Homer Hickam
| Homer H. Hickam, Jr. | |
|---|---|
Author Homer Hickam, Jr.
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| Born |
February 19, 1943 Coalwood, West Virginia, United States |
| Occupation | Author |
| Language | English |
| Citizenship | American |
| Education | BS in Industrial Engineering (1964) |
| Alma mater | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Genre | Memoirs, Historical Fiction |
| Notable works | Rocket Boys: A Memoir Torpedo Junction Back to the Moon The Josh Thurlow series The Coalwood Way Sky of Stone Red Helmet We Are Not Afraid |
| Spouse | Linda Terry Hickam |
| Relatives | Homer Hickam (father) Elsie Hickam (mother) Jim Hickam (brother) |
| Military career | |
| Service/branch | U.S. Army |
| Years of service | 1964–1970 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Fourth Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam (1967–1968) |
| Awards | Army Commendation Medal, Bronze Star |
| Website | |
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Homer Hadley Hickam, Jr. (born February 19, 1943) is an American author, Vietnam veteran, and a former NASA engineer. His memoir Rocket Boys was a New York Times Best Seller and is studied in many American and international school systems, and was the basis for the 1999 film October Sky. Hickam has also written a number of best-selling memoirs and novels including the "Josh Thurlow" historical fiction novels. His books have been translated into many languages.
Homer H. Hickam, Jr. is the second son of Homer, Sr. and Elsie Gardener Hickam (née Lavender). He was raised in the family home located in Coalwood, West Virginia and graduated from Big Creek High School in 1960. While there, he and a group of boys (Roy Lee Cooke, Sherman Siers, O'Dell Carroll, Billy Rose, and Quentin Wilson) started building rockets, calling themselves "The Big Creek Missile Agency" (BCMA). After working on finding the best way to build rockets, they took their designs to the 1960 National Science Fair, where the BCMA won a gold and silver medal in the area of propulsion.
Following high school, Hickam attended and graduated from Virginia Tech in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering. During his time at Virginia Tech, he designed a cannon to be fired at games and during the school's cadet corps functions. The cannon was cast out of brass that had been collected from cadet belt buckles and caps, and scrap he got from his father, the superintendent of the coal mine in Coalwood. Named "The Skipper", in honor of President John F. Kennedy, the cannon has become an icon for the Virginia Tech Hokies. The original cannon was retired after being replaced by a second cannon, "Skipper II". The second cannon was cast to carry on the tradition at Virginia Tech with original "Skipper" now kept at the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Museum.
A United States Army veteran, Hickam served as a First Lieutenant in the Fourth Infantry Division from 1967 to 1968 during the Vietnam War. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal and a Bronze Star Medal. In total, Hickam served six years on active duty, being discharged from the Army honorably at the rank of Captain in 1971.
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