Homer Hickam,Jr.-Author's Letter/Autographed Photo


Letter / Photo below from Author Homer Hickam, Jr.

Autographed Photo of Homer Hickam


Text of a letter to Mrs. Heaton’s class from author Homer Hickam:

Dear Ms. Heaton and her students at Willow Creek Elementary School:

An author is always gratified when it’s clear his work has touched so many people, especially young people. As you study together this year, I hope you will take with you the true message of the Rocket Boys in the book and the movie which is this: it is important for everyone to find a passion in life, then work very hard to make it come true. To only dream of a better future is inconsequential. Each of us must take the next steps beyond and learn to map out what must be done to reach our goals. After that, it’s easy. All that must be done is to persevere, persevere, persevere!

As O’Dell said in Rocket Boys /October Sky, “A rocket won’t fly unless somebody lights the fuse.” His was a literal meaning but he was also voicing an important idea. Nothing will happen unless someone takes the initiative to make it so. To be passive and wait for something good to happen in your life is to probably experience vast disappointment. You must learn to move, to exert yourselves, to let dreams translate into reality through hard work, study, and working with other people. It is my belief that there are no boundaries to excellence and success except for those we place on ourselves. There are son many people – our teachers, our parents, our families, and our friends – who are willing and able to help us if only we let them know what it is we want to do.

In the end, we determine our own success through our own labor. As my dear teacher Miss Riley said to me once long ago, “All I’ve done is give you a book. You have to have the courage to learn what’s inside it.” She was referring to an advanced text on rocketry, which required an understanding of higher mathematics quite beyond me at the time. She was confident, however, that her challenge to me would be enough to make me try to learn. She was right. I studied, I learned, I worked hard, and I succeeded. If a boy in a small dying coal town in West Virginia can do those things, so can you.

Best wishes to you and remember, if you never have dreams, they never come true. Aim High!

Sincerely,

Homer Hickam, Author

Posted: Thu - April 21, 2005 at 02:13 PM          

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