Oregon s Rocketguy rebounding after earthly struggles Follow Us
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By SCOTT HAMMERS - Associated Press - Tuesday, June 9, 2015
BEND, Ore. (AP) - Fifteen years after he announced plans to launch himself to the edge of space in a homemade rocket, Bend’s Brian Walker remains earthbound.
Walker, now 59, was widely known as “Rocketguy” during his nearly three years in the spotlight, when he appeared on dozens of television talk shows to discuss his dream of becoming the first person to mount a do-it-yourself mission to space.
Due to his hectic media tour schedule and an unanticipated sharp decline in his income, Walker was never able to complete the rocket he hoped to ride 35 to 50 miles into the sky. A brief marriage failed, and Walker slipped into a deep depression, battling suicidal thoughts and struggling to regain the creative spark he’d enjoyed in earlier year
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BY SUSAN HANAFEE – Two artists new to Boca Grande will be joining favorites Johan Bjurman and John Mitchell Sr. as the men put on their masks and raise their brushes for the third annual Guys Art Show next week.
The show opens Friday, January 22, at the Boca Grande Art Alliance from noon to 5 p.m. and continues on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We are excited to team up with these very talented artists, Val Chapko and Joe Palmerio,” says Mitchell. “Both of these men are highly regarded in their fields, and it will be a treat to have their works on display and available for purchase at the island’s art center.”