[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 56 (Thursday, April 2, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E888-E889]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE LIFE AND PUBLIC SERVICE OF SPEAKER CARLOS P. TAITANO

                                  _____
                                 

                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 2, 2009

  Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and 
public service of the Honorable Carlos Pangelinan Taitano, a 
distinguished resident of Guam who passed away on March 25, 2009. 
Carlos served our nation and the people of Guam as an officer in the 
United States Army, a community leader, businessman, attorney, 
Assemblyman in the Guam Congress, Senator in the 3rd Guam Legislature 
and Speaker of the 8th Guam Legislature.
  Born on March 14, 1917 to Jose San Nicolas and Dolores P. Taitano of 
Hagatna, Carlos attended elementary and middle school on Guam. He 
subsequently moved to Hawaii to attend high school. After his high 
school graduation from McKinley High School in Hawaii, Carlos enrolled 
in the University of Hawaii where he earned a Bachelor of Science 
degree in Chemistry in 1941. After graduation from the University of 
Hawaii, he was hired by the Honolulu Police Department as an Assistant 
Chemist. At the onset of World War II Carlos joined the United States 
Army and was commissioned as an officer. He participated in the 
campaign to liberate the Philippines. After the war, he was assigned to 
Fort Ruger, Hawaii and Fort Meade, Maryland. It was during the latter 
posting in Maryland that he married Marian Agueda Johnston.
  Carlos and Marian returned to Guam in 1947, and in 1948 he was 
elected to the Guam Congress as an Assemblyman. Carlos was an advocate 
for United States citizenship for the Chamorro people who had endured a 
brutal enemy occupation. He famously organized a walkout by the Guam 
Congress on March 5, 1949 to call attention to Guam's quest for a 
civilian government to replace the post-war Naval government. He fed 
news of the walkout to the national media, and coverage of this event 
in national newspapers helped to raise awareness about the plight of 
the Chamorro people. This event gave momentum to Congressional efforts 
to pass the Organic Act of Guam in 1950 which granted United States 
citizenship to the Chamorros on Guam and established a civilian 
government. He was the only Chamorro in attendance at the White House 
signing ceremony of the Organic Act of Guam on August 1, 1950 by 
President Harry S. Truman.
  Carlos was accepted to the law program at Georgetown University in 
Washington, D.C. where he graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in 1953. 
While at Georgetown University, Carlos participated in activities with 
the Guam community in the National Capital area and was instrumental in 
founding the Guam Territorial Society to promote Guam and our Chamorro 
culture.
  In 1953 Carlos returned to Guam and helped to establish the 
Territorial Party of Guam, which later became the Republican Party of 
Guam. He was elected to the 3rd Guam Legislature in 1954. After serving 
one term in the Legislature, Carlos returned to his business interests 
which included the Micronesian Village, a gift shop featuring 
Micronesian and Chamorro arts and crafts. In the mid-1960s Carlos 
became the President and General Manager of Guam's Coca-Cola Bottling 
Company, a position he held for six years.
  Carlos reentered public service in 1965 and was elected to the 8th 
Guam Legislature. He was selected by his colleagues to serve as 
Speaker, an honor that recognized his many contributions to Guam's 
political development. Under his leadership, the 8th Guam Legislature 
urged the United States Congress to expand self-governance for the 
people of Guam by amending the Organic Act to authorize the direct 
election of the Governor of Guam and to provide a Delegate to Congress. 
Carlos' vision for self-governance was passed by the 90th Congress in 
1968 for the elected Governor and by the 92nd Congress in 1972 for the 
Delegate to Congress.
  Carlos contributed his time and resources to civic organizations and 
government boards throughout his life to help improve our community. 
His civic contributions included notable service as the first president 
of the Guam Bar Association, past president of the Rotary Club of Guam, 
past chairman of the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority Board of 
Trustees, and

[[Page E889]]

past president of the Reserve Officers Association of Guam.
  Throughout his life, Carlos promoted the preservation and celebration 
of the Chamorro culture. He was among the first authors of plays and 
pageants depicting Chamorro epic tales, and he wrote essays calling 
attention to the need to do more to promote the Chamorro language and 
culture. He encouraged cultural groups to perform chants and dances 
that depicted Chamorro culture in the pre-contact era. He helped to 
found Pa'a Taotao Tano', an organization of cultural performers and 
their supporters who are dedicated to preserving a more authentic 
portrayal of Chamorro culture in song and dance. He promoted indigenous 
culture and pride at a time when Guam was undergoing many social and 
economic changes, and his voice reminded us then as now of the 
importance of the Chamorro culture to our people and to our nation.
  The people of Guam will always remember Speaker Carlos Pangelinan 
Taitano as a visionary leader who was proud of his Chamorro heritage. 
He served our nation and our island as a soldier and statesman and his 
contributions will always be appreciated and remembered. I join the 
people of Guam in extending our sympathy to Marian Taitano and to their 
children, Linda, Carl and Tyrone and their extended family. Speaker 
Carlos P. Taitano was a leader and public servant who inspired us in 
many ways and we honor his contributions to our island community and to 
our nation.

                          ____________________