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“TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE ANTONIO CRUZ CRUZ” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E393 on March 10, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE ANTONIO CRUZ CRUZ
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HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD
of guam
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, March 10, 1999
Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, January 29, 1999, the island of Guam lost one of its most prominent legislators. The Honorable Antonio Cruz Cruz passed away at the age of 86.
A member of the House of Assembly during the days of the Guam Congress and an eight-term member of the Guam Legislature, the late Senator Cruz was one of the most honored and active members of the Democratic Party on Guam. Better known as ``Ton Gaga,'' he was born in the city of Hagatna on May 21, 1912--the son of Maria Perez Cruz and Vicente Iglesias Franquez.
He attended the Guam Public High School and later worked as a clerk messenger for the Naval Government's Department of Public Works and the Bank of Guam in the late 1920's and early 1930's. After holding on the position of bookkeeper at the Bank of Guam for several years in the 1930's, he gained employment with the government serving in administrative capacities for a Refugee Camp in the mid-1940's, the Land Claims Commission, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, and the Federal Housing Administration.
Prior to being elected to the Guam Legislature, Senator Cruz served as a member of the pre-Organic Act Guam Congress and House of Assembly, serving from 1946 to 1950. He was elected to the Guam Legislature serving in the First through the Sixth legislatures. At the conclusion of the First Session of the Sixth Legislature, Senator Cruz opted to resign in order to fill the post of chief of the Department of Labor and Personnel's Retirement Division. Later that year, he was named assistant Director of the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority. He also served in the Ninth and Tenth Legislatures.
In the eight terms that he served in the Legislature, the late senator introduced and co-sponsored numerous bills focused on the issues of education. He was instrumental in establishing a student loan program, developing the Government of Guam retirement system, enhancing personnel benefits for government employees, and funding a number of community projects.
Taking time off his official duties, the former senator always made it a point to be an active member in the village of Barrigada. He served as Secretary for the Barrigada Democratic Party of Guam Precinct. In addition, he also served as Vice-President and Treasurer of the Holy Name Society at San Vicente Catholic Church.
The legacy he leaves behind includes over three decades of government service, of which twenty years were spent as Assemblyman and senator. I join his widow, the former Mercedes Garrido Camacho, and their children Julia, Joseph, David, John, Frank, and Edward in celebrating his accomplishment and mourning the loss of a dutiful husband, a loving father and fellow legislator. Adios Senator Cruz.
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