LOCAL historian, author and educator Samuel F. McPhetres passed away at 8 p.m., Saturday at the Commonwealth Health Center. He was 82.
Northern Marianas College President Galvin S. Deleon Guerrero issued the following statement Sunday:
“The NMC Proa Community is deeply saddened by the passing of Sam McPhetres, who taught at the college for nearly three decades and whose contributions to the institution have been extraordinary. Thousands of students have been guided, inspired, and educated by Mr. McPhetres, and his colleagues at the college have looked to him for his advice and counsel. His research and work in Marianas and Pacific history have also been widely lauded and recognized.
“We express our condolences to Sam’s family and will make other announcements later this week about how the college will be honoring his memory.”
Education Commissioner Alfred B. Ada, in a telephone interview, said McPhetres “used his skills and knowledge in education to open the minds of young adults about government and how they were destined to make changes to their community. He paved the way for research with a community perspective. He was a true educator.”
McPhetres had a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California Santa Barbara, and master’s degree in international relations from the Centre Europeén d’Études Superieures in Nancy, France.
He was the Peace Corps director in Truk now known as Chuuk and was the Trust Territory archivist and coordinator for international organizations.
He was also the co-author of “History of Palau” and a civics textbook, “Citizenship and Self-Government in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, USA.” In addition, he was bureau chief of the Micronesian News Service and editor of the Micronesian Reporter.
A recipient of the Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities Award, he taught political science and history at NMC and was a former president of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce.
Samuel F. McPhetres
