On the recordJune 16, 2010
Some families have an out-size influence in their community. With 12 children, 40 grandchildren, 30 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren, Manuel Seman and Luise Pangelinan Villagomez have clearly had an impact. But their influence was more than numerical. The Villagomezes were among the first great entrepreneurs to emerge from the ashes of World War II in the Northern Mariana Islands. Manny's family had farmed and fished, selling their produce to Japanese retail stores before the war. But afterwards Manny and Luise became business people themselves. They began with a small grocery store in Chalan Kanoa, then added a second in Garapan. They invested in real estate, went into construction, sold scrap and grew their fortunes. They invested, too, in their children's education, though they had only a sixth grade and third grade education between them. And they taught their children business, bringing them into the stores at an early age. Luise passed away, surrounded by loved ones, at the Kiyu compound in Fina Sisu a few years ago. But Manny Villagomez lives on, farming as he did as a child, still traveling occasionally, satisfied with the fruits of a life of hard work and devotion to family and faith.
