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ALI Staff
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Homer
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Homer, you often credit the education you received in Coalwood for opening the door that lead you a college education and to your success as an engineer and author. With mining as the primary industry and career path, did the school system really offer its students an opportunity for a quality education?
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We know by your success as an engineer and writer that the product of the school system was high quality, but tell us the truth about Homer the student!
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We know from reading your books, and of course watching the movie Rocket Boys, that your teacher, Frieda Riley, had made a big difference in your life and helped you understand the importance of an education. What was she like as a teacher at Big Creek High School?
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Tell us how Ms. Riley specifically worked with the Rocket Boys to encourage your work in her science classroom.
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Homer, you have explained to me that along with Ms. Riley, many community members supported your efforts to learn and to succeed in your rocket building efforts. How about your father, Homer Hickam senior?
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Homer, you were in the middle of a coal mining town in 1957, how can you explain a fascination with rockets?
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How about the rockets themselves, were they really powerful? How high did they fly? |
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I know you like to caution youth about trying to build the kind of rockets the Rocket boys constructed. Why is this? |
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I think the Rocket Boys success with rockets inspired us all, can you tell us a little about how it began and why it gave you a context for learning?
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Eventually, all the work the Rocket Boys did, was rewarded at the national science fair. Was this the goal when you began?
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Homer, at first glance it might see strange to some that someone who aspired and succeeded at being a engineer has now become a well known author. For teachers who want to inspire young writers, explain to us how this came about.
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Return to the scrapbook index.
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