[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 99 (Monday, July 8, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1215-E1216]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD TO MICHAEL REIDY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, July 8, 1996

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, only two Joel Leff Fellowships at Harvard 
University's John F. Kennedy School of Government are awarded annually. 
This prestigious award provides full tuition to two individuals who 
will participate in an intensive 1-year master's in public 
administration program. This program was established to cultivate 
public servants devoted to solving critical economic problems. 
Selection for Joel Leff Fellows is based upon candidates' past 
performance and future promise of excellence in political economy 
problem solving. I am proud to say that a resident of my home district 
of Guam who meets and even exceeds the fellowship criteria has been 
awarded one of the two Joel Leff Fellowships for this year. He is 
Michael J. Reidy, a former senator of the Guam Legislature and a 
resident of the village of Tamuning.
  Mike was elected to the 21st Guam Legislature in 1990, after years of 
experience as a public servant in various organizations and Government 
of Guam offices. He began his public sector career as a Peace Corps 
volunteer. From 1969 to 1971, Mike was stationed in Somalia, East 
Africa. After a military coup abruptly ended his work there, Mike was 
transferred to St. Vincent Island in the Caribbean and became a teacher 
in the Teacher Training Institute. After the Peace Corps, he 
matriculated into the University of Arizona graduate programs. Mike's 
tenure with the Government of Guam began in 1974 as a planner for the 
department of public works. From 1975 to 1978, he worked for the bureau 
of planning under several titles, as chief planner in 1977 and as 
acting director from 1977 to 1978. From 1979 to 1980, Mike acted as 
Special assistant in Gov. Paul M. Calvo's administration for policy and 
program development. During the 16th Guam Legislature, he served as 
executive assistant to Speaker Thomas V.C. Tanaka. In 1983, he briefly 
left the public sector to open Feathers and Fins Pet Store and Island 
Exhibits aquariums. Mike's appointment as director of the bureau of 
budget and management research by Governor Joseph F. Ada in 1986 marked 
his return to the public sector. He held this position until his 
successful bid for senatorial seat for the 21st Guam Legislature during 
the 1990 general elections.
  Although Mike's public sector experiences are impressive, his talents 
are not limited to the public policy-making arena. Mike is also a 
gifted and avid athlete. Natural leadership skills combined with an 
enthusiasm for sports earned him the honor of being the first president 
of the Guam National Olympic Committee [GNOC]. Under Mike's tutelage, 
the International Olympic Games witnessed for the first time in 1988 
the notable performances of Guam's finest athletes in Seoul, South 
Korea. Mike continued to be GNOC's administrator for the next 10 years. 
It comes to no surprise that he is president of the Guam Amateur Sports 
Federation since he is also a member of the Guam Water Polo Club and 
the Guam Running Club. In 1981, he was chairman of the Guam Fishing 
Derby and also boasts past memberships in the Guam Fisherman's Coop, 
the Guam Fishing and Boating Association, the Guam Visitor's Bureau and 
the Guam Accountants' Association.
  Mike is one of our most active public servants and intelligent 
participants in community

[[Page E1216]]

affairs on Guam. We are very proud of this transplanted Guamanian and 
congratulate him on this prestigious award as well as his lifetime of 
service to Guam.

                          ____________________