[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 24, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF PEDRO PALOMO ADA, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 24, 2016

  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy 
of the late Pedro Palomo Ada, Jr. Pedro was a son of Guam, icon in our 
business community, and philanthropist. He was born on July 7, 1930 and 
passed away on February 12, 2016 at the age of 85. Pedro was the 
Chairman of Ada's Trust & Investment, Inc., a real estate and 
investment holdings company.
  Pedro followed in the footsteps of his parents Maria Palomo Ada and 
Pedro Martinez Ada who were also successful business people and 
generous philanthropists in the local community. Pedro began his 
business career at a young age while attending school at Saint Thomas 
Military Academy in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He would find shoes and 
other items at great bargains and send them home to Guam to be sold at 
his parents' retail business. He graduated from St. Thomas College in 
Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1953 with a degree in Business Administration.
  After finishing college, Pedro served as one of the first Chamorro 
commissioned officers in the United States Air Force. He later returned 
to Guam to help with the family business. He was able to improve and 
expand Ada's Market into a household name and then into a real estate 
holding company, and soon became a real estate visionary who was 
responsible for many changes and improvements in Guam's capitol city of 
Hagatna. Pedro created opportunities in the private sector and expanded 
the potential for residential and commercial real estate developments 
during times of emerging economic markets in the island. Pedro was 
inducted into the Guam Chamber of Commerce's Guam Business Hall of Fame 
in 2003.
  Pedro led a long life with both business and community involvement. 
He served as a member and board chairman of the University of Guam 
Board of Regents in the 1970s and 1980s. He was also instrumental in 
establishing the University of Guam's Reserve Officer's Training Corps 
(ROTC). Pedro was an active member of the Air Force's Civilian Advisory 
Council, and supported groups such as the Guam Boy Scouts and KGTF 
Public Television. Additionally, he served on numerous boards including 
the Guam Blue Ribbon Education Committee, the Guam Memorial Hospital, 
the Guam Retirement Fund and the Guam Visitors Bureau.
  Pedro dedicated his life to improving our island and community. He 
was an active member and supporter of the Saint Anthony-Saint Victor 
Parish of Tamuning, Guam and a dedicated family man. I am deeply 
saddened by the passing of Pedro and I join the people of Guam in 
celebrating his life and remembering his contributions to our island 
community. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, loved ones and 
friends. I extend my condolences to his wife of 57 years, Fe; his 
children Maria A. Bonnie, Pedro ``Sonny'' and Jennifer Ada, Dr. Frances 
A. and Jaime Purviance, Patricia P. Ada, Therese and David John, and 
Carla P. Ada; and his eleven grandchildren. He will be missed, and his 
memory will live on in the hearts of the people of Guam.

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