| Memorial Mass to be held for Richard 'Dick' Solo 04/07/2001 By Joe Simnacher / The Dallas Morning News A memorial Mass for longtime Democratic Party organizer Richard "Dick" Solo will be at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Rita Catholic Church, 12521 Inwood Road in Dallas.
Mr. Solo, 70, died Friday of multiple health problems at Doctors Hospital in Dallas.
A former member of the State Democratic Executive Committee and a national convention delegate, Mr. Solo had been involved in party politics for more than 40 years.
"He was probably one of the best Democratic Party supporters that anyone could ever know," said Ken Molberg, longtime friend and former Dallas County Democratic Party chairman. "It's a grave loss to the party. He was such a kind man."
Born in Hornell, N.Y., Mr. Solo earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Villanova University. He later did graduate work at the University of Dallas.
Mr. Solo was a certified public accountant. From 1975 to 1984, he was on the staff of Eastfield College in Mesquite, where he became a vice president.
He was also active in state and local government, Mr. Molberg said. Mr. Solo served on the Environmental Health Commission. He headed a subcommittee that studied problems dealing with lead exposure in West Dallas.
Gov. Ann Richards appointed him to the state Commission on Human Rights. And he was a longtime friend of the Kennedy family, Mr. Molberg said.
At a roast in 1998, Dallas Democrats paid tribute to Mr. Solo. At that time, Democratic Party Chairwoman Lisa Payne recalled that Mr. Solo once jokingly told her that he wanted to be buried in Duval County "so he could remain politically active." Residents of the South Texas graveyard reportedly voted in Lyndon Johnson's 1948 U.S. Senate election.
Mr. Solo is survived by a son, Richard "Richie" Solo Jr. of Dallas; his mother, Ida Solo of Dallas; and two brothers, Gary Solo of Des Moines, Iowa, and Andrew Solo of Tampa, Fla.
Memorials may be made to Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Ave., Villanova, PA 19085; or the Dallas Democratic Party, 4209 Parry Ave., Dallas, TX 75223.
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