WASHINGTON (TIP):  A US lawmaker has honored Indian-American electrical engineer Ravinder Singh Shergill who held several patents related to disk storage and helped create the USB specifications. Shergill died on April 22 aged 64. “Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in honoring the life of Mr. Ravinder Singh Shergill. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time,” Congressman David Valadao said in his remarks at the House of Representatives earlier this week.

Born on September 12, 1956 in Punjab, Shergill migrated to the US for higher studies at the age of 17.

“At the age of 17, he immigrated to the United States and later graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He went on to work for National Semiconductor for more than three decades,” Valadao said. “As an engineer, Mr Shergill held patents involving disk storage and helped create the USB specifications. As a manager, he was admired and respected as a mentor to his colleagues. His story is truly an embodiment of the American dream,” he said.

Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables and connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply between computers, peripherals and other computers.

Valadao said Shergill had a great appreciation for America, but he never forgot his roots. “He was committed to bridging the Sikh and American communities together and was a founding member of the Sikh Youth of California and America. Shergill is remembered as a caring husband, father, and grandfather with a love for books, history, music, and film,” he said. Shergill is survived by his wife of 39 years, Grace Rosa; two daughters, one son and four grandchildren.