Like many sons, Felix Camacho followed in his late father’s footsteps. He attended Marquette University, earning a bachelor’s degree from the College of Business Administration in 1980, nearly 30 years after the elder Camacho, Carlos, graduated from the Marquette University School of Dentistry.
The parallels don’t stop there: both Camachos would go on to serve as governor of Guam, a U.S. island territory in Micronesia.
Felix Camacho left office in 2010; he now works in property development, but politics is still in his blood. He recently led his home territory’s delegation at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. He stepped away from the Fiserv Forum for a visit to campus, his first since he was awarded an honorary degree 20 years ago.
In a sit-down with Marquette Today, Camacho talked about his experience at the RNC, his tireless promotion of the university and how a Marquette education helped prepare him for a successful future.
Thank you for taking time out of your busy week to sit down with me. First off, how excited are you to be back in Milwaukee during the Republican National Convention? It’s not every day that you get to visit your alma mater and be at an event where all the eyes of the world are watching.
I couldn’t miss an opportunity like this one. I was selected as head of the Guam delegation where we have nine delegates who have voted for former President Trump. This is my fourth delegation and it’s been a real privilege and honor. To come back and reconnect with close friends of mine who still maintain residency here and on Guam — Dr. Joan Gill and her husband Peter — and to reconnect and be here at the university is quite exciting for me.
There’s a long political history in your family and many similarities between your story and your father, Carlos’ story. You’re both Marquette alums and both served as governor of Guam. What has that been like for you to follow so closely in your father’s footsteps? How did he inspire you?
My father was a real inspiration. When WWII broke out on Guam in 1941, he was a high school sophomore. The war ended in 1944, and he missed the last two years of high school. He befriended an American serviceman and people from the Catholic Church who were from the Midwest. They saw something in my father and encouraged him to pursue his education. Needing a way out, they helped him leave the island. After completing an entrance exam, he went to Aquinas College in Michigan and later Marquette Dental School where he graduated in 1954. He made his way back to Guam and opened a dental practice. He was later drafted into the Army during the Korean War era stationed in Japan. After the war, he returned to Guam and continued being a dentist. He became one of the founding members of the Republican Party of Guam. That led to Richard Nixon appointing my father as governor of Guam in 1969.
You served two terms as Governor of Guam (2003-10) and faced many challenges during that period, including managing typhoon recovery efforts and preparing for military buildups. In what ways did Marquette prepare you for leading in difficult situations?
You must understand that coming from the western Pacific it takes seven hours to fly from Guam to Honolulu, another five hours from Honolulu to Los Angeles, then maybe four and a half hours or five hours to get out here. Transitioning from an isolated island, coming into a Midwest city, a tropical environment into a Midwest town like this — it required a lot of adjustment.
Dealing with distance, changing of culture, overcoming adversity and challenges, I think was very critical for me. I could have easily gone to the West Coast, but I wanted something different, and I wanted to follow my father’s path. Marquette did prepare me well for challenges.
Throughout your career, you have been a tireless promoter of Marquette University in Guam. As a result, dozens of talented Guamanian students have traveled halfway around the globe to pursue their studies here at Marquette. How do you encourage students in Guam to attend Marquette?
Well, I think that myself, Chief Judge of the District Court of Guam Francis Gatewood, Peter Camacho as a hospital administrator and many others have been very successful people in our island community. They are looked up to and have set an example. A friend of mine and his daughter had a graduation party, and I noticed that she had received all the Marquette promotional materials. I thanked her for choosing Marquette. When children are high school students, I encourage them to please consider Marquette University.
Why has it been so important for you to give back to your alma mater and provide a pathway for future generations in Guam to have the same experience as you did?
When you look at our island, it is 90% Catholic. I think it’s important that we encourage these kids so that they can get out of an environment that they’re used to and try something different. If they decide to come back, then come back. If not, then I tell them to do their best in the world.
