KlitzkieRobert W. Klitzkie passed away April 1 at the age of 86.
Born in Elkhorn, Wisc., during his long and distinguished career in public service, he served first as a social studies and history teacher at George Washington High School and would later become the director of education. He was also an instructor at Guam Community College and the University of Guam.
Klitkie held a 1963 bachelors of education from Wisconsin State University at Whitewater, and a 1970 masters of education from the University of Guam.
An attorney at Brooks & Klitzkie P.C. from 1974 to 1985, he held a 1974 juris doctorate from the University of New Mexico School of Law in Albuquerque, N.M.
Klitzkie was admitted to practice in Guam, California, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.
A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and the Army National Guard – from which he retired as a lieutenant colonel, Klitzkie introduced legislation in 2023 which renamed Route 1, known as Marine Drive to Marine Corps Drive.
He attended the Department of the Army’s Inspector General Course in Washington, D.C. in 1985, and the Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, K.S. in 1988.
Klitzkie served as a senator in the 27th and 28th Guam Legislatures and is known for his “Every Child Deserves an Adequate Public Education Act,” which empowered parents.
He was general manager and vice president of Pacific Security Alarm Inc. and held other positions in the private sector.
Klitzkie was at various times a newscaster for KUAM radio, a talk show host for Guam Cable TV and a columnist for the Pacific Daily News.
Most recently he hosted a talk show on Choice Broadcast, “Tall Tales,” appropriate for Klitzkie, who indeed stood tall at 6 foot 4 inches.
A proponent of Guam’s Sunshine Law, Klitzkie was nominated for a Sunshine Award by the Society of Professional Journalists, Micronesia Chapter in 1997.
He served as president of the National Guard Association of Guam, the Guam Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and the Carbullido Elementary School Parent Teacher Association, as secretary of the Guam Bar Association, and as judge advocate for the Guam Chapter of the U.S. Navy League.
Klitzkie was a board director of the Perez Acres Homeowners Association, the Guam Humanities Council from 2001 to 2002 and the Guam Chamber of Commerce from 1984 to 1986 and would attend chamber lunches from time to time.
His numerous memberships included the Rotary Club of Northern Guam, the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve and various associations of law enforcement and the military.
He is survived by his wife Lourdes, daughter Michelle, son-in-law Felix, and four grandchildren.
Last respects for Klitzkie will be from 9.30 a.m. to 11. 30 a.m. on April 15, at the Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Yigo.
Mass of a Christian burial will be celebrated at 12 p.m. Burial will follow at the Guam Veterans Cemetery in Piti. mbj
