Who is Basil Oglethorpe from Rocket Boys: A Memoir and what is their importance? Rocket_Boys English & Literature Basil Oglethorpe | Rocket Boys: A Memoir

Basil Oglethorpe is a thin, tall man who dresses so fancily that it causes Sonny's mouth to drop open. He writes for the "McDowell County Banner" and takes a special interest in the rocket boys. He shows up to see the boys shoot off a rocket and he and another fella lounge against a Pontiac fender. When the rocket is fired off it turns and flies at the men, narrowly missing them. Basil whoops and laughs and dances around, stopping to write notes on a little pad of paper. He is a huge fan and says, "Oh, it's just like Cape Canaveral, I love it!" Basil is determined to show his rocket boys the power of the press. He repeatedly writes about them, they become known all over the county. His writings get such a great response that he makes writing about the rocket boys a regular feature. More and more spectators start to watch the boys launch rockets, attracted by his articles (and the notices that the boys put up). He writes, "If you have any hope of understanding what the grand and glorious future holds for all who dare seize it, you must come to see the rocket boys of Coalwood" ("The McDowell County Banner," August 1958).