Patrons

A large part of the University of Guam Endowment Foundation’s Mission is to cultivate and adhere to the wishes of our generous donors. Our Patrons and Donors come from all walks of life with different values. The one thing they all have in common is their dedication to philanthropy and enhancing the legacy of the University of Guam.

Take some time to read about our amazing donors and how they were inspired to give back to the University of Guam.

About Our Scholarships and Their Patrons

A core tenet of the UOG Endowment Foundation’s mission is to enhance the experience of the University of Guam. A major component of this is through the stewardship of donor support. One way that our donors directly impact student life is through the establishment of scholarships. Our generous donors come from all walks of life and are looking to foster a new generation’s development into their relevant fields of study. Please take some time to read about the rich history of our scholarships and our donors who established them.

Akira Baba Memorial Scholarship

Akira “Mike” Baba was a beloved, husband, father, grandfather, respected member of the business community, great friend of the University of Guam and the UOG Endowment Foundation.

Originally from Nagoya, Japan, Mr. Baba came to Guam in 1967 & established a family of hospitality companies under the Baba Corporation. Mr. Baba’s love of adventure—scuba diving, travelling, photography—inspired Baba Corporation’s ethos of hospitality and exceptional tourism services.

Akira Baba was an avid and enduring supporter of the University of Guam during his lifetime. His family established the Akira Baba Memorial Scholarship to honor his giving legacy. Reflecting the hospitable spirit of Baba Corporation’s founder, the scholarship aims to assist students pursuing tourism, hospitality, and marine biology.

More Like Jimmy” Scholarship

In memory of Jimmy Hall.

There are few people as passionate about sharks as was Jimmy Hall. This scholarship was founded in his honor to pass on the spirit of curiosity and excitement for sharks and their world. Jimmy inspired countless people with his energy, enthusiasm, and infectious personality.

Jimmy died in 2007 during one of his many great adventures, a BASE jumping expedition to Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. His unwavering hunger for life and sense of adventure left most who met him striving to be “More Like Jimmy”.

Christine P. Lewis Memorial Fund

Christine P. Lewis co-founded the Cancer Center of Guam; Guam’s premier and oldest cancer center. She served as a Manager and Emeritus Director. Christine provided support to many cancer patients and families on Guam and helped them navigate through some of the most tumultuous and taxing times of their lives. 

Christine, herself, battled cancer for over twenty years. She was able to empathize and commiserate with patients and family members in ways no one else could because she understood the illness intimately. 

Despite suffering near constant pain and deteriorating health, she continued to be a beacon of hope for others with her warmth and unbelievable smile. 

On July 10, 2020, Christine passed away at the Cancer Center of Guam surrounded by her loved ones. The Memorial Fund was established to honor her last wishes to give back to the people of Guam.

The Sylvia Blas Mendiola Scholarship for Mothers

Sylvia Blas Mendiola was born on Guam during World War II. An Air Force wife, retired Guam Community College, and a loving mother of three, she sacrificed to give her children opportunities to pursue their dreams. She was a hard worker, contributor to the Santa Teresita Church and numerous civic organizations including the Young Men’s League of Guam Ladies Auxiliary.

Sylvia passed away in January of 2020 Her children and grandchild established this scholarship in her honor so that busy working moms may have the opportunity to pursue their dreams while taking care of their families. 

Being a mother is a full-time job as it is, this scholarship seeks to empower mothers who are seeking to complete their degree and who contribute to the University of Guam Community. The scholarship hopes to ease some of the anxiety and financial burdens of school and allow moms to focus on what matters most–family.

Sylvia Blas Mendiola Image
Kurt S. Moylan Image

The Kurt S. Moylan
Foundation Scholarships

The KSM Foundation is a tribute to Kurt S. Moylan, Guam’s first elected Lt. Governor of Guam. A prolific public figure and celebrated businessman, he had long served the people of Guam through his service as an elected official as well as through the establishment of the Moylan family companies–Moylan’s Insurance Underwriters, Inc., NetCare Life and Health Insurance Company, FirstNet Insurance Company, MoyCommunications, Inc., Equitable Adjusting and Service Co., and Colonial Investment Company, Inc. Kurt Moylan was known for his tireless work ethic, vision, and leadership.

To honor his legacy, the KSM Foundation Scholarships aim to cultivate Guam’s future business leaders. The scholarships are open to Business Administration majors who can demonstrate their vision for a better Guam through a 500-word essay.

Cerila M. Rapadas Scholarship

Cerila M. Rapadas worked tirelessly along with social workers and other social service caregivers at Catholic Social Service for over twenty years. A revered mentor to her co-workers, she and the fine folks at Catholic Social Service provided respectful and dignified care to hundreds of clients who were in need of basic humanitarian attention and love.

Mrs. Rapadas and her family offer this scholarship to help aid future social services professionals in their education and development to eventually choose to serve Guam’s most needy and vulnerable people.

Cerila M. Rapadas Image
Karri T. Perez Image

Karri Perez
Entrepreneurial Scholarship

The entire UOG family mourns the passing of Dr. Karri Trahin Perez, a beloved professor at the School of Business and Public Administration. We are grateful for her devotion to her students, and she will be deeply missed.

Her family has expressed a desire to establish the Karri Perez Entrepreneurial Scholarship Fund in loving memory of Dr. Perez and her work. Family and friends may make a contribution here to go towards funding this scholarship.

The John F. Kennedy High School Class of 1969 Scholarship

The JFK Class of 1969 established the scholarship to give back to their beloved school. Many of the Class of ’69 attended and graduated from the University of Guam. They eventually went on to work in different facets of the private and government sectors, including education, law, banking, business, health, social services, and the military. Their intention is to provide annual scholarships for graduating JFK high school students who need financial assistance in their pursuit of higher education.

The Frederick J. Horecky
Scholarship

Attorney Fred Horecky is an active member in our island business community. Practicing law for over three decades, he is the the proprietor and managing attorney at his law firm, The Law Offices of Horecky & Associates.

Mr. Horecky established this scholarship to give back to our island community and to help alleviate some of the financial burdens associated with obtaining higher education.


James A. Marsh Jr.
Scholarship in Marine Biology or Water Resources

James A. Marsh Jr. is a storied professor, Emeritus Director of the Marine Lab, and Emeritus Dean of the Office of Graduate School and Research. Dr. Marsh arrived in Guam in 1970 when the Marine Lab was still under construction and has since dedicated his life to studying reefs in Guam and Micronesia.  

Throughout his prolific career, Dr. Marsh has seen the lab and the university grow exponentially from a ragtag group of professors and researchers to an internationally renowned institution.

Dr. Marsh started this scholarship to give back to the island and to UOG. He especially hopes to encourage and support graduate students in pursuing thesis research to not only further their educational journey but contribute to an appreciation and understanding of the environment and resources of Guam and Micronesia. 

Dr. Charles Parent Nursing Scholarship

Charles Henri Parent, MD recognized the importance for patients receiving medical care to have nurses and practitioners that can relay medical information in their language and with the same cultural reverence to allow the patient to be at ease. As a Guam physician, he witnessed the positive curative value that nurses from Micronesia can have with other Micronesian patients that don’t speak English and had never previously travelled from their home islands in Micronesia before.

He worked as a physician at the Guam Public Health and FHP clinic for over 25 years and was a qualified surgeon. He passed away in Guam on November 6, 2007.

He is warmly remembered for his human kindness, calming bedside manner, and his medical expertise.

Darlene R. Moore Scholarship to Support Anthropology, Archaeology & the Humanities A.

Darlene R. Moore was the mother of RCUOG Executive Director Cathleen Moore-Linn. She was a UOG alumna earning her bachelor of arts in anthropology in 1979 and a master of arts in behavioral sciences in 1984. The title of her 1983 master’s thesis is “Measuring change in Marianas pottery: The sequence of pottery production at Tarague, Guam.” She was named a Distinguished Alumna in 2013.

She and her colleagues at Micronesian Archaeological Research Services (MARS) conducted approximately 150 excavations in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. She also worked on the island of Yap.

Ms. Moore’s specialty was in pre-contact ceramics of the CHamoru people. She became the world’s foremost expert in that subject. She also studied and wrote about the harvesting and planting of native and introduced plants in the Mariana Islands.

The Darlene R. Moore Scholarship to support UOG Anthropology/Archaeology majors has been established at the UOG Endowment Foundation.

Emeritus Scholarship

The Society of Emeritus Professors and Retired Scholars (SEPRS) utilizes retired personnel in the areas of teaching, research, professional and public services to promote the continued growth and increase the productivity of the University, to restore and preserve its history, and to honor those leaders who have made the institution what it is today.

James and Young Hee Ji Scholarships

James Ji and his wife, Young Hee Ji, are prominent members of Guam’s business and sports community.

Through their success as proprietors of James Ji Enterprise and JDK Construction, they created the James Ji Foundation. This has become a conduit for their philanthropic gifts. Over the years, they have contributed to many causes in support of two endowed student scholarships through the UOG Endowment Foundation, Lupus Awareness Group of Guam, St. Anthony Catholic School, Philippines typhoon relief, and sheltering homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

James Ji served as a taekwondo instructor at UOG in the 1970s. In 2013, he served as president of the Federation of Asian and Pacific People of Guam. He was also president of the Guam Table Tennis Federation.

He went on to start the James Ji Taekwondo Academy, formerly known as the Guam Taekwondo Federation. He continues to share his passion for the sport, stating that the “can do” spirit of taekwondo teaches students valuable life skills to be successful.

Priscilla C.T. Perez Scholarship

Priscilla Cruz Toves Perez was born on Guam just before World War II and was one of 12 children of Pedro T. Toves and Maria I. Cruz Toves, Anigua, Guam. She was an active military wife, and a devoted, discerning, hardworking, and loving mother of seven.

In addition to being a wife and mother, she worked as a sales/home decorator with one of the major national retail department stores and gained added interpersonal relationships with key colleagues and retail customers of varying backgrounds. She enjoyed decorating, floral arranging, and hosting family and social gatherings. She spoke CHamoru (Chamorro) as her first language and was especially proud of her cultural heritage and Guam History.

She was a teacher of over 30 years having worked for the Guam Public School System and the Academy of Our Lady of Guam. As a teacher, she drew on her personal experiences throughout the family’s military tours within the communities of the Midwest, Southern, and Eastern states and overseas in Europe. She connected well with Middle & High School students, school staffs, and with administrators, initiated special program support from available federal grants for all students, including non-English speaking ones. Her penchant dedication for diligent learning of students was her perceptive application of innovative regard of the essence of encouragement and determination, knowledge of subject and relationship of respect with each other and each other’s cultures, as well as potentials for their future endeavors. She visibly cared reaching out to the educational needs and potentials of the student and of her institution’s goals, too.

The call to become a teacher was her special personal outlook of dire needs of young peoples to be a part of the People in the World with themselves. To assist them to be well aware and stay focus, and to knowingly be prepared to make whatever the future action to survive, for themselves and their families. Her family established this scholarship to honor her and her deep commitment to teaching while celebrating cultural diversity and instilling hopes of future legacies in the students with the World.

The RosaLee Standard English Scholarship

Dr. Rosa Garrido Roberto Carter (1929-2010) served from 1977 to 1983 as the University of Guam’s 4th president and its first female president. One of the first CHamoru women to receive a doctoral degree, Dr. Carter, a life-long educator, taught at both public and private schools. She served the university as a professor and also as Registrar, Admissions Officer, Director of Registration, Financial Aid Officer, and Dean of Students. Beyond academia, she was part of Governor Manuel Guerrero’s Youth Council, the Government of Guam Retirement Board, and the Guam Community College Board of Trustees, among others. She received a number of awards including induction into the Guam Educators’ Hall of Fame (Guampedia and UOG Board of Regents Resolution No. 10-18).

Dr. Lee D. Carter served the University of Guam in various capacities as Professor of Sociology, Assistant to the Academic Vice-President, and as Assistant to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He also served in leadership of his sociology department, on the University Academic Affairs Committee, and in 1976 the founding Tenure Committee. In 1997, through the Micronesian Area Research Center he published volume one of Guam History: Perspectives, and then in 2005 volume 2.

Skip to content