Background
Wilson was born to Eston and Jessie Richardson Wilson, who had migrated to the West Virginia coalfields from subsistence farms in Carter County, Tennessee during the Great Depression.
Wilson was born to Eston and Jessie Richardson Wilson, who had migrated to the West Virginia coalfields from subsistence farms in Carter County, Tennessee during the Great Depression.
Marshall University.
His character in the Universal Pictures film "October Sky" was played by Chris Owen. He currently resides in Amarillo, Texas. Wilson attended Big Creek High School with Homer Hickam and the rest of the Rocket Boys.
Together this group built several rockets and competed in a National Science Fair.
After graduating from Big Creek, he attended Marshall College in Huntington, West Virginia graduating with a major in Chemistry. He came to Texas to find work in the oil business.
He settled in Amarillo in 1973 with Santa Fe Energy and now is an independent engineer married to Janice Birkholz. Wilson has three daughters and travels extensively speaking about the rocket boys" childhood.