The Life Of Madeleine
Posted by Michelle Moquin on October 26th, 2010
Good morning!
And I’m not talking about Earthling girl Madaline.
This is for my friends in Guam. It might be yesterday’s news to you, but it is just came across my plate a few days ago.
The life of Madeleine: Book retells story of iconic local figure
First ladies: Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo (right) takes a moment to take a photo with First Lady Joann Camacho at a Sept. 26 book signing for Bordallo’s new book.
Since moving to Guam as a teenager in the 1940s, Madeleine Z. Bordallo has always caught people’s gazes. At first it was for her looks and keen fashion sense, and in later years it was for her accomplishments as an island leader.
The life and times of Guam’s Congressional delegate are celebrated in the newly published book, “Madeleine: A Tribute in Photographs.”
Nostalgic photos of Bordallo as a smiling baby, black-and-white pictures where she resembles a beautiful Hollywood starlet, and pictures of the many people she has met and accomplishments she has achieved fill the 180-page coffee table book.
Bordallo has worked hard and earned the love and respect of the people of Guam, all while managing to be the picture of perfection. Not a single hair is out of place in any of the photos in her book, which contains more than 250 pictures of Bordallo alongside some of the greatest influences in her life.
The book is a “candid portrayal of Madeleine’s life including her family, friends and the activities in which she participated,” Joaquin Perez, her senior policy adviser, wrote in the book’s forward. Bordallo is currently running unopposed for another term as Guam’s Congressional delegate.
The book, published by Bordallo’s niece Kathleen Phillips Aguon, is dedicated to the people of Guam. Photos chronicle Bordallo growing up on the island, and holding government positions of senator, first lady, lieutenant governor and Guam delegate to the United States Congress. The book shows a living history of the island through Bordallo’s life, and how she has served the people of Guam the last 30 years.
Bordallo and Aguon sat down with Pacific Sunday News at a book signing on Sept. 26, to discuss the book and what it means to them.
“I wanted it to be biographical and meaningful, and would speak volumes, as they say,” says Aguon. Aguon spent months in her aunt’s office, going through thousands of photos, scanning them for the book.
Instead of using words to tell Bordallo’s story, Aguon preferred the use of photos because a picture brings back personal memories, but it doesn’t reveal the memories of other people at the same moment, she says. Everyone can look at the photo and reminisce.
“A picture is worth a thousand words. That’s where I was going with it, really,” says Aguon.
“Photos capture the time and moment without spoiling it with someone’s recollection.”
Picture Perfect
Page after page of the book, Bordallo is glamorous and graceful in every photo. Her hair is perfectly styled and her outfits rival those of top fashionistas.
“Well in my line of duty, I feel that it’s important … when you travel — you’re a member of Congress and you meet a lot of people — that you look presentable,” Bordallo says.
“And I’ve always been very interested in fashion. I like to dress up and look good.”
Bordallo’s mother also owned dress shops when she was younger, and she says that is where her fashion influence came from. She also did a bit of modeling in her younger days.
“Way back, many years ago,” Bordallo says.
This interest in fashion and beauty also led to her forming the Miss Guam World Pageant, which continues today.
“I do get casual once in a while with jeans and sweatshirts,” Bordallo says, but when asked what her secret to perfection was, she simply mentioned she loved perfume and used Lancôme products on her face.
The secret to her beehive is staying with her, though.
“I thought, did I really look like that? Did I really do those beehive hairdos and all the others?” she says with a laugh. “I’ve come a long way and I guess I look a little better now than I did back then.”
On That Road
“I always tell people, if you do have your mind set on certain careers, as you go, your path may change,” says Bordallo.
“Depending on who you love, who you marry, the circumstances that surround you may get you into something that you never dreamed, so take whatever course come your way and go for it.”
Bordallo’s path has taken her all over the world, but this was a path she never saw coming. Things changed when she got married.
“I married a politician,” she says.
Bordallo had her hopes set on a career in music. She went to college to study voice. But after she met her late husband, the late Gov. Ricky Bordallo, and said her vows, “I went from music to politics to Guam.”
“I would say today, this is my passion, … being able to work for the people of Guam to give them a better life,” Bordallo says.
“The challenges in Washington are great for me right now, and I continue to try to help the people in any way I can.”
Making The Book
When Aguon first tried to talk to Bordallo about doing a book about her, Bordallo says she tried to discourage her.
“I thought that she would have to interview me about my life, and I wasn’t really prepared for that,” she says.
But Aguon was rather insistent, and when she explained it would be a book of photographs, Bordallo agreed.
“I’ve grown up with her, … and I saw her every day, just impeccable, gorgeous, glamorous. Every little girl wants to be like auntie Madeleine,” says Aguon.
“She reminds me of Princess Diana and Hollywood celebrities, an iconic figure that’s a hard worker and still like everybody else. So why shouldn’t there be a book about her?”
A Local Heart
One of the best things about her aunt is, “People can relate to her as a local,” Aguon says.
Guam is Bordallo’s home, and she says one of her favorite things about the book is that it shows how many years she’s been on Guam.
“I moved here when I was about 14 years old, and lived here ever since. Some of the younger people don’t realize that I grew up here, Bordallo says.
“This way they can see, these pictures take us back. … I’m very proud to be a part of Guam.”
One adoring supporter of Bordallo bought her book, asked Delegate Bordallo to sign it, then had the book resealed in order to preserve it.
First lady Joann Camacho, who attended the book signing on Sept. 26, says she really looks up to Bordallo.
“She does her all for the people of Guam,” Camacho says. “She’s local in her heart and she loves her island. She’s also a mentor to myself since she has been a first lady. She is one woman who is very elegant with class. Someone that we should all be proud of, and who we’re very blessed with.”
Readers: I didn’t address Bordallo in my Wonderful Women Of The World series, but she certainly deserves the title. Comments? Thoughts? Blog me.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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October 26th, 2010 at 9:14 am
She is definitely noteworthy, great article about her, would love to see that book. Off to the gym, hard drive being retrieved so I’m computerless for a few days, I’m lost without my large addressbook : ( – ZL
October 26th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Free Money to Go Back to School
Gen Tenabe
SuperCollege
When the going gets tough, many adults go back to school.
With unemployment rising and industries shrinking, workers are finding that they need to boost their skills, retool their careers and, in some cases, start over — and that means heading back to the classroom.
These days, adults have more educational options than ever. College admissions officers tell me that in the last 12 to 18 months, they have seen an explosion in the number of applicants over age 35.
At the same time, retraining programs for adults, which help those who are unemployed learn new skills needed to return to work, are cropping up at community colleges, community centers and even on the Internet.
Problem: The need for more education hits when many people, especially those who have lost their jobs, have the most trouble bearing the cost of tuition.
Here’s how to pay for the training you need…
GO FOR THE FREE MONEY
Scholarships aren’t just for teens — they defray adults’ tuition bills, too. For most scholarships, there are no age limitations.
That means you’re eligible for much of the same free money that high school seniors are hunting for! There also are both need- and merit-based scholarships specifically for adults. To find money…
Search the Internet. Free Web sites to search for scholarships include FastWeb.com and SuperCollege.com, the site my wife and I founded.
Once you find a scholarship for which you might be eligible, contact the sponsoring organization for details on how to apply and deadlines.
Many colleges and universities also offer scholarships specifically for adults who are returning to school. A visit to the college or university’s Web site will provide a list of the available scholarships.
Check out professional organizations. Adults have the advantage when it comes to applying for scholarships and grants through professional and trade associations.
Unlike teens going off to college who have no idea what they are going to do, adult students usually know exactly why they’re going back to school and can easily show the commitment that these groups look for.
Start with the local trade and professional associations in your area to see if they offer scholarships.
Example: Members of the Kentucky Farm Bureau, an organization of farm families, are eligible for a variety of grants. The San Diego Foundation offers several scholarships for adults.
Also look into national organizations.
Example: The American Association of University Women Educational Foundation offers a grant of $2,000 to $12,000 to college-educated women who want to advance or change their careers or reenter the workforce.
FILL OUT THE FAFSA
The only way you can determine if you qualify for need-based aid from the institution that you’ll be attending and/or for federal loans is to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which schools use to determine a student’s financial need. For more information, visit http://www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Almost everyone qualifies for some kind of federal loan, so it’s worth doing the paperwork.
New: Federal guidelines are now making it easier to repay federal student loans.
Important: Federal student loans usually carry lower interest rates than those from private lenders, such as banks.
And because they are guaranteed by the federal government, your credit rating won’t be taken into consideration — a potential plus in these troubled times.
Note that this year’s FAFSA contains a new question about whether the student is a “dislocated worker” (someone who has been laid off, for example), which may help you qualify for more aid.
MONEY FROM YOUR STATE
Your state may provide grants for state-sponsored retraining classes and other skill-building programs. States that have been hardest hit by the recession tend to have the most active and generous programs.
Example: In Michigan’s displaced workers program, participants are given up to $5,000 annually to cover tuition and other costs.
Best sources: Go to http://www.careeronestop.org. Sponsored by the US Department of Labor, it has links to all of the state retraining programs and new information for workers looking for “reemployment.”
Also, to help unemployed adults who are returning to college, the Obama administration has created a new Web site, http://www.opportunity.gov, which includes information about paying for college.
MONEY FROM YOUR EMPLOYER
Tuition assistance from your employer is a huge benefit for workers who qualify. Often the employee must show how the educational program will improve his/her job performance.
Examples: McDonald’s and Starbucks offer generous tuition assistance to both part- and full-time employees.
“LIFE CREDIT”
The fewer classes you have to take, the less you’ll pay in tuition. Schools routinely waive requirements for certain classes if you can show that your previous professional background or life experience taught you material similar to the course’s curriculum.
An accountant seeking advanced training, for instance, might be able to skip basic finance courses.
There are several types of standardized exams, including the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), available through the College Board (www.collegeboard.com), which tests you on, and gives you credit for, knowledge that you already have.
Schools don’t use any set formula to assign such credit, so you need to work closely with the admissions officer to determine what’s best for you.
Personal interviewed Gen Tenabe, coauthor with his wife, Kelly, of 501 Ways for Adult Students to Pay for College (SuperCollege).
He is cofounder of SuperCollege, which offers resources and tools for college-bound students of all ages. He lives in Belmont, California.
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