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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Ms. Melissa Kearns

William (Bill) Solomon, born in New York City, was the first born child of Romanian immigrants. From his early childhood, he was fascinated with planes, building and flying models planes. After graduating from Stuyvesant High School in 1940, he fulfilled his childhood dream by earning a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from NYU. Bill's first job was at NACA, the predecessor to NASA. Then in the early 1950's he moved to Columbus, Ohio to join North American Aviation where he earned his most notable career achievement being the principle designer of the reconnaissance version of the Vigilante, the RA-5C in 1956. At that time, the Vigilante was one of the largest and most complex aircraft to operate off of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. It was also one of the most technologically savvy planes of the day. Eight out of ten RA-5C Vigilante squadrons were extensively used in Vietnam, carrying out hazardous medium-level reconnaissance missions.

During Bill's professional career, he worked at Bendix, PerkinElmer, and Electric Boat. He spent the last 18 years of his career at Flygt Corporation, designing pumps and a testing facility. At 72, he reluctantly retired. For a majority of his professional career he was a mechanical engineer, but he always thought of himself as an aeronautical engineer, since designing airplanes was his first love.

During his retirement, Bill was active in the Stuyvesant High School alumni community, organizing a 60th high school reunion. The event, held on the deck of the Intrepid in New York Harbor, was a proud moment for him as he stood next to the Vigilante sharing its design and performance history with classmates, family, and friends. Bill also established the Martin Solomon Memorial Scholarship Fund in memory of his brother in order to inspire others to pursue engineering. Bill enjoyed sharing his knowledge and volunteered to co-teach computer and internet skills classes to senior citizens at the Norwalk Community Technical College and the Norwalk Senior Center.

Bill would be proud to have his name on the Wall of Honor at the Smithsonian. Whenever he visited the Air and Space Museum, he enjoyed complementing the exhibits with his personal stories and knowledge.