Harmohinder Singh Gill

RIVERSIDE DR. HARMOHINDER SINGH GILL Born in April 7, 1933 in Ferozpur, Punjab India and raised in Sri Amritsar, Punjab, India. Son of late Sadar & Sardarni Rajpal Singh Gill & Sukhwant Kaur Gill. Who served 35 years as a renowned Plant Pathologist & Nematologist for the Riverside County Agricultural Commissioner's Office. Dr. Gill obtained his Bachelors of Science (B.Sc. in 1953) and Master of Science (M.Sc. in 1956) in Agriculture from Punjab University, India, passing in the First Division and as a gold medallist. He then worked in Tanzania, Africa as a Plant Pathologist for the African government. Dr. Gill moved to Urbana-Champaign, Illinois (USA) in 1962. Here he obtained his Doctorate (Ph.D. in 1965) at the University of Illinois, Urbana, with the thesis title "Studies of the Differential in vitro of Physiologic races A-1, A-2, A-3 and A-4 of Phytophthora fragariae Hickman." While at the Department of Plant Pathology, University of Illinois, Dr. Gill's article on "The Use of Polyacrylamide Gel Disc Electrophoresis Delimiting Three Species of Phytophthora" (Phytopathol. Z., 63: 23-29, 1968) pioneered the classification of fungi, earning him a world-wide reputation in the field of Plant Pathology. Thereafter, Dr. Gill moved to southern California and began his work for the County Agricultural Commissioner's Office (July 17, 1967) and the California Department Food and Agriculture. Recognizing Dr. Gill's reputation, George A. Zentmyer-Professor and Chairman in the Plant Pathology Department at University of California, Riverside-arranged for Dr. Gill to be appointed Adjunct Professor, with his own laboratory at the campus from 1968 to the early 1980s. Working with Dr. Zentmyer, Dr. Gill continued his work on elucidating the genus Phytophthora by disc electrophoresis and seriological techniques, and taught his techniques to graduate students, including Jim Smith. Dr. Gill wrote seven articles in the Press Enterprise about various plant diseases. In February 4, 1993, the Press Enterprise published a feature article on Dr. Gill and his work on citrus-hungry aphids that caused the loss of citrus crops extending from Central America. One of Dr. Gill's last wishes was to write an article on Robert (Bob) M. Howie, the Commissioner of the Agricultural Commissioner's Office, who also recently passed away. Dr. Gill was particularly fond of Bob, and Bob regarded Dr. Gill as his own son. Bob relied on him to establish the departmental laboratory, hire personnel (including Gursewake Sidhu), and to certify farmer's goods or crops to send outside the country. In recognition of one of his last official duties for the County of Riverside in 1996, Dr. Gill received a Special Commendation and Appreciation from the United States Secretary of Agriculture for his identification and monitoring of Karnal bunt disease. This wheat malady devasted farmers in Blythe. The State wrote, "The fact that these challenges were resolved and that the program achieved its stated objectives is testimony to the professionalism, knowledge, dedication and creativity exhibited by you and the entire Karnal bunt staff." Dr. Gill retired on December 31, 1996. As an individual, Dr. Gill had a very humorous and intellectual personality. His wisdom attracted people from all walks of life across the world. As a Sikh, Dr. Gill was a humble man. In Illinois, Dr. Gill bought a 1967 Chevrolet Malibu that he drove to California and used until recently as his primary transportation. Dr. Gill's knowledge about Sikh scriptures was deep. For example, on a recent trip to India, while on the train and holding an original of Guru Gobind Singh, Dr. Gill turned a stale ride into a social gathering with all the passengers surrounding him and listening to his informative and visionary talks. Dr. Gill leaves behind his wife (Sardarni Avtar Kaur Gill), daughter (Sardarni Tajinder Kaur Gill), and two sons (Sardar Harindarpal Singh Gill and Sardar Harminder Singh Gill). Dr. Gill was quite proud that his children, born or raised and educated in the US, all received advanced degrees: Tajinder (Pharm. D., Clinical Pharmacy, USC), Harindarpal (Ph.D., Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, UCLA), and Harminder (M.S., Chemistry, UCD). Cremation services will be held September, Friday the 5th, 2008 at Mountain View Mortuary and Cemetery at 10 am. Final Rights (Bhog) will be held at the Sikh Temple in Riverside on Mission Blvd at 3 pm. Arrangements Entrusted To MT. VIEW MORTUARY (909) 882-2943