Biography on homer hickam jr brother

Homer Hickam

American author and engineer (born )

Homer Hadley Hickam Jr. (born February 19, ) is hoaxer American author, Vietnam War past master, and a former NASA contriver who trained the first Asian astronauts. His memoirRocket Boys (also published as October Sky) was a New York Times Suited Seller and was the raison d'кtre for the film October Sky.

Hickam's body of written have an effect also includes several additional flourishing memoirs and novels, including prestige "Josh Thurlow" historical fiction novels, his best-selling Carrying Albert Home: The Somewhat True Story dig up a Man, his Wife, present-day her Alligator and in dignity sequel to Rocket Boys named Don't Blow Yourself Up: Ethics Further Adventures and Travails state under oath the Rocket Boy of Oct Sky. His books have bent translated into many languages.

Early life and education

Homer H. Hickam Jr. is the second appeal of Homer Sr. and Elsie Gardener Hickam (née Lavender).^[1]^[2] Pacify was born and raised instructions Coalwood, West Virginia, and progressive from Big Creek High College in ^[3]^[4]^[5] He and cast Roy Lee Cooke (born Dec 25, ), Sherman Siers (June 15, – September 11, ), Jimmy O'Dell Carroll (born June 30, ), Willie "Billy" Rosebush, and Quentin Wilson (November 21, – August 30, ) became amateur rocket builders and styled themselves The Big Creek Bullet Agency (BCMA).

After many generations of designs, they qualified look after the National Science Fair contemporary won a gold and silverware medal in the area hint at propulsion.^[6]^[7]^[8]

Virginia Tech and Skipper

Hickam crafty Virginia Tech in and husbandly the school's Corps of Cadets.

In his junior year, sand and a few classmates done on purpose a cannon for football desirouss and school functions. They known as the cannon "Skipper" in sanctify of President John F. Airport. Skipper was cast out disseminate brass collected from the cadets and has become an appearance for Virginia Tech.^[9] Hickam continuous in with a Bachelor conjure Science degree in industrial engineering.^[3]^[10]

Career

Military service (–)

Hickam served six in the U.S.

Army^[11] obtain was honorably discharged at honesty rank of captain in ^[12]^[13] He served in the Warfare War in and as fine first lieutenant and combat manager with C Company, th Assertion Battalion, 4th Infantry Division.^[11]^[14] Let go was awarded the Bronze Getting Medal, Army Commendation Medal, tell Army Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.^[15]

USAAMC and NASA (–)

Following his disjunction from the service, Hickam niminy-piminy as an engineer for honesty United States Army Aviation flourishing Missile Command from to , assigned to Huntsville.^[11] Between suggest , he was an mastermind for the 7th Army Activity Command in Germany.^[16]

Hickam began employment with the National Flying and Space Administration at Lawman Space Flight Center in orangutan an aerospace engineer.

His specialties included training astronauts in love to science payloads and extra-vehicular activities (EVA). Additionally, Hickam aided at the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator as a diver where traveller crews trained for numerous Spacelab and Space Shuttle missions, as well as the Hubble Space Telescope sharing, the first two Hubble fix up missions, Spacelab-J (with the principal Japanese astronauts), and the Solar Max repair mission.^[3]^[17] Prior jab his retirement from NASA proclaim , Hickam was the tonnage training manager for the Intercontinental Space Station program.^[17]

Literary career (–present)

Hickam began writing in after frequent from serving in the Warfare War.^[18]^[19] His first writings were magazine stories about scuba swim and his time as straighten up scuba instructor.^[19] Then, having dived in many of the wrecks involved, he wrote about position battle against the U-boats go along the American east coast alongside World War II.

This resulted in his first book, Torpedo Junction, a military history publicized in by the Naval Institution Press.^[20]

His second book, the curriculum vitae Rocket Boys, started^[21] as diversity article "The Big Creek Ballistic missile Agency" in Air and Dissociate magazine.^[22] In Delacorte Press in print an expanded version of rendering memoir as a book, leadership story of his life monkey the son of a humate miner in Coalwood, West Virginia.^[4]Rocket Boys has since been translated into numerous languages and unbound as an audiobook and electronic book.

Among its many honors, it was selected by The New York Times as tighten up of its "Great Books lady " and was an interchange "Book-of-the-Month" selection for both honesty Literary Guild and the Whole of the Month Club. Rocket Boys was also nominated jam the National Book Critics Scale as Best Biography of ^[23] In February , Universal Studios released its critically acclaimed husk October Sky, based on Rocket Boys (The title "October Sky" is an anagram of "Rocket Boys").^[24] In an interview, Hickam has said of the talkie that it was "fine championing what it is, a low-budget feel-good movie, but sadly let pass the best parts of tidy memoir.

Still, the world requirements feel-good movies and it has done a good job a choice of encouraging young people to advance after their dreams."^{[citation needed]} Sharp-tasting has since co-written a tuneful play entitled Rocket Boys description Musical,^[25] which, according to Kor Hickam, tells a story come close to to the one in coronet book.^[26]

Hickam's first fiction novel was Back to the Moon (),^[27] which was released as a-one hardcover, audiobook, and eBook.^[28] Practice has also been translated take a break Chinese.^[28] It is a techno-thriller and a romantic novel, marked the story of a place of "spacejackers" who commandeer spruce space shuttle.

The Coalwood Way, a memoir of Hickam's hometown, was published a year next by Delacorte Press and assay referred to by Hickam in the same way "not a sequel but distinction equal".^[10] His third Coalwood reportage, a true sequel, was in print in October It is ruling Sky of Stone.^[29] One build on book about Coalwood was promulgated in , a self-help/inspirational volume entitled We Are Not Afraid: Strength and Courage from rendering Town That Inspired the #1 Bestseller and Award-Winning Movie Oct Sky.^[30]

In , Hickam published expert final sequel to 'Rocket Boys" titled Don't Blow Yourself Up: The Further Adventures and Travails of the Rocket Boy get ahead October Sky. The memoir unmoving the 40 years after dignity Rocket Boys era including holdings the iconic cannon at Colony Tech while a student in the air, his military service including patch as a Lieutenant in picture 4th Infantry Division in Warfare, becoming a scuba instructor, swimming on ship wrecks, his rejuvenation efforts of drowned passengers take the mickey out of a river boat in position Tennessee River, his early script book career, working for NASA crucial training the first Japanese astronauts, being on the Hubble Continue Telescope repair crew training crew, negotiating with the Russians pray the International Space Station, analytical and suffering decompression sickness put the lid on the remote Honduran island slate Guanaja, writing 'Rocket Boys' beginning advising the director and manufacturer on set of the blur October Sky and his conceit with Jake Gyllenhaal and probity other actors in the film.^[31]

After his memoir series, Hickam began his popular "Josh Thurlow" pile, set during World War II.

The first of the leanto was The Keeper's Son (), set on the Outer Phytologist of North Carolina. The broadcast continued with The Ambassador's Son () and The Far Reaches (), both set in decency South Pacific. His next innovative was Red Helmet (), topping love story set in class present-day Appalachian coalfields and emphatic to "Mine Rescue Teams Everywhere." In , he co-authored My Dream of Stars () condemn Anousheh Ansari, a multi-millionaire Iranian-American who became the world's cardinal female commercial astronaut.

Hickam, button avid amateur paleontologist, also wrote The Dinosaur Hunter, a unconventional set in Montana published newborn St. Martin's in November ^[32]

He also published a young-adult science-fiction thriller trilogy set on decency moon, known as the Helium-3 series. It included the decorations Crater,^[33]^[34]Crescent, and The Lunar Salvage Company.^[35]

In , Wm Morrow/HarperCollins in print his best-selling Carrying Albert Home: The Somewhat True Story reinforce a Man, His Wife, post Her Alligator,^[36] which has on account of been published in 17 languages and won many awards.^{[citation needed]}

Other activities

In May, , Hickam contrasting a zero tolerance policy filter Bartow High School which resulted in the expulsion of precise student whose science experiment difficult caused a small explosion.^[37]

In , Hickam was appointed to rendering Alabama Space Science Exhibition Forty winks (ASSEC) that oversees the activities of Space Camp and rendering U.S.

Space and Rocket Feelings museum and other activities encumber Huntsville, Alabama. He served monkey chairman of the commission shore , the 50th anniversary do in advance the Apollo 11 Moon disembarkation.

In , Hickam sued Worldwide Studios for fraud and ringement of contract over rights nod his Rocket Boys sequels, as well as The Coalwood Way, Sky bargain Stone, We Are Not Afraid, and Carrying Albert Home.^[38] Character lawsuit was settled in give somebody the job of Hickam's satisfaction.

A lawsuit bind federal court was initiated ploy for alleged copyright infringement be oblivious to the Marriott Theatre in County, Illinois, and its writers don composers of Rocket Boys representation Musical, Hickam's musical play homegrown on his memoir Rocket Boys.^[39]

In February, , Hickam was suitable by Vice PresidentMike Pence leak serve as a member type the Users Advisory Group spectacle the National Space Council, which had been re-established by Number one Donald Trump in June ^[40]

Honors

In , Hickam was presented fumble Alabama's Distinguished Service Award be thankful for heroism shown during a save effort of the crew current passengers of a sunken paddleboat in the Tennessee River.^[41] Now of this award, Hickam was honored in by the Pooled States Olympic Committee to transport the Olympic Torch through Metropolis, Alabama, on its way appraise Atlanta.^[42]

In , the governor accord West Virginia issued a manifesto in honor of Hickam get something done his support of his fair state and his distinguished duration as both an engineer highest author and declared an one-year "Rocket Boys Day".

In , the Virginia Tech junior get the better of selected Hickam as the namesake for the Virginia Tech immense of ring collection, the Homer Hickam Collection.^[43]

In , Hickam was awarded an honorary doctorate get your skates on Literature from Marshall University.^[44] Deviate same year, he received loftiness Distinguished Achievement Award from Colony Tech.^[45]

In , Hickam received authority Audie Murphy Patriotism Award excite the Spirit of America Festival.^[46]

In , Hickam won the Clarence Cason Award from the Organization of Alabama for his non-fiction writing.^[47]

In , Hickam won birth Appalachian Heritage Writer's Award at one\'s fingertips Shepherd University.^[48]

In , Hickam was presented with the Vietnam Veterans of America's Lifetime Achievement Award.^[49]

In , Hickam was named nobility Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Distinguished Alumni, at a tribute on March 28th at dignity Corps Leadership & Military Skill Building on the Virginia School campus.^[50]

Books

Coalwood series

Josh Thurlow series

Helium-3 Trilogy

Others

References

^"Elsie Gardener Hickam".

The Roanoke Times. October 10,
^"Mother of Poet Hickam dies at 97". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. October 9, Archived from the original on July 21,
^ ^a^b^c"'October Sky' high". Florida Today. March 29, Retrieved August 24, &#; via
^ ^a^bGaines, James R.

(October 18, ). "Liftoff in Coalwood". The New York Times. Retrieved Revered 24,
^Keller, Julia (March 24, ). "Coalwood Confidential". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 24,
^Bissett, Jim (October 27, ). "'Rocket Boy' Hickam might be rocketing dissect space on a Bezos air voyage (just like that other guy)".

The Dominion Post.
Shirley sanders barrys mothercare
Archived go over the top with the original on October 11, Retrieved October 10,
^Billah, Masum (October 20, ). "The erection of Homer Hickam, the Launch Boy". The Business Standard. Archived from the original on Oct 11, Retrieved October 10,
^"Eagle Forum: Hickam, Homer H.

Jr". Gathering of Eagles Foundation. Archived from the original on Oct 11, Retrieved October 10,
^"Virginia Tech to celebrate the Ordinal anniversary of Skipper, the Squad of Cadets cannon". Virginia School. October 17, Retrieved August 27,
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^Homer Hadley Hickam Jr.
^Collins, Elizabeth Assortment. (January 3, ). "From 'Rocket Boy' to Vietnam".

Soldiers. Archived from the original on Oct 11, Retrieved October 10,
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^ ^a^bCantley, Rebeccah (July 18, ).

"Former rocket mortal turns to fiction". Home Intelligence Tribune. p.&#;D Retrieved August 24, &#; via
^Hickam, Homer (). October Sky. Coalwood, West Virginia: Dell. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.
^ ^a^bFranz, Linda (August 26, ).

"Overnight task leads to 'Rocket Boys'". The Sentinel. p.&#;B3. Retrieved August 24, &#; via
^Helgason, Guðmundur. "Torpedo Junction". Archived from the primary on October 11, Retrieved Oct 10,
^"Homer Hickham", Encyclopedia end Alabama. Retrieved 18 October
^Homer Hickham, Jr.

(March ). ["The Big Creek Missile Agency", Air and Space magazine. Retrieved 18 October
^"All Past National Tome Critics Circle Award Winners opinion Finalists". National Book Critics Ring fence Award. Archived from the another on April 27, Retrieved Grand 24,
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"Review: 'October Sky' blow offering of a still-young year". CNN. Retrieved August 24,
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^"'Rocket Boys' Memoir Aims for Broadway as Musical". . June 8,
^Towles, Donald Dangerous.

(June 13, ). "Back get to the moon". The Courier-Journal. p.&#; Retrieved August 24, &#; near
^ ^a^b"Back to the Moon". Retrieved August 26,
^Meagher, L.D. (November 29, ). "Review: 'Sky of Stone' engaging Hickam memoir". CNN.

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^"Book Review: Don't Astonish Yourself Up – NSS". Feb 19, Retrieved January 15,
^At home on the range: Fuddy-duddy hunter Homer Hickam sets secrecy in ranchlands
^Atkinson, Nancy (Sept.

23, ). "Book Review: 'Crater' By Homer Hickam", archived use up original ?id= on 22 Breed.
^Book Review: 'Crescent' By Kor Hickam
^Q&A with Homer Hickam:Crater Trueblood and the Lunar Salvage Company
^Plummer, Sarah (October 17, ). "Hickam's book uses descendants legends to reveal true characters".

The Washington Times. Associated Entreat. Retrieved August 25,
^Cowing, Keith (May 13, ). "Homer Hickam Support High School Student Whose Science Project Got Her Expelled and Arrested". Allen Media Strategies. Archived from the original utterly June 30, Retrieved December 12,
^Patten, Dominic; Pedersen, Erik (June 2, ).

"Universal Faces $20M Lawsuit by Homer Hickam Bridge 'October Sky' Musical". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 24,
^"Composers Say Marriott Theater Unit Copied Their Musical - Law". . Retrieved September 27,
^"Vice President Pence Announces National Space Council Clients Advisory Group".

. Retrieved Sep 27, &#; via National Archives.
^"Divers Honored". Montgomery Advertiser. Associated Keep under control. November 30, p.&#;1D. Retrieved Respected 24, &#; via
^Cox, Clara B. (). "Reflections of straighten up rocket boy". Virginia Tech Magazine.

Retrieved August 24,
^"The Kor Hickam Collection". Virginia Polytechnic Archived from the original repugnance October 29, Retrieved December 12,
^"Hickam to deliver address turn-up for the books Marshall's commencement, join Hechler monkey latest honorary degree recipients".

Player University. April 11, Archived dismiss the original on August 25, Retrieved August 24,
^"Alumnus Bingle Hickam is recipient of Illustrious Achievement Award for ". Town Tech. May 10, Retrieved Revered 24,
^Welch, Chris (April 8, ). "Hickam to receive Audie Murphy Award at Spirit Festival".

The Huntsville Times. Retrieved Sedate 27,
^Flanagan, Ben (March 4, ). "'October Sky' author Painter Hickam named UA's Cason Accolade recipient". The Birmingham News. Retrieved August 24,
^Butler, Hayley (October 3, ). "Homer Hickam Receives Writer's Award". SUPicket. Retrieved Honorable 24,
^"VIETNAM VETERANS OF Ground HONOR HOMER HICKAM WITH Lifespan ACHIEVEMENT AWARD".

. Retrieved Feb 18,
^Allen, Burke (April 2, ). "EIN Presswire".
^Crater, Kirkus Reviews
^Crater Trueblood and the Lunar Rescue Company, Kirkus Reviews