Herman’s Bakery celebrated its 75th Anniversary this year on October 26, 2019. The celebration was more than just a tribute to the longevity of the Bakery. It was a tribute to the legacy of Herman R. and Maria T. Guerrero whose lives embodied one of the seven works of Mercy, namely “to feed the hungry.” The fortuitous chain of events that made this possible were all part of God’s immeasurable plan for the people of these islands, and Herman and his wife Maria were His instruments.
Photo taken circa 1952
Before World War II, the young boy Herman became an apprentice at Shimada’s Bakery in Garapan. In this Japanese bakery, he learned the many skills required for bread making, that would later become a great blessing to the island. Then World War II broke out, and following the freedom that was won, the island was in dire need of food. The U.S. Armed forces needed someone with experience to bake bread. Gregorio Sablan (grandfather of Congressman Kilili) who was a community leader and respected elder, recommended his neighbor, Herman Guerrero to the U.S. Military since he knew that Herman had experience in baking. In 1944, with the help of the U.S. Military, Herman began to bake hundreds of loaves of bread a day, for the prisoners of war, the Armed Forces troops, and the people of Saipan. He literally furnished the daily bread for an entire island, so that despite the ravages of war, no one went hungry.
From this, blessings continued to follow Herman, when in 1945, the U.S. Navy handed him their baking equipment to open his own business. And with that treasure in hand, the island’s first bakery was born and the first local business began. Herman came to be called “Tun Herman Pan,” in the local community; pan meaning bread in Chamorro. He built that first bakery with surplus military materials in Chalan Kanoa and it remained there until 1979, when it moved to its present location on Tun Herman Pan Road, leading to the airport.
When Herman Pan opened that first bakery the original cost of a loaf of bread was 5 cents. Herman and his wife Maria were very generous, however, and still gave freely to those most in need. Maria or “Tan Marikita” as she is lovingly known, always had food to offer all who visited her home. This generosity overflowed from the home and bakery to the community and one of the recipients of their generosity was the Mercedarian Sisters. Jesus, Herman and Maria’s first born son, remembers that one day the Sisters called Herman and Maria to their convent in Chalan Kanoa. In gratitude for such generosity, the Mercedarian Sisters presented the Guerrero family with a beautiful statue of Our Lady of Fatima which today sits proudly in the home of Herman and Maria’s son, Herman “Jun Pan”. “My mother always loved that statue” says Jun.
Sister Antonieta Ada MMB, just a child when Herman’s Bakery opened in Chalan Kanoa, recalled the generosity of the family to the needy. She said she never forgot how they provided baked goods for the sisters for years without even asking. She believed that God had truly blessed the Guerrero family, because if someone needed help, they were always there. Herman’s son Juan, said that his dad always had a soft spot in his heart for the Mercedarians, who were a special part of his life. Jun remembers his mother’s words, “When the church asks for something, do not hesitate to give.”
Herman was not only a successful businessman but he was a man whose faith helped build the early church on Saipan. In the 1920’s he was an altar boy for Father Tardio, one of the early Jesuit priests on island. He also served as a sacristan. When he wanted to marry, the Japanese had taken control of all the churches. The original Mt. Carmel Church which was located in Garapan where Kristo Rai Church is today, was being used by the Japanese for storage. With no church available, the Mercedarian Sisters suggested the wedding take place in their chapel. On August 15, 1942, Herman Delos Reyes DeLeon Guerrero and Maria Camacho Tenorio, were united in matrimony at the Mercedarian Sisters’ Chapel in Garapan. Father Jose Tardio, S.J. whom he had served so well, presided at the ceremony. Herman and Maria remained grateful to the Mercedarian Sisters throughout the years for this kind gesture.
Something that is not spoken about much is the generous contribution the Guerrero’s made to the rebuilding of Mt. Carmel Church which was completely destroyed during the war. It was decided to build the new church in Chalan Kanoa and Herman and Maria, having the first local business on Saipan, were generous in their donations. Mt. Carmel Church was opened on December 14, 1949 and Herman and Maria’s son, Juan, was one of the first to be baptized in the new church.
The first petition in The Lord’s Prayer (The Our Father) is “give us this day our daily bread.” That petition was made real in the life of Herman and Maria Guerrero. Maria, the foundation of the family, the “glue” that held the family together nurtured and cared deeply for her family instilling in them the virtue of generosity. Herman was described by some as a great businessman, but his son Juan said that in a way he wasn’t tough enough. Whenever somebody he knew came for help, he never turned them away. He valued his friends more than money. Today, those friends are his business, because everyone in the Marianas region and throughout Micronesia, never leave the island without baked goods from Herman’s Bakery to take back to their respective islands. Their legacy continues to nourish us.
Sources:
Interview with Jesus and Herman (Jun) Guerrero – November 14, 2019
Interview with Herman (Jun) Guerrero – May 30, 2019
“Saipan’s Breadman” GUAM BUSINESS NEWS, July 1983.
Biography of Mr. Herman R. Guerrero, June 27, 1992.
