Solman, Richard Nelson, 74, Caribou and Ft. Lauderdale, FL, November 14, 2007. Arrangements are in the care of the Lancaster-Morgan Funeral Home, Caribou.
CARIBOU – Richard Nelson Solman, a prominent attorney and resident of Caribou and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., died peacefully at his home Nov. 14 from complications arising from cancer. He was 74 years old. Born in Caribou, August 11, 1933, to Nelson L. and Adele R. (Hobart) Solman, he graduated from Caribou High School in 1950 and immediately enrolled in a combined undergraduate/graduate program at Boston University, earning his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in 1955. He was admitted to the Maine and Massachusetts bars in 1955 and to the U.S. District Court in 1957. At the age of 22, he was among the youngest members ever admitted to the Maine and Massachusetts bar.
Solman practiced law in Caribou until 2006, at first with his uncle, the late David Solman, then with subsequent partners, which included the late Robert Page, E. Allen Hunter, now a Justice of the Superior Court, and his son Richard D. Solman, who continues the practice.
Solman was a veteran of the U.S. Army, in which he served from 1955-57, stationed mostly at Fort Knox, Kentucky, instructing pilots on the Link trainer; and he served thereafter as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, where he was commissioned as a 1st Lt. in 1957 and assigned duty in the Judge Advocates General (JAG) Corps. until his honorable discharge in 1960.
In more than 50 years of practicing law, Solman was a member of the Aroostook County Bar Association, serving as its president from 1982-83; the Maine State Bar Association; the Association of Trial Lawyers of America; and the Maine Trial Lawyers Association, serving as its vice president in 1975 and president from 1976-1978.
In 1973, Solman was one of only 500 active American attorneys elected as a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. In 1975 he was named a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers.
From 1975-1978, Solman was a member of the Judicial Selection Committee under Maine Gov. James B. Longley. He also served as a member of the Governor's Advisory Committee on Court Administra-tion and was one of the original members of the Board of Overseers of the Bar.
Solman served on the advisory board and later director of the Northern National Bank and Casco Northern Bank; a trustee of the Caribou Hospital District (1966), a director of Aroostook Health Services (1970-73). He was active for several years in both the Rotary Club and Knights of Columbus.
He is survived by his wife, Susan Bent Solman; by his three children, Richard Solman of Caribou, Gregory Solman of Lake Gregory, Calif., and Leslie Chiaverini, her husband John, and a grandson, Michael Chiaverini of Belmont, Calif.; by the mother of his three children, Dione Solman McCarthy, Sunnyvale, Calif.; by his brother, Robert L. Solman and his wife Judy; his sister, Carolyn S. Thomas; by his step-children, Julie Rogers and her husband Michael of Warren, Me., and Aaron Ayer and his wife Jennifer; and step-grandchildren Lily Rogers and Simon Ayer. He was predeceased by both his parents.
He was an avid sportsman, enjoying golf and fishing with his many friends from Aroostook County to Florida, as well as an enthusiastic pilot for over 40 years, earning his instrument rating and flying his own airplanes.
Friends called 2-4 and 7-9 p.m., Sunday, November 18, 2007, at the Lancaster Morgan Funeral Home, 11 Clover Street, Caribou. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at 1 p.m. Monday, at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Caribou with Rev. Jean-Paul Labrie celebrant. A reception will follow the ceremony. A private internment will take place at a later date at Evergreen Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make contributions to the American Cancer Society (Maine Division Inc., 52 Federal Street, Brunswick, ME 04011) or the Caribou Country Club Memorial Fund, 17 Peterson Ave., Caribou, ME 04736. Friends may express their condolences to the family at www.lancastermorgan.com.
