SEATTLE — Heather Ronnebaum is not the average librarian. For 10 years, she and her husband were crew members for an eight-second Mustang that competed in NMCA drag races. She is a bit of a rebel.
And she’s plotting with Cruz Pedregon Racing general manager Caleb Cox to make more noise in the parking lot of Indiana’s Franklin County Public Library than the town of Brookville has ever heard.
Ronnebaum, the Teen Librarian and a former teacher’s aide for the STEM program Project Lead The Way, won’t be shushing anybody. She has asked the Brookville City Council to shut down some streets May 1 and invited the entire town to witness Cox fire up Pedregon’s nitromethane-powered NHRA Funny Car.
“There are so many people who don’t know what a Funny Car is. They’re going to find out,” Ronnebaum said. “It gets your blood pumping. It’ll shake rattle, and roll the whole town of Brookville.”
This Midwestern, Main Street extravaganza, which Ronnebaum says “is taking on a life of its own,” began three years ago inside classrooms at Franklin County High School and Middle School. Cox, a Hoosier himself from Brownsburg who played football at Indiana State University, met Ronnebaum and accepted her invitation to speak to the students about the challenges they face and the opportunities they can make for themselves.
Cox brought his motivational message back again and again. The teacher-turned-librarian said, “They were beside themselves, and now he’s bringing the car.
“These kids were awestruck, absolutely awestruck,” Ronnebaum said. “He brings an energy. He’s just a powerhouse. He definitely gets the kids’ attention. He can relate to the kids and they just love him.”
Cox said, “It wasn’t that long ago that I was in those shoes, too, sitting in a classroom, trying to figure out: ‘What am I going to do? What am I going to be?’ When you look back at it now, there were times I could have worked harder, times when I didn’t apply myself. And I feel stupid for doing that,” Cox said. “So I try to give those kids that same piece of advice that I think of now. I don’t want to have those kids make the same mistakes I did. It was more of an inspirational lesson, showing those kids that you can be whatever you want to be in your life.
“That was kind of the message that I gave them: If you have goals, if you have dreams, if you have inspirations, you have to work hard for it,” Cox continued. “It’s not just something you say. It’s something that you believe in, that you do every day. You can go out there and set yourself apart and go way beyond where you think your mind can go and make a difference for yourself and your family for generations to come.”
Cox didn’t take a direct path to the straightline sport. He had aimed for an NFL career, hitting the gym six days a week from 2:30 to 7:30 at night, watching film and practicing drills. Then he wanted to be a sports agent. But he met Pedregon and got his break. He wants to drive one day.
“When I got my job with Cruz,” Cox said, “I didn’t know anything about drag racing. I had to immerse myself, not only in the world of drag racing but also in the world of business. When I set out to do something, I set out to be the best at whatever it is.”
These students rarely aim for occupational opportunities beyond the local Owens Corning plant that produces roofing shingles, or the ones 20 miles away in Batesville, Ind., making caskets and cremation urns at Batesville Caskets or hospital beds and health-care equipment at Hill-Rom. Cox’s mission has been to encourage them to consider all possibilities.
“If you want to be great, if you want to achieve everything you want to in life, you have to set your dreams and goals as high as possible,” Cox tells the students. “Even if you do miss those dreams, you might land among the stars and take a different route. One door closes and another door opens, and you will land what you set your sights on.”
Cox asked the students what their favorite activity or school subject was. He said, “One girl told me, ‘I like to sleep.’ I said, ‘Sleep is for people who are broke.’ People who work hard and want to achieve, they’ll forgo sleep.”
Ronnebaum said, “What I’m trying to do with the event is show kids they can work with their hands and they can make a good living doing it. Not everybody’s cut out for college. And you can support a family and do things. Just because you’ve got dirt under your fingernails does not mean you’re not just as worthy as the guy who’s got four years of college.
“Having the car here, this is probably something the kids never would see in their lifetime and never have the chance to go see, not because they weren’t interested but because they can’t afford to make the trip to Indy or can’t afford tickets,” she said. “I am beyond excited to bring this experience to Brookville.”
Cox clearly is thrilled, too. “You’ve got to give back,” he said. “Just trying to make the world a better place, one single person at a time. If I don’t touch a million people, that’s OK. If I touch that one person who touches a million people, that’s what it’s all about.”