Amar Lathi (born 6/7/36; deceased 5/16/04): Excerpts from a tribute to Amar by his brother, Subhash, at the memorial service.

“Amarnath came into this world facing challenges. He was born in a remote village in India, where there were no doctors or hospitals. After a difficult birth, he clung to life and after a long struggle, finally made it.

“These challenges never left him. If there were no natural challenges, he created them by going into competitive sports. His youth was a whirlwind of dates, sports, dancing, more dates and lastly studies. He excelled in school with minimal studies. He was always among the top ten in his class.
He did not believe in being a geek to be at the top. His philosophy was maximum benefit with minimal work. No wonder he excelled in jobs that required managerial skills.

“We were not affluent. He was intent on making his family comfortable. So, at the tender age of 22, (chemistry degree from the U of Bombay) he embarked on a journey across the oceans to New York, with enough funds to survive for six months, and absolutely no one to fall back on. During summer vacations, he drove a truck in New York City and lived on foot long hot dogs costing 30 cents, which was his daily food budget.”

After graduating from the U of Tennessee (chem and engineering) he worked for Bristol Myers, Jacob's Engineering, Squibb, and FMC. He supported his family in India and helped his brothers and sisters come to USA. With the same tenacity and mental strength he fought his cancer, but
lost that fight. Amar, had a heart of gold and will be missed by us all. Amar joined the Mavericks in 2001. In 2003, he swam on a National record 400 Mixed Medley relay and helped the men’s team win a National Championship at Rutgers. GOD BLESS YOUR SOUL