OCTOBER SKY AUTHOR, ALUM HONORED AT GAME
Homer Hickam, author of the book Rocket Boys which was made into the movie
October Sky, was honored Oct. 16 at the Homecoming game with a standing
ovation from more than 50,000 fans. Earlier that day, Hickam, a 1964 Tech
graduate in industrial engineering, signed his books at the Volume II Bookstore.
Within an hour, the 200 copies on hand were sold out.
Homer was escorted to midfield during halftime at the Syracuse game, and the Marching Virginians performed a medley of songs from the movie October Sky. Hickam, who lived his dream of becoming a NASA engineer, is remembered at Tech as being one of the people that built the first Skipper cannon. When it was first fired in 1963 at the Thanksgiving Day football game in Roanoke, the charge was so strong it knocked down some football players and sent a shock wave through the opposing crowd. At Homecoming this year, he shot the Skipper before and during the Syracuse game. No major damage was reported.
November's Issue
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