Mary Singh Rai's husband was Lal Singh Rai. He and his cousin Chanchal S. Rai left India in 1927 to work their way to America through the Fiji Islands, New Zealand, Central America, and Mexico. They both settled in Yuba City, California and became successful farmers owning large farms.
They later donated money and land to various organizations and helped many students to find jobs, lent money to start businesses , and for education in the 1950s and 1960s. Also in this period, many students lived on the Rai farms and on Richard Wilbur's farm in Yuba City and Marysville, California.
Mrs Rai is active in the "East Indians for Community Enhancement" organization. Leela Rai, her daughter, is as of 1997, the first woman President of the Yuba City Sutter Chamber of Commerce.
Isabel Singh Garcia is very active in documenting and promoting Hindu-Mexican heritage in the Yuba City and Marysville, California area.
Please contact T.S. Sibia tssibia@sikhpioneers.net for suggestions and contributions of text or photos.
Bio/Ag Reference Dept.
Shields Library
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA 95616
USA
Revised 3/17/97