Northeastern Voice

Former trustee's children donate $100,000 to support scholarships

Sally and Sam Solomon / CRAIG BAILEY

Samuel Solomon ’88 M.B.A. and his sisters Sally Solomon ’06 M.S. and Susan Solomon Pack have directed $100,000 from the estate of their father, beloved Northeastern University trustee Bernard “Bunny” Solomon, to support student scholarships.

The money will go to the Bernard Solomon Scholarship Endowment Fund that was established after their father’s passing in October 2006.  Both Sam and Sally Solomon are longtime university employees.

“Bunny did a tremendous amount to support Northeastern over the years. Now the Solomon family’s legacy of support continues with this generous gift from Sam and Sally, whose service to this university is truly commendable,” said Joseph Aoun, president of Northeastern. “I am so grateful that this family’s spirit of generosity and sincere desire to help others achieve their dreams has transcended generations.”

“Our interest in helping students really began with my father. He was always the type of person who wanted to help people go to college and earn their degree,” said Sam Solomon, Northeastern’s director of finance and assistant treasurer who has worked for the university for 19 years.

“He believed strongly in the importance of the co-op program and wanted students to take advantage of all the educational and extracurricular opportunities that Northeastern has to offer. My sisters and I felt it was important to honor his commitment to Northeastern students and direct the money in this way,” said Sam, who receives his doctorate in law, policy and society at the May 2 commencement.

Bunny Solomon was often referred to as Northeastern’s No. 1 fan. Ever since graduating from Northeastern in 1946 he had a passion for serving his alma mater. In 1971, he was elected to the university corporation, followed by the board of trustees in 1980. He became vice-chairman in 1991 before retiring from the board in 1995.

He, and his wife Jolane, are the named benefactors of four facilities at Northeastern: the outdoor track located on the Dedham campus, the indoor track in the Cabot Cage, the basketball court in the Cabot Building and the map room in Snell Library. Also in Snell Library are Bunny’s archives and his extensive jazz music collection available to the university community.

He was inducted into the Northeastern Athletics Hall of Fame in 1988 for his "tireless efforts on behalf of Husky Sports" and in 1991 he received an honorary doctorate of public service from Northeastern for his “abiding commitment to and support of his alma mater.”

“My father was always grateful to Northeastern, often noting that the university ‘took a chance on him’ when it admitted him to the class of 1946,” said Sally Solomon, associate director of the General Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences, who has worked for the university for the past 15 years.

“He never forgot what Northeastern offered him. Due to the scholarship, his and my mother’s commitment to the university and its students will persist, and my brother and sister and I are proud to be part of that.”