Edwin  Morton Solomon
2007
Edwin Morton Solomon, 85, a chemist who worked on military projects for a  number of federal government contractors, died of pneumonia Oct. 7 at Suburban  Hospital in Bethesda.
He was a native Washingtonian who graduated from the old  Central High School. He also graduated from the University of Michigan and served in the  Army stateside during World War II. He did graduate work at the University of  Maryland. In the 1950s, he was the co-producer and narrator of a 15-minute radio show, "The Voice of Chemistry," which aired on WGMS.
He worked for a decade at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory and in 1956 became senior research engineer for General Dynamics. He was quality research supervisor for Martin Marietta in Middle River, Md., from 1959 to 1962, then managed a satellite quality assurance team for NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt.
Mr. Solomon also worked for the Naval Ordnance Systems Command at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Silver Spring. He created and taught adult education courses about retirement issues through Montgomery College. On contract with a manufacturers association, he compiled a database of toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic medical effects of organic chemicals.
He worked for McLaughlin Research in Silver Spring, preparing cost proposals for Trident missile navigation projects and writing manuals for aircraft ordnance disposal. In the three years before his retirement in 1978, Mr. Solomon managed a Navy high energy laser project for Systems Consultants in Arlington County.
Mr. Solomon enjoyed photography, playing the harmonica, collecting gadgets and acting. He was a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists and the World Future Society. He was a passionate supporter of a new  Manhattan Project for U.S. energy independence.
His marriage to Elberta Solomon ended in divorce.
Survivors include two sons, David Murray Solomon of Silver Spring and Martin Leigh Solomon of Las Vegas.
-- Patricia Sullivan