[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 5, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E136]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                   HONORING DR. AMARJIT SINGH MARWAH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRAD SHERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 5, 2020

  Mr. SHERMAN. Madam Speaker, on the occasion of his 94th birthday, I 
rise today to honor Dr. Amarjit Singh Marwah, a pioneer in the Indian 
American community and a Los Angeles civic icon.
   Since coming to the United States in 1953 as a Fulbright scholar, 
Dr. Marwah has been a trailblazer. Drawing on an educational pedigree 
that included fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the 
University of Illinois, Chicago (where he pursued an MS in Pathology), 
Howard University (where he completed a two-year program in Doctor in 
Dental Surgery), and a professorship at the University of Southern 
California, Dr. Marwah became the first Indian doctor in the United 
States to obtain a license to practice dentistry.
   Dr. Marwah also helped make U.S. history through his work on Dalip 
Singh Saund's congressional campaign. As a young aide to the candidate, 
Dr. Marwah helped propel Saund to victory in the 1956 election, 
ushering in the first Sikh American, the first Indian American and the 
first Asian American ever elected to the U.S. Congress.
   Being a pioneer, Dr. Marwah has worked to encourage and grow the 
nascent Sikh American community of Southern California, of which he is 
a member. For many years, his Baldwin Hills home served as a place of 
respite for the immigrant community; and Dr. Marwah founded just the 
third Sikh Temple in the United States, whose location in Hollywood now 
bears the name ``Dr. Amarjit Singh Marwah Square.''
   As a friend and advisor of Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, Dr. Marwah 
made an indelible mark on Los Angeles civic life. Dr. Marwah was 
appointed a Los Angeles City Commissioner in 1975 and served for 18 
years. He chaired the Cultural Heritage Commission and the Hollywood 
Art Commission, and he helped to preserve over 300 sites, including the 
Walk of Fame and the Roosevelt Hotel.
   As a public servant, a leader in the Indian American community and a 
philanthropist, Dr. Marwah has made a positive impact on countless 
people around the world. Dr. Marwah was supported in all these 
endeavors by his late wife, Kuljit Kaur Marwah, as well as his three 
daughters and their spouses and grandchildren.
   I wish my friend Dr. Amarjit Singh Marwah a very happy and healthy 
94th birthday.

                          ____________________