North America Telugu Society (NATS) takes great pride in recognizing the contributions of Sri. Mandava Babu Rao and congratulate him in receiving the most prestigious and well deserved Ellis Island medal of honor for the year 2011.
The Ellis Island Medals of Honor are awarded annually to a group of distinguished American citizens who exemplify a life dedicated to community service and family: people who preserve and celebrate the history, traditions and values of his/her ancestry and who dedicate themselves to creating a better world. The honorees are said to exemplify outstanding qualities in both their personal and professional lives, while continuing to preserve the richness of their particular heritage. The Ellis Island Medals of Honor celebrate the diversity of American life, honoring not only individuals, but the pluralism and democracy that have enabled ancestry groups to maintain their identities while becoming integral parts of the American Way of life. A ceremony will be held on May 7, 2011 on Ellis Island. The Great Hall where immigrants were once processed hosts the gala dinner which follows the ceremony. All branches of the United States Armed Forces traditionally participate. Past Medalists include six Presidents, as well as Nobel Prize winners and leaders of industry, education, the arts, sports and government. Both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate have officially recognized the Ellis Island Medals of Honor. Each year's recipients are read into the Congressional Record.
Babu Rao Mandava was born May 15th 1935 in the Village of Movva, Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, in a middle class farming family that had a strong interest in helping their fellow human beings. His father founded The Mandava Kanakayya Zilla Parishad High School in 1947. Currently, Sri.Babu Rao is the founder and CEO of Indotronix International Corporation (IIC), and resides in Poughkeepsie, NY.
Sri Babu Rao has always had a strong commitment to higher education. He attended High School in Movva, and secondary education at Hindu College in Machilipatnam. Subsequently he completed an Engineering degree at BMS college of Engineering in Bangalore and worked at the Nagarjuna Sagar Project as a Junior Engineer. Later he worked in Tata Iron and steel company in Jamshedpur. In 1964, he migrated to the United States of America, where he completed his Masters in Industrial Engineering at NYU. During this time he was admitted to several honor societies and is currently life member of IEEE. Throughout the next 20 years, while working at IBM, he also completed a second Masters in Electrical Engineering at the University of Vermont, also graduating with high honors.
After working nineteen years with IBM in management, he took an early retirement and cofounded an IT company, Indotronix International Corporation (IIC). As president and CEO, Babu Mandava, in the past 24 years, has provided employment to thousands of people, among these, many Indian immigrants. IIC, with over 800 employees, works closely with several Fortune 500 companies in the USA, and has a major presence in both USA and India.
Despite this dedication to his professional career, Babu Rao's top priority is his family and community service. He has been married to Smt Vidyadhari for 59 years and blessed with five children. He has 7 siblings, 12 grandchildren and 5 great- grandchildren. His family members are spread throughout the USA and remain very close to him.
Throughout his lifetime Babu Rao Mandava has been actively involved with several philanthropic projects both in the US and India. He has been a major donor to the Movva Venu Gopalaswamy temple in Movva and the Hindu Samaj and Temple in Poughkeepsie, NY. The Village of Movva has 2 concrete roads, a junior college, a town hall, a library, and a shopping complex which were made possible by donations from Sri. Mandava Babu Rao. In addition to his hard work and success, he also donates generously to various social service organizations and continues to contribute to the community.
Therefore it is with immense pleasure and pride that NATS team and all its members once again congratulate Sri Babu Rao Mandava on the prestigious and joyous occasion and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
