Published: December 03, 2008 02:49 am      

‘Rocket Boy’ Roy L. Cooke speaks at WVU on Thursday

Part of Miner’s Day celebration at university

FAIRMONT — West Virginia University is celebrating Miner’s Day with a special event Thursday.

While Miner’s Day is scheduled for Saturday, WVU’s event will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Mountainlair’s Gluck Theatre.

Helping WVU celebrate will be Roy L. Cooke, one of the original “Rocket Boys.”

Cooke grew up in Coalwood, where his father worked in the mines. In the 1950s, he and his friends at Big Creek High School built and launched homemade rockets and formed the Big Creek Missile Agency. They were known as the “Rocket Boys” made famous in Homer Hickam’s book and the 1999 movie “October Sky.”

Cooke is a graduate of the University of Maryland and the American Institute of Banking in Washington, D.C. He served as president of Carolina Domestic Coal and as a managing member of Cooke and Moses.

In addition, he was named a Distinguished West Virginian in 1999 and maintains a wide range of civic and business interests in the Appalachian area.

Sonja Wilson, program coordinator for WVU’s celebration, said the event will begin with the Mountaineer, Michael Squires, singing, then Cooke will speak, then take questions from the crowd. The event will end with fiddle playing and singing by faculty members Ray Hicks and Chris Haddix.

Also, the WVU Press will have books on mining and railroading available, including copies of J. Davitt McAteer’s book “Monongah: The tragic story of the 1907 mine disaster, the worst industrial accident in U.S. History.

“It’s free and open to the public,” Wilson said. “We hope everyone in Marion County will take the opportunity to join us at WVU.”

The university’s celebration of Miner’s Day began in 2006, shortly after an act of the state Legislature made the day a holiday. Since then, WVU’s celebration has grown each year. Plans are already in the works for next year, she said, with student groups from the engineering and mining engineering schools participating, Wilson said.

“We want to celebrate, remember and think about what miners have done,” Wilson said. “This is a day to stop and reflect on that.”

E-mail Katie Wilson at kwilson@timeswv.com.