Gustave Solomon (born October 27 1930, died January 31 1996) was a mathematician and engineer who was one of the founders of the algebraic theory of error-correction. He received Ph.D. in Mathematics at MIT in 1956 under direction of Kenkichi Iwasawa. Solomon was best known for developing, along with Irving S. Reed, algebraic error-detecting and error-correcting codes known as Reed-Solomon error correction. These codes protect the integrity of digital information, and have had widespread use in modern digital storage and communications, from space communication to digital audio compact disc. He was also one of the co-creators of the Mattson-Solomon polynomial and the Solomon-McEliece weight formulae. He received with Irving Reed the 1995 IEEE Masaru Ibuka Award.
Anecdotes
Gus Solomon, in his later years, consulted at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. He was very interested in opera and in theater, and even wanted to get minor acting parts himself, perhaps in television commercials. Between assignments in the Communications Research Section at JPL, he taught foreign-born engineers English by exposing them to music from American musical productions. He believed in enhancing health and feelings of well-being through breathing exercises, and was an adherent of the Feldenkrais method.
