Homer Hickam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Homer Hickam
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Hickam Jr. in 2020
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| Born | Homer Hadley Hickam Jr. February 19, 1943 Coalwood, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author, Aerospace Engineer |
| Alma mater | Virginia Tech (BS) |
| 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 Paula Morgan (div. 1986) |
| Relatives | Homer Hickam Sr. (father) Elsie Hickam (mother) Jim Hickam (brother) |
| Military career | |
| Service/ |
U.S. Army |
| Years of service | 1964–1970 |
| Rank |  Captain (US) |
| Unit | Fourth Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Bronze Star Medal Army Commendation Medal |
Homer Hadley Hickam Jr. (born February 19, 1943) is an American author and a former engineer for NASA. He also served in the Vietnam War.
His 1998 book, Rocket Boys, became a New York Times best-seller. This book was also made into the 1999 movie October Sky.
Hickam has written many other popular books. These include the "Josh Thurlow" historical novels. He also wrote Carrying Albert Home in 2015. In 2021, he released Don't Blow Yourself Up, a sequel to Rocket Boys. His books have been translated into many languages around the world.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Homer H. Hickam Jr. was born in Coalwood, West Virginia. His parents were Homer Sr. and Elsie Gardener Hickam. He grew up in Coalwood and finished high school in 1960.
The Rocket Boys
When he was young, Homer and his friends became interested in building rockets. They were Roy Lee Cooke, Sherman Siers, Jimmy O'Dell Carroll, Willie "Billy" Rose, and Quentin Wilson. They called their group The Big Creek Missile Agency (BCMA).
They worked hard on many rocket designs. In 1960, they entered the National Science Fair. They won gold and silver medals for their work on rocket propulsion.
College Days at Virginia Tech
Hickam went to Virginia Tech in 1960. He joined the school's Corps of Cadets. In his third year, he and some friends designed a special cannon. They named it "Skipper" to honor President John F. Kennedy.
The cannon was made from brass donated by the cadets. Skipper is now a famous symbol for Virginia Tech. Homer Hickam graduated in 1964 with a degree in industrial engineering.
Career Journey
Military Service (1964–1970)
Hickam served in the U.S. Army for six years. He left the army in 1970 as a captain. He fought in the Vietnam War in 1967 and 1968. He was a first lieutenant and combat engineer.
He received several awards for his service. These included the Bronze Star Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.
Working at NASA (1971–1998)
After the army, Hickam worked as an engineer for the U.S. Army from 1971 to 1981. He was based in Huntsville, Alabama and later in Germany.
In 1981, Hickam started working for NASA at the Marshall Space Flight Center. He was an aerospace engineer. He helped train astronauts for their missions. This included teaching them about science experiments and spacewalks.
He also worked as a diver in the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator. This is a giant pool where astronauts practice for space missions. He helped with training for the Hubble Space Telescope deployment and repairs. He also trained the first Japanese astronauts for the Spacelab-J mission. Before he retired in 1998, Hickam managed the training for the International Space Station program.
Writing Career (1969–Present)
Homer Hickam began writing in 1969 after returning from Vietnam. His first stories were about scuba diving. His first book, Torpedo Junction, was published in 1989. It was about the Battle of the Atlantic during World War II.
His second book was the memoir Rocket Boys. It started as a magazine article. In 1998, it was published as a full book. It tells the story of his life growing up in Coalwood, West Virginia. Rocket Boys has been translated into many languages. The New York Times named it one of its "Great Books of 1998."
In 1999, Universal Studios released the movie October Sky, based on Rocket Boys. The movie title "October Sky" is a mix-up of the letters in "Rocket Boys." Hickam has also helped create a musical play called Rocket Boys the Musical. He says the musical tells a story closer to his book.
Hickam's first fiction novel was Back to the Moon (1999). It's a thrilling story about a team who takes over a space shuttle.
He wrote more books about his hometown, Coalwood. These include The Coalwood Way (2000) and Sky of Stone (2001). Another book, We Are Not Afraid (2002), shares inspiring lessons from Coalwood.
In 2021, Hickam published Don't Blow Yourself Up. This book continues the story of his life after the "Rocket Boys" era. It covers his time at Virginia Tech, his military service, and his work at NASA. It also talks about writing Rocket Boys and working on the October Sky movie.
After his memoirs, Hickam started the "Josh Thurlow" series. These novels are set during World War II. The series includes The Keeper's Son (2003), The Ambassador's Son (2005), and The Far Reaches (2007).
He also wrote Red Helmet (2008), a love story set in the Appalachian coalfields. In 2010, he co-wrote My Dream of Stars with Anousheh Ansari, the first female commercial astronaut. Hickam, who loves dinosaurs, also wrote The Dinosaur Hunter (2010).
He wrote a science-fiction series for young adults called the Helium-3 trilogy. The books are Crater, Crescent, and The Lunar Rescue Company.
In 2015, he published Carrying Albert Home. This book became a best-seller and won many awards. It has been published in 17 languages.
Other Activities
In 2013, Hickam spoke out against a school's strict policy. The policy led to a student being expelled after a small explosion from a science experiment.
Also in 2013, Hickam joined the Alabama Space Science Exhibition Commission. This group oversees Space Camp and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center museum. He was chairman of the commission in 2019, the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
In 2018, Vice President Mike Pence asked Hickam to join the National Space Council's Users Advisory Group.
Honors and Awards
- In 1984, Hickam received Alabama's Distinguished Service Award. This was for his bravery during a rescue of people from a sunken boat.
- In 1996, he carried the Olympic Torch through Huntsville, Alabama, on its way to Atlanta.
- In 1999, the governor of West Virginia honored Hickam. He declared an annual "Rocket Boys Day" for Hickam's support of his home state.
- In 2000, Virginia Tech's junior class named their ring collection the Homer Hickam Collection.
- In 2007, he received an honorary doctorate from Marshall University.
- In 2010, Hickam received the Audie Murphy Patriotism Award.
- In 2013, he won the Clarence Cason Award for his non-fiction writing.
- In 2014, he won the Appalachian Heritage Writer's Award.
- In 2023, he received the Vietnam Veterans of America's Lifetime Achievement Award.
- In 2024, he was named the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Distinguished Alumni.
Books
Coalwood Series
- Rocket Boys: A Memoir (ISBN: 0-385-33320-X)
- The Coalwood Way (ISBN: 0-385-33516-4)
- Sky of Stone (ISBN: 0-440-24092-1)
- We Are Not Afraid (ISBN: 0-7573-0012-X)
- Carrying Albert Home (ISBN: 9780062325891)
- Don't Blow Yourself Up (ISBN: 1642938246)
- From Rocket Boys to October Sky An Amazon Kindle Single
Josh Thurlow Series
- The Keeper's Son (ISBN: 0-312-30189-8)
- The Ambassador's Son (ISBN: 0-312-30192-8)
- The Far Reaches (ISBN: 0-312-33475-3)
- Non-fiction companion volume: Torpedo Junction (ISBN: 0-440-21027-5)
Helium-3 Trilogy
- Crater
- Crescent
- Crater Trueblood and the Lunar Rescue Company
Other Books
- Back to the Moon: A Novel (ISBN: 0-440-23538-3)
- Red Helmet (ISBN: 1-59554-214-0)
- Torpedo Junction (ISBN: 1-55750-362-1)
- The Dinosaur Hunter (ISBN: 0-312-38378-9)
- Paco: The Cat Who Meowed in Space An Amazon Kindle Single
See also
In Spanish: Homer Hickam para niños
