Rose Parade prompts family to revisit NMI

Carmen Gaskins was about seven years old when she met the Moormans—a couple with two very young children—in the early 1950s.

Her mother, Rita Cabrera Castro, she said, used to baby sit Moorman’s two little girls: 15-month old Jane and two-year old Cicely.

“I’m very fond of them. They’re so cute and I would play with them while they’re with my mom,” Gaskins recalled.

But their close family ties ended after two years when the Moormans went back to the U.S. mainland. Only fond memories held the two families together for years.

No communication whatsoever took place between the two families until lately when the Moormans saw the CNMI’s float entry in this year’s Rose Parade in Pasadena.

The Moormans’ longing to see Saipan and locate Carmen’s family rushed back, and this time, they had people—float parade representatives—to seek help from.

One step led to another, and finally, the Moormans were able to contact Carmen, leading to their revisiting the islands during last month’s 60th anniversary of the Battles of Saipan and Tinian.

“We’re so excited to come back. I love Saipan!” said the family’s amiable matriarch, 80-year old Priscilla Moorman in an interview.

Priscilla traveled to Saipan and Tinian with her two daughters Jane and Cicely and son-in-law Ken Powell.

Priscilla’s husband, Dr. Henry D. Moorman, who was assigned on Tinian in the 50’s as a surgeon specializing in leprosy, died in 1967 at 48.

The Moormans had two other children who could not make it to the trip to Saipan.

“I didn’t expect that the island is so preserved. It’s really beautiful. I was a baby when I was here, but my expectation of the islands was not as better as what I’ve seen now,” said Jane.

She recalled that the family kept pictures of Saipan, especially of her dad while fishing. “My father loved Saipan because of fishing. There are more pictures of my father with fish than with the family,” she quipped.

She said her parents truly enjoyed their island adventure.

“They even went to Northern Islands! Every time they travel and go off-island, we’re left to the care of Carmen’s mother,” she said.

The children and their mom had stayed on Saipan during their father’s stint on Tinian.

“We lived in that area which is now occupied by a hotel [Grand Hotel]. The place is very different now,” said Priscilla.

She said that during her stay on Saipan, she spent her time doing volunteer work such as teaching music at the Navy Independent School.

Life on Saipan at that time, she said, was filled with gatherings. “We’re invited to a lot of parties,” she recalled.

“Carmen’s mom took care of my children whenever I was out,” she said. “Now, I couldn’t recognize her [Carmen].”

Meantime, Jane said she ran to her mom’s house on New Year’s Day when she saw the CNMI’s float entry in the parade.

“I told her, mom, you should see this. She can’t believe it. It’s the first time for Saipan to join the parade, and it was just exhilarating to see it. The float was like no other. It had fresh flowers and the Chamorita girl is so prominent,” she said.

The CNMI’s entry—Harmony of the Pacific—to the 2004 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena received a trophy for being the “Most Beautiful Entry Outside the Continental U.S.”

Cicely, who is a child psychology specialist, said that, although they had only vague memories, it was an important aspect of their childhood.

For instance, Carmen’s mom’s care for them during their first crucial years helped them have a sense of security.

“We’re told that we’re carried on her back or we’d be wrapped around her waist. I think that’s the custom here,” she said.

Carmen, for her part, said that she had seen her mom always carrying the two girls around her waist.

“She believes in touching [when caring for the babies],” Carmen said.