[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 164 (Wednesday, September 22, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1008]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE LIFE OF JOHN J. WHITT

                                 ______
                                 

                   HON. AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN

                           of american samoa

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 22, 2021

  Mrs. RADEWAGEN. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the late John 
J. Whitt, who ably served as Legislative Director and then Chief of 
Staff to two of our former colleagues from Guam: Congressman Robert A. 
Underwood and Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo, respectively. Sadly, 
John died from cancer at the age of 64 on September 16, 2021. His 
funeral Mass was celebrated this morning at Our Lady of the Chesapeake 
Catholic Church in Pasadena, Maryland, where his family and many 
friends gathered to memorialize his life and offer prayers of 
thanksgiving for his public service. I was fortunate to be among them 
as my husband, Fred, and I were friends with John for many years.
  John was well known to the territorial Delegates and their staffs in 
the House as he was a strong collaborator and visionary when it came to 
joining forces and forging consensus--where appropriate and possible--
to advance Federal policy to improve the quality of life for Americans 
residing in the territories and to enhance understanding in Washington 
about indigenous culture and the way of life in the Pacific islands.
  Born on October 15, 1956, to the late Charles and Christina Whitt, 
John was immensely proud of his CHamoru heritage and his upbringing in 
Barrigada, Guam. He graduated in 1974 from Father Duenas Memorial 
School in Chalan Pago, Guam, and in 1978 from the United States Air 
Force Academy, having been nominated for appointment there by Guam's 
first Delegate to Congress, the late Antonio B. Won Pat. Thereafter, 
John served our country as a B-52 pilot. But his other love, of 
politics, lured him back to his home island of Guam. One of his 
mentors, the late Colonel Edward Diego ``Eddie'' Reyes, USAF, who was a 
candidate for Lieutenant Governor on a winning ticket with the late 
Governor Ricardo J. Bordallo in 1982 recruited John to work on their 
gubernatorial campaign. It was on the campaign trail that Governor 
Bordallo, and his wife, Madeleine, took notice of John's sharp 
intellect and keen political instinct. Not long after being sworn into 
office, Governor Bordallo tapped John to be his Chief of Staff at a 
tender young age of 27. After Governor Bordallo's term ended, John 
embarked on a short career as a commercial regional jet service pilot 
in the Southeast United States.
  When Congressman Underwood was sworn into office in 1993, he brought 
John on board as part of his legislative team. In the 1990s, John 
helped advance the Guam Commonwealth Act for consideration by the House 
Natural Resources Committee and the Clinton Administration and assisted 
with Congressman Underwood's successful efforts to return excess lands 
taken by the Federal government to the people of Guam. When Typhoon 
Paka struck Guam in 1997, John was tapped by Governor Carl T.C. 
Gutierrez and Lieutenant Governor Madeline Z. Bordallo to help 
coordinate the GovGuam response with FEMA. Thereafter, John returned to 
Washington--this time to serve as the Governor's liaison in town. When 
Lieutenant Governor Madeleine Bordallo was elected as Guam's first 
woman Delegate to Congress in 2002, she tapped John to serve as her 
Chief of Staff. John served in that capacity for her first seven terms 
helping her advance the Guam war claims legislation toward its eventual 
enactment and to provide for an orderly and balanced realignment of 
military forces on Guam.
  John was a longtime, active member of the Guam Society of America, 
Inc., here in Washington, D.C. He was a consistent, consoling presence 
whenever one of the elders in the community passed away. John loved to 
lift our hearts in song and was fond of joining in the choir on special 
occasions. He would recite the CHamoru hymns and prayers. He was a 
gifted speechwriter and political strategist with an appreciation for 
history. He loved politics, the U.S. Air Force, to fly, his home 
village of Barrigada, and Guam. Most of all he loved his family, 
especially his brothers and sisters and his numerous nephews and 
nieces. He is predeceased by his parents and his siblings, Albert, 
Edwin, Emmett, and Julie Sisson. He is survived by his sisters, Frances 
Lucero (Larry) and Arlene Osorio (David), and his brother Jim Whitt 
(Debbie), and his nephews and nieces.
  Madam Speaker, I take this opportunity to remember John for his 
contributions to this institution as one of its staff members and for 
the positive force he made for the betterment of my constituents and 
our fellow brothers and sisters residing in the other territories. On 
behalf of the people of American Samoa, I offer our condolences to his 
family and to our former colleagues, Congressman Underwood and 
Congresswoman Bordallo, on whose staff he served.

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