High school of teen rocketeers from ‘October Sky’ to be demolished; too run-down to save

Rocket Boys’ alma mater in W.Va. to be demolished

WAR, W.Va. — The wrecking ball is coming for a West Virginia high school that was home to the teenage amateur rocket enthusiasts profiled in the movie “October Sky.”

The former Big Creek High School was the alma mater of Homer Hickam Jr. and four friends who became national science fair champions in 1960.

Hickam’s memoir “Rocket Boys” about their homemade experiments during the U.S.-Soviet space race became a best-seller. It was the basis for the 1999 movie that starred Jake Gyllenhaal.

Big Creek opened in 1932 and closed in June. Mayor Tom Hatcher of the city of War says the building is too deteriorated to be saved.

McDowell County Schools Superintendent Jim Brown says the former high school is expected to be demolished before winter.

Information from: Bluefield Daily Telegraph, www.bdtonline.com

(This version CORRECTS author’s name.)