[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 119 (Thursday, September 13, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1642]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO CHIEF JUSTICE BENJAMIN J.F. CRUZ

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 13, 2001

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this occasion to 
commend and congratulate a distinguished public servant, Chief Justice 
Benjamin J.F. Cruz, upon his retirement from the Supreme Court of Guam. 
A highly regarded jurist, Chief Justice Cruz is well known and 
respected for his commitment to Guam's judiciary and the important 
decisions he rendered as a judge in the island's court system.
  Widely known on the island as ``B.J.,'' Chief Justice Cruz was born 
in Guam to Juan Quenga Cruz and Antonia Cruz Franqueze on March 3, 
1951. A successful businessman and a respected leader, B.J.'s father 
was elected as commissioner of the village of Piti. Upon the death of 
B.J.'s father in 1956, his mother moved the family to California and 
later married Vicente Cruz Guerrero.
  On Guam, young B.J. attended Saint Francis School in Yona. He later 
graduated from St. John Bosco Senior High School in Bellflower, 
California in 1968 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political 
Science and Economics from Claremont Men's College where he wrote his 
senior thesis on the constitutional and legal history of Guam. In 1972, 
B.J. attended the University of Santa Clara School of Law. He spent the 
summer of 1973 working as a law clerk for both the Federal District 
Court and the Superior Court of Guam. He was awarded his Juris 
Doctorate in May 1975.
  Upon graduation, B.J. commenced a long and distinguished career in 
government service. He initially served as the Assistant Consumer 
Counsel in the Office of the Attorney General of Guam and, shortly 
thereafter, joined the first administration of Governor Ricardo J. 
Bordallo as its legal counsel. B.J. served in this capacity until 
January 1979, when he went into private practice. Within this period, 
he also served as minority legal counsel to the Democratic Senators of 
the 15th and 16th Guam Legislatures. B.J. remained active in the 
promotion of cultural and political rights working as an incorporator 
and legal counsel for a number of indigenous rights organizations and 
the Nuclear Free Micronesia organization. During Governor Bordallo's 
second term, B.J. was chosen to head the newly established Governor's 
Washington Liaison Office in Washington, D.C.--a post he held until his 
appointment as a Superior Court Judge in 1984.
  As a judge, B.J. was known for his fair and impartial decisions. His 
reputation is of fairness, firmness and compassion. For over thirteen 
years, he served as a trial court judge with Superior Court of Guam--
the first nine years of which he spent with the Family Juvenile Court. 
First appointed to the Guam Supreme Court in 1997, he began his term as 
Chief Justice on April 21, 1999.
  Outside the courtroom, Chief Justice Cruz has always been involved 
with community events and organizations. Having previously served as 
vice president and treasurer of the Guam National Olympic Committee, he 
now serves as the organization's secretary general. His tenure in the 
Family Juvenile Court undoubtedly led him to serve as President of the 
Board of Directors for Sanctuary, Inc., an organization dedicated to 
the island's troubled youth and their families. In addition, he has 
been actively involved with civic and community associations such as 
the Guam Chapter of the American Cancer Society, the Miss Guam World 
Association, and the Guam Beauty Association.
  Upon his retirement in August 21, 2001, Chief Justice Cruz left a 
legacy of achievements and accomplishments. The decades of service he 
dedicated to the people of Guam has truly earned him a place in our 
hearts. On behalf of the people of Guam, I congratulate him on his well 
earned retirement and thank him for his service to the island and its 
people. Si Yu'os Ma'ase', Chief Justice Cruz.

                          ____________________