Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Grandpop was born in Schenectady, NY on January 3, 1933. His mother, a Polish immigrant, arriving alone in America at a young age met a young American, Frank, and together they had 3 children, including Grandpop.
Grandpop was a smart, studious student. Growing up, he earned a place to enroll in Union College, which saw him return to Schenectady, NY to study mathematics.
After graduating college, Grandpop joined General Electric, which at the time was a revered company similar to that of ‘Apple or Google’ today. I asked my brother yesterday, “do you know how Grandpop landed that job?” … Grandpop told me over a Easter Holiday some years back that he walked straight down from campus to Jay Street and into the employment office – and just like that he landed his first job at GE.
While in Schenectady, a young Richard met and married Mary Rose Swanberry, our Grandbum, at the age of 18 and had their first child, John at the age of 19. The couple went on to have four more beautiful children – Thomas, Kathy, Richard, and Terry. To us, this formed our Soloski family, and we shared many joyful memories together in Massachusetts and elsewhere.
After spending some years in Schenectady, ever the opportunistic man, Grandpop decided to take a risk, leave GE, and move to Massachusetts, where he took a job at Avco as an engineer.
While working at Avco in Wilmington, Grandpop and 4 of his colleagues left to form their own business—Hycor, which originated in Reading, Mass. The major focus of this newly formed company was in the defense industry. They expanded to multiple locations and won significant government contracts for their innovative, groundbreaking inventions, including notably a re-entry missile shield—a backbone technology that is still used today.
The stories we heard of Grandpop as a kid were focused on these years. Richard being flown from an aircraft carrier to meet his vacationing family in Greece. Richard meeting with President Jimmy Carter to advise him on the Iran Contra incident. To say the least, these years were exciting for Grandpop and his family.
After years of success, Hycor was a sought-after company and later was acquired by Loral Electronics of New York. This allowed Grandpop to retire at the young age of 53 to enjoy the fruits of his labor – we could all be so fortunate…
One of Grandpop’s favorite restaurants was the Newbridge Café in Chelsea and it was a rare occasion that he missed Sunday afternoon visit for his Steak Tips dinner.
Grandpop was also a car enthusiast, especially the first-generation Ford Thunderbird of which he owned two, one with his son Thomas which he finished restoring after his son’s death. In addition to driving the T-Bird and other vintage cars he also entered them in car shows throughout the area and actually took home 1st and 2nd place awards.
North Conway, New Hampshire was another special place for Grandpop. He loved going up there and in fact he took a ski lesson on Attitash Mountain which actually turned out to be his first and only time on skis. It was later found out that Grandpop was a speed skater in his youth. Although skiing wasn’t his thing, he loved the area and continued to visit the White Mountain Valley frequently eventually owning 2 different homes in the area. He always opened these homes to family and friends to enjoy whether they were there or not.
Grandpop was a simple person-he didn’t expect or want a lot from life. He just wanted everyone to be happy and successful in their own lives. He instilled many values in his children and grandchildren and they will continue to live up to these values for the rest of their lives.
Everyone who met Grandpop respected him and thought he was a remarkable person. Richard was a great person, great dad, and great grandfather, and great, great grandfather.
Finally, we wish to share some final sentiments about our Grandpop:
To me, Grandpop was my north star. He was the epitome of success – a smart, driven entrepreneur, a savvy businessman, and a giving family man. He was a constant force in my life and in many ways my hero. He gave so much, achieved so much, and served as a source of inspiration. He will still always be that force for me. I love you, grandpop, and thank you for all you have given us.
To me he was my Grandpop. He was Soloski – he gave us our name and a proud legacy to look back on. He was the smartest and most successful person I knew growing up, and he was larger than life. From touching the top of his head at the encouragement of my uncle Richard as a little boy, to visiting him at his house over the weekend in college, he was a constant and a part of my entire life. He will always be, and we love Grandpop. Rest in peace, and god bless, Grandpop.
