220:, where she graduated in January, 1954, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and a minor in secondary education. She was certified as a teacher in Pennsylvania, being the first woman from Samoa to receive teaching qualifications from the USA. Returning home after three and a half years away, Betham found it difficult to adjust to Samoan society. In 1955, she married an American, James Manuel Betham, and they had six children.
204:, the territory's first high school, in 1946, its first year of operation, and graduated as the only female out of 16 students in the first graduating class of 1950. Her father was a strong believer in the opportunities presented by colonization of American Samoa by the USA and encouraged his daughter to study in America. After a year at
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Betham became one of the first Samoan teachers in the
American Samoan educational system. Over four decades she held progressively important positions, first as a classroom teacher, then as a vice principal and a principal, before being appointed assistant director of the Department of Education, at
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she organized undergraduate and graduate degree courses, which combined training in
American Samoa and in the USA. With support from Betty Kendall Johnston and Iutita Savali, Betham introduced an Early Childhood Education program designed to familiarize preschool age children with formal education.
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Betham is particularly known for her efforts to develop the capacity of local Samoan teachers and for her development of a bilingual and bicultural education system, which addressed the desire of
Samoans to maintain their cultural identity while being educated to be able to meet the demands of the
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In 1991, Betham was appointed to the all-male high court of
American Samoa, which included seven Samoan associate judges. Her knowledge of the Samoan culture was fiercely sought by leaders aiming to both preserve the Samoan heritage and implement an American justice system. In order to become an
200:, a High Talking Chief of American Samoa. Her mother was Venise Patini Pulefa'asisina. She had two brothers and a sister. She began primary school below the legal age and recalled that her teachers would hide her when school inspectors visited. She joined the
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became
American Samoa's first popularly elected Governor, and in 1978 Betham was appointed as the first Samoan female to hold a cabinet office, serving as director of the Education Department, a post she held for more than a decade.
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associate judge, she had to be initiated into her village's council of chiefs, traditionally all-male in most Samoan villages.
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a time when few
Samoans held administrative positions in government. In late 1977,
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Distinguished
Service to Education Award, presented by Brigham Young University.
172:(1932–1997) was the first woman to be appointed as the Director of Education in
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Educator of the Year Award in
American Samoa. Betham was the first recipient.
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Bold
Experiment: The Story of Educational Television in American Samoa
374:. Portland, Oregon: Northwest Regional Educational Lab. pp. 3–6
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Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 108 (Monday, July 28, 1997)
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American Samoan educator, civil servant and government minister
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Glimpses into
Pacific Lives: Some Outstanding Women (Revised)
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island, the main island of American Samoa. Her father was
333:"TRIBUTE TO THE LATE SEUVA'AI MERE TUIASOSOPO-BETHAM"
188:Mere Tuiasosopo Betham was born on 3 April 1932 at
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176:and also the first female associate judge of the
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71:Associate Judge of High Court of American Samoa
283:Mere Tuiasosopo Betham died on 13 June 1997.
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251:She also introduced educational television.
397:. Stanford University Press. p. 244.
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42:Director of the Department of Education,
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238:modern world. In partnership with the
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365:Simon-McWilliams, Ethel (1987).
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202:High School of American Samoa
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178:High Court of American Samoa
244:Oregon College of Education
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218:Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
198:Mariota Tiumalu Tuiasosopo
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301:"Mere Tuiasosopo Betham"
248:Brigham Young University
445:American Samoan judges
393:Schramm, Wilbur Lang.
170:Mere Tuiasosopo Betham
123:13 June 1997 (aged 65)
23:Mere Tuiasosopo Betham
455:Pomona College alumni
440:Geneva College alumni
212:, she transferred to
210:Claremont, California
240:University of Hawaii
139:James Manuel Betham
450:People from Tafuna
264:Awards and honours
231:Peter Tali Coleman
65:Peter Tali Coleman
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376:. Retrieved
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103:3 April 1932
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430:1997 deaths
425:1932 births
128:Nationality
419:Categories
378:25 October
343:25 October
310:25 October
287:References
184:Early life
153:Alma mater
56:1978–1988?
78:In office
52:In office
144:Children
61:Governor
194:Tutuila
110:Tutuila
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246:, and
224:Career
190:Tafuna
136:Spouse
106:Tafuna
82:1991–?
372:(PDF)
279:Death
399:ISBN
380:2021
345:2021
312:2021
120:Died
96:Born
216:in
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192:on
147:Six
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
