[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14275]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE LIFE OF GUAM'S FIRST CHAMORRO TERRITORIAL LIBRARIAN: 
                  MAGDALENA ``MAGGIE'' SANTOS TAITANO

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 24, 2004

  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of 
Magdalena ``Maggie'' Santos Taitano, Familian Oncho, who passed away on 
June 17, 2004. I also extend my deepest sympathies and prayers to her 
family and friends.
  Maggie was born on July 1, 1928. She was married to the late Guam 
Senator Richard Flores Taitano, and was mother to Taling Maria, Richard 
Jr., John Joseph, and Carmen Teresita. She was also a grandmother, 
great-grandmother, wife, sister, auntie, godmother, and friend. A 
devoted mother and wife, Maggie was also a religious person who 
demonstrated her commitment to her community through her involvement in 
various civic organizations. She was active politically as well, and 
recognized the importance of protecting Guam's heritage and history for 
future generations.
  This belief was reflected in her passion for the library sciences, an 
interest Maggie first developed while working in a library while still 
in high school. After graduating from George Washington High School in 
1950, Maggie began working as a library assistant at the Guam Public 
Library. From there, Maggie pursued higher education, receiving a full 
scholarship to attend Mount Mary's Catholic College in Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin, where she received her Bachelor's in business 
administration. She continued her studies at Texas Women's University 
in Denton, Texas, becoming the first Chamorro to earn a Master's degree 
in library sciences.
  Maggie then returned home to begin a distinguished career in service 
to the people of Guam. In 1960, she became the first Chamorro 
Territorial Librarian of the Guam Public Library--later renamed the 
Nieves M. Flores Memorial Library. Some of her achievements included 
instituting the Summer Reading Program, the Saturday Storytelling 
Program, the Pacific Area Collections, and making the library more 
accessible to the community. Although Maggie retired in 1987, she could 
not stay away from the library for long, returning to serve part-time 
at the University of Guam's Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Library. She 
later transferred to the Micronesian Area Research Center (MARC) where 
she had a prominent role in putting together the papers of public 
officials, including those of my husband, the late Governor Ricardo 
Bordallo. It was fitting that in 1997, MARC was renamed the Richard F. 
Taitano Research Center in honor of the institution's creator, her late 
husband.
  I have been blessed to also call Maggie a friend. We first knew each 
other in high school, and I was honored to be Godmother to her daughter 
Carmencita. Our husbands were also running mates in the 1970 
Gubernatorial election, running on the slogan ``A New Day for Guam.'' I 
am deeply saddened by Maggie's passing, but know that she has left 
behind a legacy that will be treasured for generations to come.

                          ____________________