From left, David M. Sablan, Chailang T. Palacios and Marie C. Castro.
Photo by Lupe Borja-Robinson
THREE Saipan manamko’ — David M. Sablan, Marie C. Castro, and Chailang T. Palacios — each has contributed to the CNMI community in many ways. Sablan became 93 this year. Castro recently celebrated her 92nd birthday, and Palacios will be 84 this August.
After World War II, many Chamorros and Carolinians had to go off-island to continue their education, because before the war locals could only attend up to 5th grade.
After the war, Sablan went to Guam to complete his education. He stayed with Guamanian families while he attended school. He went to George Washington High School in Mongmong.
After Sablan graduated from high school, he married his classmate, Guadalupe L. Perez, and they were blessed with 4 children.
After high school graduation, he worked for Guam’s Atkins Kroll and Bank of Hawaii. He also joined the Guam Chamber of Commerce and the Guam Rotary Club.
While working on Guam, Sablan in 1964 received a job offer he couldn’t refuse: it was to start the Saipan branch of Atkins Kroll. So he returned to Saipan with his family in 1965. As manager of Saipan’s Atkins Kroll, Sablan helped develop the Saipan Chamber of Commerce then later the Saipan Rotary Club. His book, “A Degree of Success Through Curiosity” provides more details of his work and life experiences on Guam and Saipan.
Another senior citizen who has helped the CNMI community is Marie C. Castro. After serving many years as a teaching member of the Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz, Castro decided to leave the convent in Kansas City, Missouri. She stayed in Kansas City and worked for the public school system there. During her years in Kansas City, Castro wrote “Not a Penny in My Pocket,” which tells her life story of growing up on Saipan before World War II, and continuing her higher education in Kansas City, Missouri.
While teaching in the U. S., Castro started developing an interest about Amelia Earhart, the American aviator who supposedly vanished with her plane in the Pacific. When Castro returned to Saipan for good in the late 1980’s, she spoke to many locals who swear they saw Earhart before the war jailed by the Japanese.
Castro eventually formed a group on Saipan, Amelia Earhart Saipan Memorial Monument Inc. In 2017. The group is presently considering options of where to build the memorial to Amelia Earhart on Saipan.
Chailang Palacios, who will be 84 this August, also was a member of the Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz who taught on Saipan and Palau. Later, she left the convent, but helped the community in other ways. She obtained a master’s degree in public health from the University of Hawaii, and became a public health educator. She spoke to students and other young people in the Northern Marianas about the importance of a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle.
As a public health educator, Palacios emphasized that betel nut is addictive and chewing it increases the risk of oral cancer. Today Palacios follows a healthy diet and she stays active by meeting friends, gardening, and practicing tai chi.
