Collegiate Times

Homer Hickam is a graduate of Virginia Tech, former NASA engineer and author of 10 books. Hickam became well known for his novel "Rocket Boys," which was made into the motion picture "October Sky," starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Hickam.

On Oct. 4, Hickam and three other members of the original "Rocket Boys" will return to their hometown of Coalwood, W.Va., for the 10th annual October Sky Festival. The festival begins at 9 a.m. and will host Tom Jones, a NASA shuttle astronaut, and several other special guests.

Hickam spoke with the Collegiate Times about the festival, his time at Tech and Gov. Sarah Palin.

Q: Why do you think it's important to hold an annual October Sky Festival?

A: It's good for the town, first off. Every penny goes to local charity. There are just so many people across the world that want to in some way touch this story of the "Rocket Boys," and what better way than to come to the hometown of the "Rocket Boys?"

Q: How do you hope this year's festival will be different from last year's?

A: Every year these busloads of students come in from out of state, and they all want to see me and the other Rocket Boys. Most of them have studied the book. They want to ask questions as students of the book. We want to give them a place to do that. This year I think the students are going to get more access to the "Rocket Boys." This year we did decide to move it to downtown Coalwood. It will be a much more open and uncongested space. I'm really looking forward to it for a change. I used to dread it.

Q: How different is Coalwood now than how you remember it from your childhood?

A: Going back to Coalwood now really breaks my heart, frankly. When I grew up, there were about 2,000 people that lived there. It was a very active community. It had at its heart the coalmine that employed all the adult males that lived there. This meant that it was a true community in that everybody had sort of the same goals. Once the company failed ... the grade school and junior high school burned down. The company store closed; it was recently torn down. From that standpoint, Coalwood is just not the same place. But there is a spirit there. It's still a special place, sort of an oasis in the county. I'm very proud of the people that are still there.

Q: Why did you decide that you want to help write Gov. Sarah Palin's memoir?

A: She's got a great story. It's a very American story in my opinion. Alaska's a very interesting place; it's not like the other 49 states at all. The people up there are very independent. That's the kind of place someone like Sarah Palin would emerge. Everybody loved her when she came on the scene, but now they've tried to pack her head full of all of these talking points. I don't blame her for getting tongue-tied in front of the interviewers. Universal Studios and the publishers tried to pull that on me. That just does not work. You have to stay authentic.

Q: You graduated from Tech in 1964 with an Industrial Engineering degree. Do you think your education at Virginia Tech properly prepared you for your career?

A: Oh, yeah. In a lot of ways, what I learned about life and leadership and how to get along with folks have come in handy throughout my life. I learned how to be yelled at. When I came in, (the Corps of Cadets program) was required unless you were a veteran or a woman. I didn't even know they had a Cadet program when I went there. I kind of enjoyed it. It was interesting. I was part of something bigger than me. The group of young men that I was with there have remained just such tight buddies ever since. I just really lucked out, and that's been kind of the story of my life. I have an abiding love for Virginia Tech. I'm just so happy that it worked out that that's where I went to school. I will always love it.