Best of the Marianas

This photo of the “Pan” family of Saipan taken in the early 1960s. The businesses of the “Pan” family helped in the reconstruction and recovery phase of Saipan following the devastation of Second World War. Maria Juliana Tenorio Deleon Guerrero, fondly called Tan Marikita, was a pillar to Herman De…

Herman and Maria Deleon Guerrero’s children are now responsible for protecting – and growing – the rich legacy of Herman’s Modern Bakery. The family company grew into a leading bakery service provider it is today in Micronesia, with the Guerrero children embracing various roles. Because of the chil…

This is a 1940s photo of the bakery in Chalan Kanoa during the U.S. Naval administration after the Second World War. From being paid $20 a month to bake bread for the people of Saipan including U.S. soldiers during the Liberation of Saipan in 1944, the U.S. Navy realized Tun Herman Pan was a talent…

At the first location in Chalan Kanoa, Herman Jose’s younger brother, Jose Pepi Deleon Guerrero is seen working in the bakery. Tun Herman Pan’s unifying role was also because he had his brothers next to him, Pepi and Juan ‘Tun Juan’ Delos Reyes Deleon Guerrero, the oldest (not in photo). The siblin…

Taken on August 1934 in Tokyo, Japan. This is a photo of the young Herman Jose, standing right, along with Saipan residents, from left, Antonio Diaz, Francis Diaz, and Naoki. Herman Jose R. Guerrero was employed at Nakamura Store and was sent to Japan for training. The Northern Marianas was part of…

A quiet Chalan Kanoa as seen in this post-War photo. As wartime recovery continued on, the Naval administration helped Tun Herman Pan’s operation expand by supporting its business. With Herman’s as the first locally owned business to open, it breathed a new life into the community. Residents woke u…