Sherman Siers

Sherman Siers (b. late 1940s – d. late 1960s) was a member of the Big Creek Missile Agency and was one of Homer Hickam Jr.'s earliest childhood friends. He had a weakened left leg from the result of polio, which never seemed to bother him, but he tragically died from a heart attack at the age of 26.

Portrayal in Adaptations
In the movie October Sky, his character was combined with O'Dell to make "Sherman O'Dell", who was mostly called O'Dell. The only Sherman detail in the movie was the weakened left leg.