Bowdoinham resident Howard Solomon grew up just outside of Pittsburgh and attended the University of Pittsburgh. He is a student of history, and taught at New York University and Tufts University for more than 33 years. Solomon, who is Jewish, spent his career teaching courses about groups of people he says were pushed to the margins of historical memory. He’s also worked as an advocate for those currently marginalized. He’s received honors for his work for the LGBT community, and the Equality Maine Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. Solomon’s final stop in higher education was as a scholar in residence at the University of Southern Maine’s Sampson Center for Diversity. In 2009 he discovered a passion for art, particularly assemblage and collage, becoming the president of the Merrymeeting Arts Center.