, and went on to serve as the Associate Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. She ultimately served in almost every level of the Guam Department of Education, from teacher to the highest position of Acting Director of Education in 1976. 

Lujan was also passionate about passing on the CHamoru language to the island’s youth, and she worked to create the CHamoru language and culture curriculum, which she implemented in the elementary school system. After accomplishing her goals, Lujan opted for early retirement from the Department of Education. 

She also worked as a licensed Educational Research Consultant from 1976 to 1982, and was elected Chairwoman of the first Guam Board of Education in 1977.

CHamoru language advocacy

After leaving the public school system, Lujan continued her role as a community leader at the forefront of CHamoru language education and programming. From 1977 to 1979, she served as a CHamoru language instructor at the University of Guam and brought the language to the airwaves through her work as a CHamoru newscaster for KGTF in 1980. 

In a statement on Lujan’s death, Governor Lourdes Leon Guerrero spoke to her legacy as a “…passionate educator who championed the institution of CHamoru language in public education.” 

Lujan also served as the CHamoru translator for the Guam Constitution during the second Constitutional Convention. 

Six-term senator

To further guide and positively impact the Department of Education and other issues that she cared about, Lujan listened to the encouragement of her colleagues and decided to run for political office. 

In 1983, Lujan was elected to the Guam Legislature. She served as a senator until 1994, for a total of six terms. Lujan chaired the Committee on Judiciary and Criminal Justice, Committee on Corrections, Committee on Economic Development, Housing and Community Development, Federal and Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Health, Welfare and Ecology. She was also a member of the Commission on Self-Determination, Judicial Council, Board of Law Examiners, State Federal Assembly of Law and Justice, Assembly on the Legislatures, Economic Development and International Trade Committee, Western Legislative Conference, and the Executive Committee on Land and Energy. 

She is responsible for crafting numerous pieces of legislation, including the Crime Victims Bill of Rights, the Child Protective Act, the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, and the Reactivation of Criminal Injuries Compensation Commission, among others. 

In 1992, Lujan created legislation to re-establish the Supreme Court of Guam with Public Law 21-147. The law was named the “Frank G. Lujan Memorial Court Reorganization Act,” in honor of Lujan’s late husband who had established the previously short-lived Supreme Court while in office at the 12th Guam Legislature. While in office, Lujan also contributed to the growth of the judiciary through establishing a Judicial Building Fund to construct the Guam Judicial Center, and establishing Jury and Appointment Counsel Trust Funds. For her efforts, she was awarded the Judiciary’s prestigious Hustisia Award in 2015.

As a member of the Commission on Self-Determination, Lujan testified before the United States Subcommittee on Insular and International Affairs, and addressed the Committee on Natural Resources in 1993. In her testimony before the body, Lujan stressed the importance of decolonization, and stated:

“For Guam, nothing less than our liberty and sense of dignity as a people are at stake in assuring that we achieve self-determination through a process with ends of our second-class political status. We are in a new era of change.”

Guam International Airport Authority

After retiring from the Government of Guam, Lujan served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Guam International Airport Authority from 1995 to 2002. Under her leadership, the Airport underwent a $247 million expansion project, which was the largest capital improvement ever done at the time in Guam. 

Faith and community service

Lujan credited her Catholic faith for the many blessings and guidance that allowed her to help the community and navigate multiple career challenges. In 2002, Lujan was selected to serve as the Chairwoman of Catholic Daughters of America. Lujan was determined to initiate a reproduction of Guam’s patroness, Santa Marian Kamalen, to be displayed at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. On 21 September 2006, the project came to fruition and more than 100 pilgrims from Guam and around the US visited DC for the historic enshrinement. 

Lujan was also dedicated to numerous social and civic organizations, including the Salvation Army, Soroptimist International of Guam, the Guam Women’s Issues Task Force, the International Women’s Club of Guam, and the Phi Delta Kappa Society. Her commitment to public service never wavered, even after retirement, as she joined the Guam Association of Retired Persons/Servicio Para I Manamko as the Chairwoman of the Board. 

Death and legacy 

Lujan died on 12 June 2022 at the age of 91. Upon her passing, her legacy and many contributions to the island’s cultural, political, and educational institutions were praised by countless public officials and community leaders. Speaker Therese Terlaje stated that Lujan’s tireless advocacy and public service, and her ability to rise from the trauma that she experienced during the wartime occupation “exemplified how the greatest generation turned adversity into action.” 

For further reading

Daily Post Staff. “Pilar Diaz Cruz Lujan Obituary.” The Guam Daily Post, 16 June 2022. https://www.postguam.com/obituaries/pilar-diaz-cruz-lujan/article_993f50e6-ed1e-11ec-b6aa-5b7622852845.html

Guam Legislature. “Relative to recognizing and congratulating the Honorable Pilar C. Lujan…,” 28 April 2015. https://guamlegislature.com/COR_Res_33rd/R077-33%20(LS).pdf 

Guam War Survivor Story. “Lujan, Pilar Diaz Cruz.” Accessed 22 June 2023. 
https://guamwarsurvivorstory.com/index.php/pilar-diaz-cruz-lujan 

Office of the Governor. “Statement on the Passing of Former Senator Pilar Cruz Lujan.” 15 June 2022. https://governor.guam.gov/press_release/statement-on-the-passing-of-former-senator-pilar-cruz-lujan/  

Pacific Daily News Staff. “Former Sen. Pilar Cruz Lujan dies.” Pacific Daily News, 12 June 2022. https://www.guampdn.com/news/former-sen-pilar-cruz-lujan-dies/article_062493fe-ea1f-11ec-8b5d-7ff02982d894.html 

Prabook. “Pilar C. Lujan.” Access 29 June 2023. https://prabook.com/web/pilar_c.lujan/71991 

Taitano, Joe II. “Leaders mourn the passing of former Sen. Pilar Lujan.” Pacific Daily News, 13 June 2022. https://www.guampdn.com/news/leaders-mourn-the-passing-of-former-sen-pilar-lujan/article_c66c7686-eae7-11ec-8535-9f1caa21ab2b.html 

Independent Guåhan. “Honoring our Maga’taotao: Pilar Cruz Lujan.” 30 June 2022. https://independentguahan.org/magataotao/