The American Dream: No obstacle ever deemed
too high
By Ching Lee/Appeal-Democrat
Tej Maan's parents instilled strong work ethic
at early age
Yuba County's director of Environmental Health,
Tej Maan, says sometimes he feels he's living
a "double life."
At 42, he can hardly believe that 28 years
ago he was living in a remote rural inland
village in northern Punjab, India. His family
grew their own food and lived without modern
amenities such as electricity, automobiles
and telephones.
"Basically, we didn't have any of these
conveniences," Maan said. "We were
living like our forefathers lived 200 years
ago."
It was a life quite different from the one
he leads today.
When his family immigrated to the United
States, Maan was 13 years old and spoke no
English. Having no previous encounters with
modern technology, he was awestruck by his
first airplane trip, the monstrous highways
of California and the television set his siblings
accidentally flicked on in the motel where
his family stayed the first night.
"We came to (the United States), saw
the Golden Gate Bridge and thought, 'Wow,'"
Maan recalled.
He overcame a lot of obstacles to success
and today is the director of Yuba County's
Environmental Health Department. He also is
involved with various civic organizations.
His accomplishments and giving nature have
earned him a nomination for the Spirit of
Freedom, The American Dream award.
The first couple of years in the States were
challenging, Maan said. His parents had no
education, no marketable skills. With seven
children to clothe and feed, they became farm
laborers.
"That's what brought us to Yuba City,"
he said.
It was May 1975. That summer, the entire
family worked in the fields. In the fall,
Maan continued to work whenever time allowed
- after school, on the weekends and holidays.
"Either you're working or you're studying.
We did very little playing. I think being
busy kept us from getting into trouble,"
he said. "And we really didn't understand
all these (U.S.) holidays. To us, they were
opportunities to make another dollar.
"My parents told us that if we saved
up enough money, we could get this or get
that. We were so excited to get basic things,
like our first black-and-white TV."
His family did better than save up for a television.
By October 1975, nine months after arriving
in California, the fruits of his family's
labor began to pay off when they purchased
their first home, a $16,000 house in Yuba
City. Four years later, Maan found himself
enrolled in the University of California,
Davis.
"My parents wanted to make sure all
of their children got an education, at least
a minimum of a bachelor's degree," Maan
said. "Most immigrants wanted to buy
farms, but my mom insisted on not doing that
until all the kids graduated from college.
They really sacrificed. Instead of being a
farmer, they continued to be farm laborers
so their children could go to college."
He majored in environmental toxicology, but
ended up in the dental industry after college
before moving into environmental health, where
he has been for the past 18 years - the last
51/2 years as director of Yuba County Environmental
Health.
In addition to raising three children with
his wife, Mannu, Maan is chairman of the California
Conference of Directors of Environmental Health,
member of the Yuba-Sutter Fair board and an
ambassador for the Yuba-Sutter Chamber of
Commerce.
He sits on the Yuba City General Plan Advisory
Committee, which helps to plan infrastructure
and development for the next 20 years, and
is a member of the Punjabi-American Heritage
Society, Yuba City Kiwanis Club and the Business
and Community Healthcare Partnership. Maan
also produces Punjabi Waves TV, a news and
entertainment program on Comcast cable Channel
5.
Maan said sometimes he worries his active
involvement with the community takes time
away from his family life, but he also believes
his family is positively impacted by what
he does.
"My family gets more involved than if
I came home and sat in front of the TV,"
said Maan, who ran for Yuba City City Council
last year.
"If I have an hour of free time, I start
to feel guilty. I feel like something is wrong,"
he said.
He said his children are "typical American
kids enjoying the American lifestyles,"
but he tries to "educate them about our
family history and teach them honest hard
work and what America has to offer.
"We as Americans take a lot of what
we have for granted. It bugs me sometimes.
I hope my children don't (take things for
granted)," Maan said. "America is
one of the greatest nations. This country
has no limit as to what you can do. You work
hard and the rewards are there."
Nominee: Tejinder Mann
Nominated by: Linda Wise
Category: The American Dream
It is my pleasure to nominate Tejinder S.
Maan for "The American Dream" Spirit
of Freedom Award. I can think of no other
person who is more deserving of such an honor.
Coming from a country where simple freedoms,
such as religion, speech and human rights
are unheard of, Tejinder's family immigrated
here to find the advantages and opportunities
that tradition has offered immigrants of all
colors and races in our rich American history.
Tej, as his friends call him, came to the
United States from the Punjab region of India
at the age of 13. He was immediately placed
in our public school systems without an understanding
of our language and culture.
His father worked as a farm laborer to put
bread on the table and taught Tej a work ethic
that, if you are willing to work hard, the
system will reward you with success.
His father was right. Tej suffered through
the painfully hot days of picking peaches
in his spare time to make money to go to college.
He is a graduate of the University of California,
Davis, and now is the director of Environmental
Health for Yuba County.
For the past four years, Tej has served as
vice chairman of the California Conference
of Directors of Environmental Health, the
professional society unique to his field.
In addition to his success at Yuba County,
he is an active member in his community with
projects ranging from the development of a
local television show to being involved in
the Sacramento Valley projects.
He holds memberships in the Yuba City General
Plan Advisory Committee, Business and Community
Healthcare Partnership and Kiwanis.
Tej is a fellow of the Great Valley Center
IDEAL program for emerging leaders, a member
of the Punjabi American Heritage Society and
co-founder of the Punjabi-Khalsa School, a
school his own children attend.
He also is an ambassador for the Yuba-Sutter
Chamber of Commerce. He aids promoting the
annual Punjabi American Heritage Society Festival.
Last year, out of recognition of all the
good things Tej has been able to accomplish,
the governor of California honored him with
an appointment as director to the Yuba-Sutter
Fair Board. The board is responsible for providing
the Yuba-Sutter area with events that encourage
fun, healthful, cultural and educational experiences,
a task for which Tej has repeatedly demonstrated
his abilities.
Tej will soon celebrate 13 years of marriage
to Mannu. He is the father of three children.
In closing, Tej loves this country and is
a good American who has found, and is living,
the dream this country has to offer.
I am sure that he would qualify for an award
under all of the categories your contest offers,
but I think for him, The American Dream award
would be most fitting.
