Tag October Sky

My Pilgrimage to Homer Hickam’s and Rocket Boys’ Home

Reg Spittle 2 Comments

A few days ago, I completed my long-awaited pilgrimage to Coalwood, home to a fantastic coming-of-age adventure.

My drive through the West Virginia mountains on twisty, narrow roads was a journey I craved after reading Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam, whose father was the town’s coal mine superintendent. I passed dilapidated towns left behind by a dying coal industry.

A lump formed in my throat when I first saw the Coalwood sign and later, his former house. I am no Homer Hickam, but I shared some of his family struggles from my own childhood. Like Homer, somehow I persevered. I admire his accomplishments beyond measure.

During the late 1950s, Homer Hickam and five buddies joined the space race by firing 35 homemade rockets in a West Virginia field. They formed the Big Creek Missile Agency and defied Homer’s dad and many naysayers with their incredible victories, which ultimately won ribbons at the National Science Fair.

They all won college scholarships, which saved them from lives in the coal mine. And Homer, who wrote his memoir nearly 40 years later, realized his dream of becoming a NASA engineer.

When I stood next to the Space Shuttle marker, I imagined the scene at the field when Homer, then 17, fired off his most successful launch as a crowd of townspeople cheered. He turned around and saw a person he would never have expected to see: his father.

Jake Gyllenhaal, then 17, played Homer in the hit movie October Sky. Now in his 80s, Homer Hickam is working on what he calls an “equal” film.

Two earlier posts briefly introduce all four books Homer Hickam wrote about his remarkable life. Second post. First post. Many thanks to Sue, who captured our journey in pictures.

Homer Hickam: What Happened to the Rocket Boy?

Reg Spittle 2 Comments

Homer Hickam and five high school buddies created the Big Creek Missile Agency in the late 1950s as the world’s space race was heating up. They designed, built, and launched increasingly sophisticated and high-flying missiles, capturing the hearts of the residents of their hometown, Coalwood, West Virginia. They gained a wider spotlight in 1960 when they won two medals in the National Science Fair.

But that was just the beginning for Homer Hickam.

He brilliantly described his coming-of-age adventures in his book, Rocket Boys, which became October Sky, an endearing motion picture. Jake Gyllenhaal, then 17, played Homer.

I loved the book and the film, but they left me wondering: Did Homer Hickam realize his dream to work for NASA?

My son Chris, who lives in Charleston, West Virginia, with his wife Gail, are big Homer Hickam and October Sky fans. Just a few weeks ago, Chris reminded me Hickam had written more memoirs that answered my question and many more.

I just finished reading all three followup books and the story about how he pursued his dream is as captivating as his high-school antics with rockets. His path includes Virginia Tech University, work in his father’s coal mine, and the Vietnam War. He lives through (barely) experiences as a scuba diver that put him on NASA’s radar. And there is so much more.

The three books that follow Rocket Boys, in order, are The Coalwood Way, Sky of Stone, and Don’t Blow Yourself Up.

But Homer Hickam, now 80, is not finished. He acquired the film rights to his story and has begun work on December Sky, a motion picture he says will not be a sequel, nor a prequel. He calls it an “equal.”

(Click here to see my review of Rocket Boys.)