 Six Indian-Americans won the Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations at ceremonies on May 9 on Ellis Island, N.Y. The annual award, which was constituted in 1986 to pay tribute to the ancestry groups that comprise America's unique cultural mosaic and are awarded to U.S. citizens from various ethnic origins for their outstanding contributions to their communities, their nation and the world, was a special one for Indian Americans as six of them were bestowed with accolades for their role in U.S. Society. To date, more than 1,500 U.S. citizens have been honored.
Past Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipients include six Presidents of the United States, Nobel Prize winners, athletes, leaders of industry, artists and others whose work has made a lasting impact on humanity.
 The Indian Americans honored this year include Dr. Uma Mysorekar, Dr. Jatin P. Shah, Dr. Joseph J. Thomas, Shiv Dass, Kiran Desai, and Sant Singh Chatwal.
Dr. Uma Mysorekar is President of the Hindu Temple Society of North America and a practicing ob-gyn. She was awarded the Gold Medal for academic excellence on graduation from Grant Medical College, University of Bombay, and has been invited by Presidents Obama, Clinton, and Bush to represent Hinduism at interfaith conferences sponsored by the White House.
 Dr. Jatin P. Shah is Chief of the Head and Neck Service in the Department of Surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Shah has special expertise in the surgical treatment of benign and malignant tumors in the head and neck area, including tumors of the thyroid gland and salivary glands. Over the years, he has written six books in the field of head and neck cancer and has published more than 300 scientific articles.
Dr. Joseph J. Thomas practices General Dentistry in Vero Beach, Florida. Dr. Joseph Thomas was born in Bangalore, India, and immigrated to the United States in 1984, and subsequently was proud to became an American citizen.
 Dr. Thomas earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. He was the Vice-President of the Dental School student Council and was also awarded the American Academy of Oral Medicine award. While furthering his postdoctoral education, he earned both a Fellowship and then the prestigious Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry, an accolade attained by only two percent of the dentists in the U.S. He then moved to Florida and established a State of the art Dental office in Vero Beach, Florida. He employed numerous Dentists and support staff, while providing quality comprehensive, surgical and reconstructive dentistry to thousands of patients. In recognition of his outstanding leadership and professional excellence he was also inducted into the International College of Dentists. Dr. Thomas provides pro-bono dental treatment to the financially challenged in Indian River County, Florida every Wednesday.
Shiv Dass is the Chairman of the 220-member strong Jackson Heights Merchants Association in New York. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1966 and is a successful businessman who owns a jewelry store and two garments outlets on Roosevelt Avenue. An untiring social worker and a religious man, he has been active with several temples in New York. He is the key player in the celebration of annual Diwali Mela and India Day every year.
 Kiran Desai, M. Comm, M.B.A., F.S.A., M.A.A.A., M.C.A. is the President of Swiss Am Financial Consultants, Inc. Swiss Am is a consultant to many large insurance companies in Europe, the U.S., and the Far East. Kiran started his actuarial career after completing his M.B.A. from Columbia University in 1961.
Sant Singh Chatwal, Chairman & CEO of Hampshire Hotels & Resorts, LLC, was awarded a medal. Sant Singh Chatwal, a Sikh American businessman, also owns a chain of restaurants, Bombay Palace. He is one of the most distinguished hospitality business tycoons in the world with over $1.5 billion in hotel assets. At present he owns 11 hotels, 18 restaurants and bars, and by the year 2011, he has plans to open at least 10 more hotels and 25-30 restaurants in posh locations. |