A NYCHA Love Story: Longtime Edenwald Residents Celebrate Their 74th Wedding Anniversary
On November 15, 2017, Edenwald residents Charles and Arlanda Solomon will celebrate 74 years of marriage.
The couple says the secret to maintaining a loving and lasting marriage is “to be patient, to truly listen to one another, and to always respect each other!”
Charles and Arlanda met in 1941 in Washington County, Georgia. Mr. Solomon described Mrs. Solomon as outspoken and sassy when they first met, while Mrs. Solomon described her husband as charming and self-motivated. In 1943, with only one witness, they solidified their union in a courthouse in Sandersville, Georgia.
The Solomons later moved to Lakeland, Florida, where Mr. Solomon found work as an orange picker. In 1944, they welcomed their first child and decided to move to Harlem to look for better opportunities.
In 1954, the Solomons became residents of Edenwald Houses in the Bronx, where their family grew to include a total of 10 beautiful children. While Mr. Solomon
worked, Mrs. Solomon devoted herself to being a housewife and nurturing mother.
Mr. Solomon worked as a shipping clerk for Kiffee Sales until business fell short. He then worked as a juvenile counselor at The Children’s Village until he retired. After their last child was born, Mrs. Solomon started work as a sales clerk for E.J. Korvette, and then moved on to Bloomingdale’s, where she worked until retirement.
The Solomon family has grown to include 22 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, two great-great-grandchildren, and one three-times great-grandchild. Their family says their love story is one that shows true commitment and dedication, birthing generations deeply rooted in love, faith, and strength of family.
Shameeka Feliciano is the granddaughter of Charles and Arlanda Solomon. She is a Supervisor of Housing Caretakers for Betances and Mitchel Houses and a former Edenwald Houses resident.
