| A | B |
|---|
| Billy | The last member to join BCMA |
| Buck Trant | Loves football and Valentine; heart-broken over both |
| Daisy Mae | Sonny's cat/confidant, killed by someone mad at Dad |
| Dorothy Plunk | Sonny's biology partner who takes his slot in Calculas |
| Emily Sue | A friend who helps Sonny pick out a descent suit. |
| Elsie | Determined to help her son get out of Coalwood |
| Freida Riley | Took on Principal Turner on the rocket boys' behalf; bought Sonny Principales of Guided Missle Design |
| Geneva Eggers | Dad saved this woman from a fire when she was a baby |
| Homer Jr. | October Sky is his autobiography |
| Homer Sr. | True company man, alwyas on call; tough but fair |
| Ike Bylovski | Company welder who is punished for helping Sonny build the first BCMA rockets. |
| Jim | More concerned about his clothes and hair than about Sonny |
| John Dubonnet | Coalwood union leader |
| John Eye | His moonshine helps the boys make "zincoshine" |
| Leon Ferro | Machine shop supervisor who teaches the boys how to trade (barter) for what they want. |
| Mr. Caton | This machinist and his crew build De Laval nozzles for BCMA |
| Mr. Fuller | Temporary general superintendent who fired miner, sold houses/churches, destroyed BCMA blockhouse |
| Mr. VanDyke | General Superintendent of the mine who supported the BCMA; fired for protesting company changes. |
| O'Dell | Creative problem-solver: some ideas work, others cause greater problems; Dad is town garbage man |
| Pooky Suggs | Blames everyone else for everything that goes wrong in his life. |
| Quinton | The "brains" of the BCMA |
| Rev. Lanier | Methodist minister who gave a sermon about father-son relationships |
| Jake Mosby | Junior engineer from Ohio; has telescope on his roof |
| Roy Lee | Owns a car and knows everything going on, including who killed Sonny's cat; looks like a young Elvis |
| Sherman | BCMA member who suffered after-effects of polio; a dreamer |
| Tag Farmer | Town constable; war veteran who's afraid of the mine |
| Basil Oglethorpe | Journalist whose articles brought the boys local fame |
| Valentine | She takes pity on Sonny when his heart is broken |
| Von Braun | Leading NASA rocket scientist/engineer |
| Ed Johnson | Custodian at Big Creek and of "The Dugout" |
| West Virginia | The writer grew up in this state |
| High School football team | Was undefeated and played too many teams in Virginia |
| Olga Coal Company | The name of the company the father worked at |
| October 1957 | The Russians sent Sputnik into space |
| Cherry Bombs | The fuel for the first rocket was made from this |
| Elsie's rule before every launch | Don't blow yourself up |
| Auk | What the rocket boys called their rockets |
| The Great Six | Elementary Teachers who helped guild the children and town |
| Cape Coalwood was founded after | The minister told fathers to help their sons with their dreams |
| Big Creek | Name of the district school in the mountains |
| Rocket candy | Mixture of potassium chlorate and sugar used as a source to fuel the rockets |
| An airplane flare | The true cause of the forest fire on Davy Mountain |
| Why does Sonny g into the mine | Homer whats to show him what a real engineer does |
| Wernher Von Braun | Sonny refuses Homer's college offer, and he blames this person |
| Ike Bykovski | He dies in the mining accident, causing Sonny to quit the BCMA |
| Miss Riley and Mary Bykovski | They convince Sonny to build rockets |
| Owe Mr. VanDyke for materials they tried to steal | The boys need money so desperately that they risk their lives out in the wilderness |
| Kennedy | Democratic Presidential candidate that Sonny meets |
| How does Homer help Sonny in Indianapolis | goes into the strike, signs a contract, forgets Myrtle Beach |
| Too Dangerous | The reason the judges do not like rocket projects according to Tex |
| Hodgkin's Disease | Miss Riley is suffering from this |
| What Elsie does to fight against the mine | Gardening, scrubbing, painting, encourages Sonny |
| Symbolism of Sonny's tie at the finals | State flag, flight, seeking heights |
