HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 67

(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss, and Delegates Harrison, Wright, Yeager, Anderson, Armstead, Ashley, Azinger, Boggs, Border, Browning, Butcher, C. White, Campbell, Canterbury, Caputo, Carmichael, Compton, DeLong, Dempsey, Ellem, Ennis, Evans, Faircloth, Flanigan, Fletcher, Fox, Frederick, Givens, Hall, Hrutkay, Kominar, Kuhn, Leggett, Louisos, Mahan, Manchin, Marshall, McGraw, Overington, Perdue, Pethtel, Pino, Poling, Proudfoot, Prunty, Riggs, Romine, Schadler, Shaver, Shelton, Smirl, L. Smith, Stalnaker, Staton, Stephens, Susman, Swartzmiller, R. M. Thompson, R. Thompson, Trump, Tucker, Varner, Walters, Webb, H. White, G. White, Williams and Wills)


[Introduced April 5, 2001; referred to the

Committee on Rules.]

Requesting the Joint Committee on Government and Finance together with the Division of Culture and History to make a study of the feasibility of developing a historical State park at Coalwood, McDowell County, the home of the "launch site" of the "Rocket Boys."

Whereas, Coalwood, McDowell County, West Virginia, is the original home of the "Rocket Boys," former residents Jimmy "O'Dell" Carroll, Homer "Sonny" Hickam, Billy Rose, Sherman Siers (deceased), Roy Lee Cook and Quentin Wilson whose vision, insight and belief in the space program of the United States, and their rocket launching experiments, formed the factual basis for the book titled "Rocket Boys" and the movie, titled "October Sky," about their days in their Coalwood, West Virginia home; and

Whereas, The "Rocket Boys" have brought great pride to their hometown, Coalwood, and to the State of West Virginia, through their patriotism and their portrayal in the movie "October Sky," and the book "Rocket Boys" which are based on their life experiences as young visionaries who had dreams of space travel and who regularly built and launched rockets from their West Virginia town. One of "The Rocket Boys," Homer "Sonny" Hickam Jr., wrote the book "Rocket Boys," and wrote the memoirs which form the basis of the movie "October Sky," and went on to become a NASA engineer training astronauts at Marshall Space Flight Center; and

Whereas, The exploits of these young men, their continuous rocket building and launching, inspired not only the residents of Coalwood who knew them personally, but also the future generations of McDowell County residents who, through the experience of the "Rocket Boys," have learned to look to a world beyond their own, and in turn, have helped bring recognition and pride to their own community; this, together with their ingenuity, perseverance, patriotism and experiences as young visionaries whose dreams of space travel led to the regular building and launching of rockets from their West Virginia town
and their competition in and winning the national science fair and local fairs as young boys, provides the foundation for a natural State historical park setting; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance together with the Division of Culture and History is hereby requested to review, examine and study the feasibility of the development of a Coalwood State Historical Park in Coalwood, McDowell County, West Virginia, and to make recommendations to the Legislature regarding the same; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance report to the regular session of the Legislature, 2002, on its findings, conclusions and recommendations, together with drafts of any legislation necessary to effectuate its recommendations; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the expenses necessary to conduct this study, to prepare a report and to draft necessary legislation be paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance.