By ANDREA LANNOM
The Register-Herald
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Homer Hickam says he’s always happy to be in West Virginia and is proud to be from the Mountain State.
And he believes part of the state’s path to success could be found in the arts.
(Photo by Brad Davis)
Hickam, a New York Times No. 1 bestselling author, spent most of Monday in Charleston, talking with legislators and Gov. Jim Justice about the importance of the arts, tourism and education.
He focused on Theatre West Virginia in particular, saying he wanted to remind lawmakers of its importance to the state.
“It’s just a reminder to them that if they take the ax too far and eliminate all humanities and the arts, it’s a big mistake.”
He and fellow Rocket Boy Roy Lee Cooke met with lawmakers throughout the day. He also had a reception later that evening at the Culture Center before traveling back to Beckley and then heading to McDowell County today to talk to high schoolers.
He said the meetings went very well and legislators were supportive of his ideas.
“They’re naturally supportive of it, but the problem is when you have to come up with a balanced budget, it’s tough,” Hickam said. “They understand Theatre West Virginia is a state asset but it’s also so fragile that if we ever lose it, bringing it back will be impossible. The line item may not be big but it’s enough to keep it going.”
Hickam said he wanted to get across the point that Theatre West Virginia is more than people going to see a show.
“Actually, it trains people how to be actors, singers and musicians,” he said. “It primes them to go to New York, LA and then maybe come back to West Virginia. It’s very much a state asset we don’t want to lose.”
He said TWV wants to bring in people from all over the state and it’s going to be improved, adding that eventually, it may go to an indoor facility. He also talked about the need for tourism in the state, which is something that Gov. Justice also feels strongly about.
“We talked about tourism and using folks that come from West Virginia like Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., Chuck Yeager and a lot of other folks that have made a go both in the entertainment business and normal business and perhaps running a series of commercials using these folks and point out why you may want to come to West Virginia,” he said.
He said he and the governor also discussed infrastructure, in particular the Coalfields Expressway.
“We need to hold President Trump’s feet to the fire,” he said. “If he wants to help the state, that’s a really good way to do that. Actually, I was up in Washington talking to his administration about this.”
Last week, Justice announced he wanted to reinstate the $4.6 million in his 2018 fiscal year budget to fund the Educational Broadcasting Authority, including Mountain Stage. The news release said the governor is working on a deal to allow Public Broadcasting to become part of West Virginia University in the future.
Hickam said while he wasn’t in Charleston to specifically discuss Mountain Stage, he is supportive of it because it’s an asset to the state.
“If we lose it, it’s almost impossible to bring that kind of thing back,” he said. “It’s best to keep it and even though you can’t give it as much money as it deserves, just keep it alive. Ultimately, I think the state will grow out of its budget problems. Don’t hinder this state. Don’t put it in such a position where it doesn’t have any arts or humanities anymore.”
Talking about his plans to visit McDowell County to talk to students, Hickam said it breaks his heart to go back but he hopes he can give kids hope for the future.
“It’s probably good for me to go there and see what’s happening and try to give folks some hope that things will get better.”
He said when he talks to kids, he wants to emphasize that they have the skills and values to compete in the job market if they do have to head out-of-state for employment.
“A lot of young kids think when they leave this state that it’s going to be difficult to compete with the outside world,” Hickam said. “Actually, what they find is they’re pretty tough people. They go out there and they’re from a real place and have real values. They’re actually a lot stronger.
“People underestimate West Virginians and we always surprise them,” Hickam said. “I always tell young people to not be concerned. Don’t worry about what other people outside think about you because you’re going to surprise them when you’re out there. But the sad thing is I have to talk to them about going out of state to find a good job. That’s sad and I would really love to turn that around.”
However, Hickam says he is an optimist and that he thinks West Virginia will be able to bring businesses in that are not related to coal, oil or gas.
“The fact is we have hard-working people,” he said. “They’re loyal. They’re honest. To come in and give folks here a good job is good business. But the state has to be in a position to be attractive to the outside world. That includes the arts. We can’t walk away from that.”
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