William Cooper Salmon

He leaves his partner of 4 years Ann Boehm, his brother Bardwell Salmon, his son Bill Salmon Jr., his daughter Mary (Didi) Salmon, his daughter Paulette Salmon, and 5 grandchildren: Cooper Salmon, Cole Salmon, Chase Salmon, Lily Rayhart, and Reid Rayhart. Bill’s wife, Josephine Stone Salmon, preceded him in death on November 1, 2007.

Bill was born in New York City on September 3, 1935 to the late Chenery and Mary Salmon. He lived most of his early years in Hingham, Massachusetts where he attended Hingham High School and then Thayer Academy. Bill went to MIT for college where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1957 and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1958.

In 1961 Bill moved to Washington D.C. and joined the State Department as an Assistant Science Advisor. He met his wife, Josephine Salmon, through a mutual friend in 1965, and they were married in 1967 in New York City. They settled in Arlington, VA, though Bill later returned to MIT in 1969 to earn a Master of Science in Management Science. Bill retired from the State Department in 1986 to take on the position of Executive Officer of the National Academy of Engineering, where he stayed until his retirement in 2000. After “retiring”, Bill spent time working with the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS) as secretary/treasurer.

During his retirement years Bill built a lake house just outside Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he loved to gather his family for golf and waterskiing. Serendipitously, Bill met Ann Boehm in 2013, and spent the rest of his time traveling and enjoying life with her.

A memorial service will be held at the Williamsburg Landing Anderson Auditorium (5700 Williamsburg Landing Drive, Williamsburg, VA) on August 10, 2017, at 1 pm with a reception immediately to follow.