No regrets
By Teleia Lower
Sunday August 27, 2006
It isn’t that Derek McGilvray of Martinsville doesn’t love America, the place he’s called home for
almost 30 years. Yet, he remains a British citizen and has the status of “registered alien” in the
United States. He said he hates the word “alien,” which in modern times has been associated
with some surreal images.
“It reminds me of that television sitcom, ‘My Favorite Martian,’” McGilvray said.
“I’ve really thought hard about becoming an American citizen, but I still have family in Great
Britain — my roots are there. It’s a hard thing to give up one’s native heritage.”
McGilvray said he’s never regretted coming to America and settling down in Indiana. “There’s
nothing like Hoosier hospitality. People in this country are friendly and genuine. And I admire their
patriotism.” He said the first time he went to a football game and the fans stood up and sang
along with the national anthem, he was touched. The fact that a song would inspire people to stop
talking and put their hands over their hearts gave him a new understanding of Americans.
As he grows older, McGilvray says he has opinions and complaints about government and
regrets that he cannot vote. “I would like to be part of the political process. But you can’t gripe, or
someone’s going to say, ‘Why don’t you become a citizen so you can vote?’ Citizenship would
give me more credibility.”
McGilvray enjoys many of the same rights that citizens do, though. He pays taxes, draws Social
Security, gets his driver’s license at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and worked as a research
scientist for Eli Lilly, Indianapolis, for 26½ years. He then went on to develop an industrial
biotechnology course at IU Bloomington. He lectures on campus and has done consulting work in
Europe and Italy.
McGilvray came to the states on a NATO scholarship in 1967 to do lab research in the Lilly Hall of
Life Sciences basement. “When I got off the airplane in Indy, it was snowing sideways. Then the
temperature plunged to minus 15 degrees. My body had to do some major adjusting. For a while,
I thought, ‘What have I gotten myself into?’”
He was supposed to return to Great Britain after three years. But in 1971, the requirements
changed for temporary residents and students. He said it was easy then for an allotment of
people to obtain a green card — especially those from Western Europe.
“They opened a chink in the wall, and I dove right through it,” McGilvray laughed.
He was born in London in 1943 and attended what the British call “grammar school.” He earned
his bachelor’s degree from Manchester University and got his Ph.D in microbial physiology from
the University of Leicester (pronounced “Lester”). He came to the U.S. to do his postdoctoral work
at Purdue University. McGilvray is a biochemist, a microbiologist and a molecular biologist.
He still carries his green card, which he needed in order to work for Eli Lilly. He met and married
his wife, Elaine, who was raised in a Posey County farm family. She is also retired from teaching
at Green Township Elementary. The couple has two daughters. Laura is married and graduated
from Indiana State University, and Jennifer just snagged a job with WISH-TV as a news reporter.
She graduated from IU and the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University.
McGilvray said he’s spent some of the happiest years of his life in the U.S.
Escaped through the mountains
Like the His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Dr. Yangbum Gyal is a refugee from Tibet. When the
Chinese occupied Tibet in the 1950s, the government destroyed more than 6,000 monasteries
where Buddhism was practiced and imprisoned or killed thousands of monks and nuns.
Dr. Gyal describes his school experience as “being brainwashed” by the Chinese, who would not
allow Tibetan students to learn about their heritage. Although as a young boy, he was introduced
to Tibetan medicine in secrecy as he sought treatment for laryngitis, he was allowed to study
medicine in its 2,500-year-old Tibetan tradition. By the time he was 19, he was able to practice
medicine.
Because of unjust demands put upon him by the Chinese government, Gyal escaped across the
Himalayan Mountains to Nepal in 1988 after making several attempts.
The following year, he went to India. There, he studied for eight years at the Tibetan Medical and
Astrological Institute, a medical institution established by the Dalai Lama in Dharmasala. He also
began to practice Buddhism, a central aspect of Tibetan medicine.
Indiana University invited Gyal to come to Bloomington to teach classes in the Central Eurasian
Studies program. He said, “I came to the States in 2000 August for teaching Tibetan language
and culture at IU. I am an asylee (asylum seeker) here in the States, and due to the political
situation in Tibet, the lives of Tibetans who have been involved in the Tibetan freedom movement
are being threatened.”
Indeed, Gyal is not and probably never will be allowed to return to Tibet and has infrequent
communication with his family there, although he was able to talk to his parents in 2002. His two
daughters are growing up in India, where they are immersed in Tibetan language and culture.
Gyal began teaching classes on topics about Tibetan medicine at Indiana University and the
Center for Wholism at 2401 N. Walnut St., largely because he liked its name. Last year, he
officially opened his medical practice at the center.
Tibetan medicine is particularly useful for the treatment of chronic illnesses. To quote the Dalai
Lama, “I strongly believe that Tibetan medicine is one of the means by which we Tibetans can
contribute to the well-being of others even while we ourselves live as refugees.”
Gyal is now serving as the U.S. coordinator for the Central Council of Tibetan Medicine of
Dharmamsala, India. He intends to remain living in Bloomington, as he prefers the lifestyle to that
of the big city.
“I am not a U.S. citizen for the time being, but I am going to be. Of course, it takes a long time to
become a citizen,” Gyal said.
Iran under the Shah
Javad Noori came to Bloomington to attend Indiana University from his native Tehran, Iran, in
1978. He received his master’s degree in Iran and was granted a university scholarship from the
Revolutionary Corps to continue his studies in telecommunications and education.
This was the Iran under the Shah, and relations with the Jimmy Carter administration were
excellent, so Noori had no trouble obtaining visas for himself, his wife and two children. In fact, he
explains, “With my admission letter to IU in hand, I secured the visas in Tehran with no questions
asked.”
But things changed dramatically the following year as the the Shah was forced out of Iran and
fled to Egypt to live in exile until his death from cancer in 1980. The country was in political
turmoil.
“All the universities were shut down due to the cultural revolution. I was ordered to return to Iran
within 48 hours or the university would cancel my scholarship. I had agreed to serve as professor
at my university for at least 12 years after graduation from IU,” Noori said.
“I had to make a difficult decision. By this time, I had three children to consider. I decided to stay
in the U.S. and began working at the IU Main Library since I had to be employed to keep my visa.
It was important to become self-employed, so I wouldn’t be dependent on an employer and risk
losing my position.”
Noori said he chose to go into the food business on the basis of what he knew about the
international students coming to study at IU.
“I knew very well how important it was to me to be able to eat the food from my culture, and they
would want their food, too. So, I bought a small store from a Libyan man who was catering to
students from Saudi Arabia and Malaysia,” Noori said. “I worked out a down payment and
scheduled payments to take over the business in August 1986. It was 500 square feet in an alley
off Third Street called ‘Sahara Mart.’
Noori’s plan to attract American students was to ask customers what they wanted — and it
worked. “By 1990, we had outgrown the space and relocated to our current location at 106 E.
Second Street. We’re celebrating our 20th anniversary in September, and we’ve never been
closed one day in 20 years!” Noori said. “And, we’ve grown 30 times to 15,000 square feet.”
Noori credits an article written by Mike Leonard of The Herald-Times for helping with public
relations. When the owner of the Phillips 66 gas station next door parked a semi-trailer truck to
block parking spaces next to his building, Leonard joined the boycott that was forming in support
of Sahara Mart in 1991.
“It was the best advertising I ever had!” Noori exclaimed. And today, he owns that gas station
where he warehouses over 1,000 varieties of wine and 400 types of beer from all over the world.
The main store’s massive gourmet inventory includes 30 kinds of marinated olives as well as the
largest selections of coffee, teas, chocolate, Chinese herbs and vitamin supplements in town.
Noori said he couldn’t run the store without the hard work of his immediate family. He has dual
citizenship, so he easily travels to Iran to visit his other relatives. “There is little I can do to help
my family members come to the U.S. The embassy would probably grant six-month visas to my
mother and father because they’re old and are likely to return to Iran after a visit. It’s very difficult
to get a visa. The embassy is extremely selective about who is allowed to enter this country, and
the quota is limited. Everyone wants to live in the United States.”
Requirements for U.S. citizenship
You may apply for naturalization if:
* You have been a lawful, permanent resident for five years
* You have been a lawful permanent resident for three years, have been married to a U.S. citizen
for those three years and continue to be married to that U.S. citizen
* You are a lawful permanent resident child of United States citizen parents
* Or you have qualifying military service
Only those immigrants who become U.S. citizens can vote in elections. To earn citizenship, an
immigrant must:
* Submit a complete and accurate application form with all necessary attachments and
requirements
* Pass the multiple-choice examination, which will include questions about U.S. history,
government structure and English proficiency
* Prepare for a citizenship interview with an immigration officer
* Await immigration approval and date for naturalization ceremony
* After application is approved, you must take the Oath of Allegiance to the United States in order
to become a U.S. citizen.
* Some naturalized citizens
are eligible for dual citizenship,
retaining citizenship in their native land
* Dual nationals are subject to laws in both the U.S. and their native country
* A person who is automatically granted another citizenship does not risk losing U.S. citizenship
* A person may lose U.S. citizenship by acquiring foreign citizenship through application
Individuals seeking U.S. citizenship can download or order preparatory kits online. They may also
apply for citizenship through the United States Immigration Lottery/
Diversity Visa Requirements, which requires a high school degree or two years work experience.
For more information, visit the U.S. Immigration Service Center at www.uscis.gov/graphics/index.
htm. You may call the service center toll free at 800-375-5283.
SOURCE: United States Immigration Service Center
MORGAN COUNTY
According to the Morgan County census of 2004, there were about 70,000 people, of whom:
98.5 percent were white.
0.3 percent were Asian.
0.8 percent were
Hispanics/Latinos.
0.2 percent were black.
0.2 percent were American Indian.
Sunday Editor Amy Hillenburg contributed to this story.
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