[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 30 (Thursday, March 8, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E326-E328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNITION OF WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, AND A TRIBUTE TO SENATOR CYNTHIA
JOHNSTON TORRES
______
HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD
of guam
in the house of representatives
Thursday, March 8, 2001
Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of March as
Women's History Month and March 8 as International Women's Day. I would
also like to honor the late Honorable Cynthia Johnston Torres, a
distinguished member of the Third Guam Legislature.
Women's History Month is a time to pay tribute to the women of our
nation, in appreciation for their contributions to the political,
social, economic, and cultural development of our country, in
recognition of the many struggles and obstacles that they face, and in
honor of the integral role that women have played in American history.
Women make up over half of our country's population, or about 139
million in 1999, and have changed our nation in positive ways. Women
have made their mark in various fields such as science, business,
education, health, the public sector, the arts, entertainment, and the
list goes on.
The progress of women today must be considered in conjunction with
continuing challenges. Today women affect and are affected by the major
issues on our nation's agenda, including health care, Social Security,
Medicare, tax reform, etc. Most recently, ergonomics issues are
impacting women, who represent 64 percent of repetitive motion injuries
that result in lost work time. It is encouraging that six in ten women
participate in the labor force, however employment discrimination and
unequal pay still exist. The future looks promising as women are
demonstrating increased participation in all levels and branches of
government. Unfortunately, expectations still exist about their
``traditional'' roles.
Today, women are marrying at later ages, yet domestic and family
violence continues throughout the country. Also across the nation,
women's studies and gender studies are on the rise in higher education
institutions, however women still need to be acknowledged as critical
players in the history of America. Today I would like the opportunity
to recognize the achievements of women amidst such challenges,
challenges that our entire nation must face from within the fifty
states to the five territories.
Women's History Month has its own history that illustrates the gains
women have accomplished in the last century. In order to reflect on
international connections among women,
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some European nations have been celebrating International Women's Day
on March 8 since 1911. Following women's suffrage in 1920 and the
valuable contributions made by women to the war industries during the
1940's, women's issues were pushed to the forefront during the 1960's.
The history of women was finally acknowledged in schools during the
1970s, and in 1981, the National Women's History Project spearheaded
the initiative for National Women's History Week. The U.S. Congress
passed a resolution in recognition of this week, and in 1987, the week
was expanded to National Women's History Month. In keeping with the
annual
My district of Guam proudly takes part in celebrating Women's History
Month. The Bureau of Women's Affairs holds events recognizing women's
accomplishments, addressing women's issues, and empowering women to be
the best that they can be. The theme for 2001 is ``Celebrating Women of
Courage and Vision,'' and there will be a proclamation signing not only
for Women's History Month but also for the Year of the Family.
Today, the spirit of community in Guam was alive and well, as the
Bureau of Women's Affairs and the Guam Council of Women's Club
celebrated International Women's Day. In an event involving the
participation of various women's clubs and organizations from the
government of Guam and the private sector, organizations learned more
about each other and shared information while cultural delicacies and
artwork of Guam were showcased for all to see.
The children of Guam are also active during Women's History month, as
they participate in a poster and essay competition in promotion of this
year's theme ``Celebrating Women of Courage and Vision.'' Elementary
school children submit posters, and middle school and high school
students enter essays, all of which are displayed at the Center Court
at Micronesian Mall. Such an event raises early awareness on women's
issues and fosters early recognition of women's contributions to Guam.
Finally, at the end of the month, the outstanding women of Guam for
the year 2000 will be honored at the 7th Annual Awards Banquet at the
Guam Marriott Resort. Winners from the categories of non-traditional
role; grandmother; GovGuam/Federal (civil service); mother; community
(local/military); and private sector will be announced. The influx of
nominations illustrates that indeed the island embraces women of
courage and vision.
Although this year's award recipients have not yet been named, the
numerous women before them can again be recognized for paving the way
in demonstrating leadership skills and commitment to our community and
to our nation. For example, women in the public sector in Guam have
made great strides over the past half century. They continue to be role
models for our youth while encouraging political participation for all
of the people of Guam.
In the Executive Branch, Lieutenant Governor Madeleine Bordallo holds
the highest position held by a women in Guam, and she currently serves
her second term at this important post. There are 11 out of 60 female
heads of agencies, including Andrea Finona of the Guam passport Office;
Sheila Torres of the Agency for Human Resources and Development;
Jeanette R. Yamashita of the Chamorro Affairs Department; Isabel Lujan
of the Department of Commerce, Rosie R. Tainatongo of the Department of
Education; Deborah J. Bordallo of the Guam Council on the Arts and
Humanities; Geraldine ``Ginger'' S. Underwood of the Guam Educational
Telecommunication Corporation, KGTF; Taling Taitano of the Guam Housing
and Urban Renewal Authority; Dr. Davina Lujan of the Guam Memorial
Hospital; Thelma Ann Perez of the Guam Power Authority; and Christine
K. Scott-Smith of the Guam Public Library.
In addition, 6 out of 40 deputy directors are women. They are:
Rosanna San Miguel of the Agency for Human Resources and Development;
Tina Muna-Barnes of the Department of Integrated Services for
Individuals with Disabilities; Jamema G. Maravilla of the Guam Energy
Office; Cil P. Orot of the Guam Public Library; Theresa R. Cruz of the
Guam Visitors Bureau; and Aurora F. Cabanero of the Mental Health and
Substance Abuse Agency.
While others have served in acting capacities, Lourdes T. Pangelian
is the only woman who has served as the permanent Chief of Staff for
the Governor of Guam. Another noteworthy woman is Doris Flores Brooks,
a former Senator in the Guam Legislature who is the first woman to be
elected as Public Auditor.
As you can see, political representation by women is encouraged on
Guam. Guam law requires all Government of Guam boards and commissions
to maintain at least two female members. Several key boards have female
chairpersons, such as former Senator Pilar Cruz Lujan at the Guam
Airport Authority; Lillian Opena at the Guam Council of Youth Affairs;
Dr. Heidi San Nicolas at the Guam Development Disabilities Council;
Miriam S. Gallet at the Guam Environmental Protection Board of
Directors; Corina G. Ludwig at the Guam Mass Transit; Ann Muna at the
Guam Memorial Hospital; Bernadita Quitugua at the Guam Museum; and
Arlene P. Bordallo at the Port Authority of Guam Board of Directors.
Women's participation in the Legislative Branch has also increased
over the years. The first elected female to public office was Rosa T.
Aguigui of Merizo, who was elected to the Guam Congress in 1946. Since
1986, women represented nearly \1/3\ of the membership of the Guam
Legislature. Female membership was at its peak in 1990 seven women were
elected to serve in the 22nd Guam Legislature, which consisted of 21
members. During three separate years, women were the highest vote-
getters for a legislative campaign: in 1986, Marilyn D.A. Manibusan had
the most votes, in 1988, it was Madeleine Z. Bordallo; and in 1990,
Doris Flores Brooks captured the largest number of votes. Female
legislators that have held the highest offices are Vice Speaker
Katherine B. Aguon; Legislative Secretaries Pilar C. Lujan, Elizabeth
Arriola, Judith Won Pat-Borja, and Joanne Brown; and Rules Committee
Chairperson Herminia Dierking.
In 1954, Largimas Leon Guerrero Untalan and Cynthia Johnston Torres
were the first women to be elected to the Guam Legislature. Currently,
3 out of the 15 Members are women: Senator Joanne M.S. Brown, who is
Legislative Secretary and Chairperson of the Committee on Natural
Resources; Senator Lou A. Leon Guerrero, who is the Assistant Minority
Leader; and Senator Judith ``Judy'' T. Won Pat, the Assistant Minority
Whip. Past members include: Lagrimas Leon Guerrero Untalan, Cynthia
Johnston Torres, Katherine B. Aguon, Carmen Artero Kasperbauer,
Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Elizabeth P. Arriola, Pilar C. Lujan, Marilyn
D.A. Manibusan, Hermina Duenas Dierking, Marcia K. Hartsock, Martha
Cruz Ruth, Doris Flores Brooks, Marilyn Won Pat, Senator Hope A.
Cristobal, Senator Carlotta Leon Guerrero, and Senator Elizabeth
Barrett-Anderson, who is currently a Superior Court Judge. The highest
staff position held by a female in the Guam Legislature is Deputy
Director, held by Dorothy Perez.
Women have made promising gains in the Judicial Branch as well. Two
out of 17 judges of the Superior Court are women: Judge Frances
Tydingco-Gatewood and Judge Katherine A.
Past female mayors include: Rossana D. San Miguel of Chalan Pago;
Patricia S. Quinata of Dededo; Nieves F. Sablan of Piti; and Cecilia
Quinata Morrison of Umatac. Past Vice Mayors include Doris S. Palacios
of Dededo; Teresita B. Umagat of Dededo; Margaret D. Mendiola Mayor of
Sinajana; and Marie S. N. Leon Guerrero of Tamuning-Tumon.
Women have also held high positions in political parties. Mayilyn
D.A. Manibusan was the first and to date the only female chairperson of
the Republican Party, holding office in 1986, and Priscilla Tenorio
Tuncap was the first female chairperson for the Democratic Party from
1990 to 1992. Pilar Cruz Lujan was elected last year and currently
serves as the Democratic chairperson. Pilar Cruz served as the Vice
Chairperson of Guam's Republican Party in the past. Nationwide,
Madeleine Z. Bordallo is the longest-serving national committee woman
on the Democratic National Committee and has served in this capacity
since the Kennedy Administration.
In addition, Antoniette Duenas Sanford is the only woman to have
served as Chairperson of the Guam Chamber of Commerce, and Eloise Baza
has served as the first female President of the Guam Chamber of
Commerce for the last several years.
As a native Chamorro from Guam, I am proud to announce some of the
``firsts'' for Chamorro women, a few of which I have mentioned already.
Dr. Olivia Cruz was the first Chamorro woman licensed by the Medical
Licensure Board; Frances Marie Tydingco Gatewood was the first Chamorro
woman judge of the Superior Court; Elizabeth Gayle was the first
Chamorro woman to be civil engineer; Dr. Rosa Robert Carter was the
first Chamorro woman president and the only female President of the
University of Guam; Mary Inez Underwood was the first woman of Chamorro
ancestry to enter the religious life; Elizabeth Barrett Anderson was
the first
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Chamorro woman Attorney General; Rosa T. Aguigui Reyes was the first
Chamorro woman elected to public office, as a member of the Guam
Congress; Dr. Katherine B. Aguon was the first Chamorro woman to earn a
doctor of philosophy degree and the first female vice speaker of the
Guam Legislature; Cynthia Torres and Lagrimas Leon Guerrero Untalan
were the first Chamorro women elected as senators, both serving in the
3rd Guam Legislature; and Asuncion Flores was the first Chamorro woman
appointed member of the assembly of the Guam Congress.
These women in public service have been exemplary for the entire
island and for our nation. I am truly honored to represent a district
with such strong women leaders.
Historically, the women of Guam have always played an important role
in Guam society. In pre-Western contact times, the Chamorro society was
based on a matrilineal clan system in which women performed important
and powerful roles in the lives of the people. Lineage was traced
through the female line and it was the relationships via the mother
which determined wealth, social standing and power. Even with the onset
of Western contact which was patrilineal in nature (particularly from
Spain), the Chamorro female retained much formal and informal power in
Guam society. This has carried itself to the present and girls and
women continue to be influential in some social settings and dominant
in others. Openness to female leadership and women in influential roles
have been part of the Guam scene in spite of Western contact.
We must also pay tribute to the women who I have not mentioned by
name, yet who have also had a significant impact on our lives: working
women, who fight for equal pay and non-discriminatory treatment; the
women who stand up against domestic and family violence; the women who
teach our children to become future leaders and the women who continue
to learn in higher education institutions; the female community leaders
who advocate for women's issues and for all important issues; lesbian
women who are still fighting for the acceptance that they rightfully
deserve. Last but not least, let us pay tribute to mothers, who provide
love and direction so that our children are raised to become citizens
with decency and values; single mothers, who make sacrifices every day
so their children can live good lives; daughters, who grow up to become
independent women of integrity and diligence; and wives, who provide
companionship and stability.
These are the women we celebrate in March for Women's History Month,
and these are the women we should celebrate all year round. I urge my
colleagues to recognize Women's History Month, not only because women's
history is key to American history, but because women have contributed
so much to our nation through their strength, courage, and vision.
At this time, I would like to make note of the recent passing of a
woman who has provided inspiration to all of the people of Guam, the
Honorable Cynthia Johnston Torres. It is with a great sense of loss
that we commemorate Senator Torres, a distinguished member of the Third
Guam Legislature who passed away two days ago at the age of 89 on March
6, 2001.
Senator Torres is a noted figure in Guam politics. She holds the
distinction of being one of the first women to be elected to public
office on the island of Guam. Along with Lagrimas L.G. Untalan, the
late senator was elected to serve in the Third Guam Legislature in
1954. They were the first and only women elected to the Guam's
unicameral Assembly during the first ten years of civil government on
Guam. Although women had previously served as appointees to the Guam
Congress, an advisory board to Guam's Naval governors during the first
half of the last century, Senators Torres and Untalan's election marked
the first time that women would serve as ``elected'' representatives to
the people of Guam.
Foremost among the reasons behind the candidacy of Guam's first women
senators were two specific objectives--these objectives were to define
the character of Guam politics in the years to come. The candidates
intended to set a precedent. They wanted to have Guam's women
The other objective set forth in the 1954 elections was to break the
concept of block voting--a practice where an ``X'' placed by a voter on
a large box within the ballot automatically casts votes for a certain
party's slate of candidates. During the elections for the First and
Second Guam Legislatures, the forerunner of the Guam Democratic Party,
the Popular Party, was the only major political party in existence.
Members of this party had absolute control of the First and Second
Legislatures. In 1954, Senator Torres' election as an independent to
the legislature earned her a prominent position which ensured
leadership status when the Territorial Party--the forerunner of the
Guam Republican Party--was formed in 1956. Guam voters have since been
known to cross party lines and cast votes for candidates they feel most
qualified rather than for party affiliations.
As a member of the Third Guam Legislature, Senator Torres played a
vital role in the passage of important legislation--the most notable
being Public Law 42, which established trial by jury in certain cases
within the jurisdiction of the District Court of Guam. In addition to a
wide range of bills which codified the island of Guam's administrative
and corporate procedures, the establishment of the Guam Memorial
Hospital, the only civilian hospital, took effect during the Senator's
tenure.
Although undoubtedly a very distinguished political figure, Senator
Torres left a more distinct mark in the field of education. Born on
July 27, 1911, to William G. and Agueda Iglesias Johnston, the senator
took a path not much different from the ones taken by her parents. As
the daughter of prominent educators, her parents' profession led her to
devote her life to the field of education. Having received training in
California, Senator Torres returned to Guam in 1932 to be a teacher,
She married a successful local entrepreneur, Jose Calvo Torres, shortly
thereafter. Mr. Torres passed away in 1946. The Senator took over his
business ventures and quickly became a respected member of the local
business community.
Having noted the lack of educational opportunities for Guam's
handicapped children, Senator Torres decided to sell her business
interests in 1958 in order to pursue a degree in elementary and special
education. Upon completing her Master's Degree at the University of
California in San Diego, she came back to Guam to become a consultant
for the island's only school for the physically and mentally
handicapped children. She later became its principal. Under her
direction, the school developed and implemented educational and
vocational programs which she added to the customary custodial care
provided by the school to handicapped children.
She retired from government service in 1975 and, in recent years, has
served the community through her involvement in civic organizations.
She was a member of the University of Guam Board of Regents, the Guam
Economic Development Authority, the Marianas Association of Retired
Citizens. She was a co-founder and charter member of the Guam Lytico-
Bodig Association, she has served as chair to the Guam Memorial
Hospital's Board of Trustees and she was a past-president of the Guam
Association of Retired Persons.
For all her work and accomplishments, Senator Torres was conferred
numerous awards and commendations. She has received several
commendations from the Guam Legislature including Resolution 282 from
the 20th Guam Legislature which recognized and commended her love and
service for the people of Guam. In addition, she was also awarded an
honorary Doctor of Law Degree from the University of Guam in 1981 and
the Distinguished Leadership Award from the American Biographical
Institute for Outstanding Education.
Senator Cynthia Johnston Torres leaves a great legacy of service and
devotion to the island and people of Guam. A pioneer in the field of
politics and education, her endeavors and accomplishments provide
inspiration to the men and women of Guam. As we mourn her passing, her
perseverance and energy will forever live in our hearts.
Adios, Senator Torres, yan gof dangkalo na si Yu'os Ma'ase ginen
todos I taotaon Guam. You are an inspiration to the people of Guam and
to our nation. During Women's History Month and beyond, we will
celebrate your life and your legacy.
____________________