Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.
Today is Friday, Feb. 9
Homer Hickam shares how “Rocket Boys” became “October Sky” on the big screen. Chill out with a winter hike at a West Virginia state park. And a WVU study examines the habits of successful entrepreneurs…on today’s daily304.
#1 – From WBOY-TV – If you’re from West Virginia, odds are you’ve heard of Homer Hickam’s 1998 book “Rocket Boys.” You might have even watched the movie adaptation, “October Sky.”
The movie, which was released in 1999 and starred Jake Gyllenhaal as Homer Hickam, follows Homer’s story of growing up in Coalwood, West Virginia with a dream of building rockets.
But why was the movie titled differently?
Hickam said that the name of the movie was changed from “Rocket Boys” to “October Sky” to make the movie more appealing for women, based on marketing studies by Universal Studios.
But October Sky is also an anagram of Rocket Boys, meaning they have the same letters just switched around in a different order. Hickam said that director Joe Johnston discovered the anagram after the new movie title was already chosen and considered it “cosmically inspired.”
More information about the conversion from book to movie is detailed in Hickam’s 2013 book “From Rocket Boys to October Sky.”
Read more:
https://www.wtrf.com/west-virginia/west-virginia-native-homer-hickman-wrote-rocket-boys-but-why-was-the-movie-changed-to-october-sky/?es_id=0658dabd76
#2 – From WV STATE PARKS – Hiking is not just for warm-weather months. Stroll through the woods during the winter and discover a whole new world of snow-blanketed trees, animal tracks and frozen waterfalls. And there’s no better place for a winter hike than West Virginia state parks and forests.
Contact the park office to learn about scheduled guided hikes, or check the Events Calendar. But if you just want to head out on your own, check out some of these parks.
South of Beckley, Camp Creek State Park and Forest offers 35 miles of trails that wind through lush forest and past rippling streams. Hike to Mash Fork Falls, a 1-mile challenging trek with a rewarding view of the falls.
Nestled in the mountains of Webster County, Holly River State Park offers a peaceful escape from the frantic pace of everyday life. Discover unique rock formations along Nature’s Garden Rock Trail.
If you’re looking for an easy stroll, check out Fisherman’s Trail at Hawks Nest State Park in the New River Gorge. The trail follows Hawks Nest Lake and offers an awe-inspiring closeup of the Hawks Nest Dam.
Check out www.wvstateparks.com to learn more and reserve lodging.
Read more:
https://wvstateparks.com/grab-your-snow-boots-and-plan-a-winter-hike-at-these-west-virginia-state-parks/
#3 – From WVU TODAY – When people quit their jobs to launch their own companies, the reasons that motivated them to become entrepreneurs can be major predictors of success, according to research conducted by West Virginia University management scholar Hyeonsuh Lee.
Lee’s research revealed when someone leaves employment because they disagree with their company’s organization and operation, they are overwhelmingly likely to thoughtfully organize their own business and succeed as an entrepreneur.
Lee, assistant professor at the WVU John Chambers College of Business and Economics, also discovered when someone’s first start-up does fail, taking personal ownership of that failure is key to success down the road.
The Strategic Management Journal published Lee and her coauthors’ analysis of interviews conducted with 21 male entrepreneurs who, between 1977 and 1997, started their own businesses after resigning jobs during the early stages of the rigid disk drive industry, which makes computer data storage devices.
When organizational misalignment was someone’s impetus for starting a business, the founder was almost certain to engage in “venture crafting” at his start-up.
“These kinds of founders wanted to build organizations, not just products,” Lee said. “They encouraged employees to take ownership of their work, established distributed decision-making processes and ensured employees held equity stakes in their companies.”
In addition to venture crafting, those with successful entrepreneurial careers focused on hiring skilled, collaborative employees.
Read more:
https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/stories/2024/02/01/wvu-research-looks-at-how-experiences-at-previous-jobs-motivate-start-up-operators
Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304.
The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo.
That’s all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.
