Coalwood workers and the rocket saga tie to Red Carroll
A veteran Coalwood worker Ernest Red Carroll is cited by Early Smith as the man doing the real work in the town’s mines. Early led the narrator to Coalwood, where he served as mine fire boss during part of his career and shared fond memories tied to Homer Hickam Jr.’s Rocket Boys and its Sputnik era. Charles Owens kept the local Hickam story alive, connecting McDowell County to Hickam’s Air and Space feature and the Coalwood narrative continues to resonate locally.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ernest “Red” Carroll
Early Smith
Early
Coalwood
Homer Hickam Jr
Ken Lavender
Homer Hickam
Air & Space
Charles Owens
Charles
McDowell County
Hickam
Coalwood, the Rocket Club
Sputnik
Big Creek High School
Red Carroll of Coalwood remembered as community entrepreneur
Bill Archer recalls Red Carroll and Ivy Carroll as central figures in Coalwood during the 1940s to 1960s heyday. The longtime self employed worker hauled scrap, gardened, and led festival invocations while supporting family and neighbors. His memory highlights the town’s connection to Rocket Boys and October Sky.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Red
Coalwood
Ivy
Theresa
Caleb
Chester Matney
Carroll
October Sky
Sky
Red Carroll
Early Smith
Bill Bolt
Bluefield Daily Telegraph Staff Note
Brief staff credits for Bluefield Daily Telegraph list Darryl Hudson as Publisher and News Editor with sports editor Andy Patton. Brian Woodson Samantha Perry are Managing Editor and City Editor, while Dill Archer Charles Owens are Senior Editor. The piece includes a biblical proverb about confessing sins and mercy.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Andy Patton
Brian Woodson
Case Dill Archer
Charles Owens
Let freedom ring in wake of King and Giffords tied anniversaries
Dale McFeathers reflects on the Tucson shootings and Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as symbolic moments for American democracy. King’s legacy and Giffords’ ordeal spark national soul searching, with calls for unity, reading the Constitution, and honoring core rights. King’s dream remains a guide for a healing public discourse.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tucson
Martin Luther King Jr
King
Gabrielle Giffords
D-Ariz
Memphis
Giffords
America
U.S. House of Representatives
Congress
Lincoln Memorial
Birmingham
Dale McFeathers
Scripps
Howard News Service
Human Chain Protest Against Iran Executions International rally planned
A global Human Chain project aims to protest Iran's executions on February 19. Activists demand abolition of executions, release of political prisoners, and annulment of death orders, planning multi city demonstrations with banners bearing victims' names.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Aires
Iran
Human Chain
Texas justice or political maneuvering DeLay case
Dan K. Thomasson notes the Justice Department declined to prosecute Tom DeLay over ties to Jack Abramoff and describes a Texas money laundering conspiracy conviction tied to Republican redistricting. The piece questions motives on both sides, cites potential appeal outcomes, and preserves a wary view of Texas political culture.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ashington
Tom DeLay
House Republicans
Congress
Justice Department
K Street
Jack Abramoff
Hammer
DeLay
Ronnie Earle
Texas
Republican National Committee
Earle
Also Mentioned on This Page
Bill Archer
Joe
Arnout
Sonny” Hyde
Rocket Boys
Mercer Mall
Kathleen Smith
Bob Turner
Big Creek
Sonny Hickam
The
Daily Telegraph
Barcher
Boltonline
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Darryl Hudson
Samantha Perry
Jus
Ted
Lyndon Johnson
Dan K. Thomasson
Scripps Howard News Service
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