[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 57 (Thursday, March 31, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E332]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF DR. OLIVIA LEOLA TORRES CRUZ

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. MICHAEL F.Q. SAN NICOLAS

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 31, 2022

  Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and 
legacy of Dr. Olivia Leola Torres Cruz. Dr. Cruz was an esteemed 
leader, selfless advocate, and dedicated servant to the People of Guam. 
Our people will fondly remember her as a trailblazing force that 
meaningfully contributed to shaping our island's healthcare sector and 
improving the lives of countless others throughout our island.
  Widely recognized for her historic achievement as Guam's first female 
CHamoru physician, Dr. Cruz navigated a path unpaved with unwavering 
courage and determination. As a young girl that had endured World War 
II, her education was interrupted. Yet upon its conclusion she remained 
steadfast in her resolve to excel in school, consistently passing bi-
annual examinations to elevate her grade level. After graduating from 
George Washington High School as one of its Top Ten scholars in 1953, 
Dr. Cruz moved thousands of miles away from home to pursue an 
undergraduate career at the University of Wisconsin. She then continued 
with graduate level research and courses in chemistry at the University 
of Cincinnati and, in 1962, graduated from the Women's Medical College 
of Pennsylvania. Shortly after medical school, Dr. Cruz went on to 
complete an internship at the Denver General Hospital in addition to 
residencies for internal and pulmonary medicine at the Denver General 
Hospital, Herman Houston Hospital, and Allegheny General Hospital 
respectively.
  Though Dr. Cruz pursued her professional education in the continental 
United States, she kept her people at the forefront of her mind and 
proudly held her identity as a daughter of Guam close to her heart. In 
1967 she returned home impassioned with a mission to increase our 
community's access to medical care. From serving at the Guam Department 
of Public Health and Guam Memorial Hospital (GMH) to collaborating with 
the National Institute of Health Research Station as a consultant on 
lytico-bodig research, a neurodegenerative disease endemic to the 
CHamoru people, Dr. Cruz devoted her expertise, talents, and decades of 
work toward standing up a system of care that holistically addresses 
the needs of our island. This commitment to community is further 
demonstrated in her persistence to serve as many people as possible by 
opening her very own private practice clinic, wherein she often 
provided care to those who could least afford it, and continuing to 
work part time at GMH despite having retired from government service in 
1998.
  Beyond her professional capacities, Dr. Cruz embodied a strong sense 
of character, unquestioningly prioritizing others before self--a 
notable example of which was illustrated by her heroic actions to save 
three individuals who had been involved in an incident in which a 
twenty-ton compactor toppled over a two-hundred-foot cliff. Without 
hesitation, Dr. Cruz climbed twenty-five feet down the face of the 
cliff to render first aid to the injured operator and had them hoisted 
up to the surface first. Her personal undertaking to lead with 
compassion is both evident over the course of her lifetime and serves 
an inspiring blueprint for the many women today who similarly endeavor 
to pursue a career in medicine.
  Dr. Olivia Leola Torres Cruz is an icon of servant leadership and 
unconditional compassion who poured her heart into securing a better 
health future for our people. As Women's History Month and Mes CHamoru 
come to a close, it is further fitting that we reflect on the 
meaningful contributions of leaders like Dr. Cruz, whose life and 
legacy have and continue to impact the story of our island community. 
We extend our deepest condolences to her husband, Dr. Robert Haddock, 
their children, Michele and Ray, their grandchildren, Robert, Olivia, 
Francisco, Carlos, Gregorio, Stephen, and Jose, and the rest of their 
family and friends, and join the People of Guam in remembering and 
celebrating her life and legacy of selfless service. Dr. Cruz will be 
deeply missed, and her love and memories will forever remain in the 
hearts of the People of Guam.

                          ____________________