[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 132 (Friday, August 5, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E828]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF ANDREW ``ANDY'' TENORIO LAGUANA

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. MICHAEL F.Q. SAN NICOLAS

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 5, 2022

  Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and 
legacy of Andrew ``Andy'' Tenorio Laguana. Andy was an esteemed 
architect, preservationist, and advocate who uniquely elevated the 
stories of our people while physically raising and transforming 
countless spaces in our community. We will fondly remember him as a 
talented visionary whose ideas, work, and art have meaningfully shaped 
the face and future of our island.
  Andy was a pioneering force of CHamoru architecture, engineering, 
design, construction, conception, site planning, and historic 
preservation. After graduating from Father Duenas Memorial School in 
1968, he went on to earn both a bachelor's and master's degree in 
architecture from Iowa State University and the University of 
California Berkeley respectively, later emerging as part of the first 
generation of island-born architects from Guam. Establishing a 
respected career and professional record over the years, Andy 
registered as an architect in both California and Guam, obtained 
certification from the National Council of Architectural Registration 
Boards, and navigated many professional opportunities at the 
culmination of his formal education. From 1975 to 1989, Andy assumed 
roles as Senior Project Designer and Vice President of Hellmuth, Obata, 
Kassabaum Architects in San Francisco. He then returned home to serve 
as Principal and Partner of Martin, Cristobal, Laguana Architects then 
Architects Laguana & Cristobal, LLC, and finally, as Principal and 
Owner of Architects Laguana from 2009 until the date of his passing on 
July 14, 2022.
  With over 45 years of experience, Andy's creativity and contributions 
reached far and wide--spanning the entirety of our island and region, 
and impacting populations across the Pacific. Over the decades, his 
demonstrated focus on large-scale government, office, and commercial 
building projects catalyzed the realization of remarkable architectural 
achievements including the new construction, renovation, and 
revitalization of John F. Kennedy High School, the Southern Regional 
Community Health Center, Saint Fidelis Friary, the GWA Compliance 
Laboratory, Farmers' Cooperative Facility and relocation of the Flea 
Market, our capital city of Hagatna, Cathedral, University of Guam, and 
the prominent Guam Museum. His leadership informed and defines our 
island's building environment through years of hands-on guidance to 
other professionals in his field, advocacy to update Guam's Building 
Code and adopt the International Conference of Building Officials 
(ICBO) International Code, and tireless commitment to honoring unique 
aspects of our indigenous culture. More specifically, Andy played a key 
role in both the preservation of endangered sites and promotion of 
ethnography and oral history projects.
  A longstanding pillar in our community, Andy further served in 
numerous organizational capacities as chairman of the Guam Preservation 
Trust and Guam Historic Preservation Review Board, member and chairman 
of the Professional Engineers, Architects, and Land Surveyors (PEALS) 
Board, member of the University of Guam Board of Regents, 
representative of the National Architectural Accrediting Board 
Accreditation Team, and board member of the Young Men's League (YML) of 
Guam. His invaluable personal and professional accomplishments have 
also earned him several prestigious awards and recognitions ranging 
from being the first recipient of the AIA Guam and Micronesia Chapter's 
Scholarship to attend the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design 
to obtaining the Most Outstanding Cultural Tourism Project Award from 
the Guam Visitors Bureau, Winning Finn of Design Competition for the 
Guam Museum, YML 2008 Member of the Year Award, 2010 PEALS Board Golden 
Jubilee Achievement, 2010 Guam Chamber of Commerce Na' La' Bonita Guam 
Award, a Western Conference of Architectural Registration Boards 
laudatory resolution, and the Governor's Award.
  Andrew ``Andy'' Tenorio Laguana is an icon of service and ingenuity 
who continues to inspire generations of rising architects, local 
community leaders, and global citizens altogether. He did not simply 
make history as the first CHamoru to be elevated to the status of 
Fellow by the American Institute of Architects and first Guam architect 
to chair Region 6 of the National Council of Architectural Registration 
Boards, he left a lasting mark on it by quite literally cementing 
identity and culture into the projects he pursued. My family and I wish 
to extend our hearts and prayers for Andy; his wife, Joanne; their 
daughters, Jerusa and Drew Ann; and the rest of their family and 
friends, and I join the people of Guam in remembering and celebrating 
his life and legacy of directing one's knowledge, skills, and passions 
toward uplifting and responding to the needs of their community. Andy 
will be dearly missed, and his love and memories will forever remain in 
the hearts of the people of Guam.

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