Residence Amarillo, Texas Role TV presenter Nationality American Spouse Michaela Willson | Occupation Engineer Name Quentin Wilson | |
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Born November 21, 1942 (age 81) ( 1942-11-21 ) William Poca, West Virginia Known for one of the original Rocket Boys TV shows The Car's the Star, Top Gear, Britain's Worst Driver, Britain's Worst Celebrity Driver Books The Ultimate Classic C, Cool Cars, Classic American Cars, Quentin Willson's Cool Cars, Cars: A Celebration Profiles | ||
Education University of Leicester Children Max Willson, Mini Willson | ||
Mike brewer interviewing quentin wilson at the classic motor show 2014 hd
Quentin Wilson (born November 21, 1942 in William Poca, West Virginia) is an American engineer and is one of the original Rocket Boys. His character in the Universal Pictures film "October Sky" was played by Chris Owen. He currently resides in Amarillo, Texas.
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Biography
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. The Wilsons had eight children, four sons and four daughters. Only six survived to adulthood, of which Quentin was third oldest, and eldest son.
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.