[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 14, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E544]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNIZING A TRADITION OF LEADERSHIP IN THE GUAM COMMUNITY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 14, 2007

  Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the late 
Jesus S. Leon Guerrero's legacy of leadership that was carried on with 
distinction by his son, the late Anthony A. Leon Guerrero, and that now 
continues with his daughter, Ms. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero, who follows 
her father and her brother as President, Chief Executive Officer, and 
Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Guam. Ms. Leon Guerrero has served 
in this capacity since March 31, 2006, and though her service at the 
helm of the Bank of Guam has been brief, she carries forward the 
visionary and dedicated leadership and work ethic which have been the 
hallmarks of the Bank of Guam since its establishment 35 years ago. 
These hallmarks have consistently characterized the leaders and the 
employees of the Bank of Guam since its chartering on March 13, 1972 
and have given rise to the Bank's reputation as one of the leading and 
most successful financial institutions in the Pacific. Last year, the 
Bank was named by the Guam Chamber of Commerce as Business Laureate of 
the Year and was enrolled into the Guam Business Hall of Fame. Today, 
the leadership of the late Mr. Jesus S. Leon Guerrero and the Bank of 
Guam's service to our community continues to be celebrated and 
recognized by the people of Guam.
  After working for the Bank of America for many years, Jesus struck 
out on his own in 1972 to charter a new and locally-organized bank for 
our island community--an endeavor that seemed nearly impossible at the 
time. But Jesus never gave up and his confidence in the future of Guam 
and in the people of our island never wavered. It was his vision, his 
drive, and his confidence that led to the chartering of a community 
bank for the people of Guam.
  Upon Jesus's death in 2002, his son Anthony took the reins of 
leadership at the Bank of Guam. During that same year, Guam was hit by 
Typhoon Chata'an in July, a powerful earthquake in October, and 
Supertyphoon Pongsona in December. Still grieving, Anthony rose to the 
occasion and proved himself a worthy successor of his father. Anthony 
met and conquered every challenge except one: he lost his battle 
against cancer in 2004. Jesus's daughter Lourdes was called to assume 
the mantle of leadership of the Bank. A leader in her own right, as a 
Senator in the Guam Legislature for several terms, Lourdes did not 
hesitate and the transfer of the Bank's leadership was seamless and 
unfaltering.
  The Bank of Guam has grown over the past 35 years in meeting the 
banking, financing, and insurance needs of the people of Guam and the 
greater Micronesia region. Today, the Bank of Guam, a publicly-traded 
company, has a presence on nearly every island in the region and in San 
Francisco, California. Such is the legacy of Jesus S. and Anthony A. 
Leon Guerrero and the challenge for Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero, the 
officers and employees of the Bank of Guam. We are confident that the 
leadership and the employees of the Bank of Guam will continue to meet 
these challenges.

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