Homer Hickam Sr.
Throughout the novel Homer grew to accept Sonny's dream of being an engineer. At the beginning all he wanted was Sonny to work in the mine and not have anything to do with rockets. By the end of the book Homer came and launched one of the BCMA boy's rockets.
Sonny's father
Elsie Hickam
All Elsie wanted to do was to get out of Coalwood and have Sonny go to college. The only thing she had remotely close to paradise was her Myrtle Beach painting. She was stuck in Coalwood until she finally put her foot down and told Homer she would leave him unless he went to Myrtle Beach. By the end of the book Elsie and Homer lived in Myrtle Beach and Sonny went to college to become an engineer.
Sonny's mother
Homer Hickam Jr.
Sonny hadn't even thought about rockets until he heard of the Russian's satellite, Sputnik. By the end of the book he was building rockets that went miles high, won the National Science Fair, went to college to be an engineer, and was a town success.
Homer (Sonny) Hickam