Rockwell a Hero Worthy of the Crown Royal presents the "Your Hero’s Name Here" 400 at the Brickyard Nomination
March 27, 2015 | By IMS
Some heroes are made over the course of a lifetime. Others earn the title through the briefest moments of time.
In September 2014, freshman Justin Siller was having an ordinary morning at Danville (Indiana) High, running laps before physical education class. Then, without warning, he went into cardiac arrest and collapsed.
Siller, who has hyper hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that causes thickening of the heart muscle and blocks his heart’s ability to pump blood, could have died. But his hero was ready.
Maggie Rockwell, a physical education teacher at Danville, reacted immediately with the school nurse to administer CPR and use an automated external defibrillator (AED) to allow Siller’s heart to resume pumping blood.
The young man’s life was saved, and a hero – albeit a reluctant one – was born.
“I love all of the kids at the school and I was just doing what I would hope anybody else would be able to do,” Rockwell said. “Fortunately for me, I teach a lifeguarding class, so I teach CPR several times every year.
“I’d never had to use it before, thank goodness, so I was just doing what I was trained to do.”
Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles learned of Rockwell’s heroism recently on a visit to a fire station in Danville – Boles’ hometown – and nominated her for the vacancy in the Crown Royal presents the “Your Hero’s Name Here” 400 at the Brickyard, the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup race held at IMS.
“Honoring heroes is one of the most important things we do at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and our partnership with Crown Royal allows to keep that in the forefront,” Boles said. “It was an honor to visit with fire fighters from my hometown and learn about Maggie's amazing story. I’m proud to be able to submit her story as my nomination for the Crown Royal presents the ‘Your Hero’s Name Here’ 400.”
Crown Royal’s unique entitlement began at IMS with the 2012 Brickyard 400, when Alabama EMT and paramedic Curtiss Shaver was the honoree. In 2013, retired Marine and Purple Heart recipient Samuel Deeds had his name on the race. Last year, 12-year U.S. Army veteran John Wayne Walding – the first amputee to graduate from Special Forces Sniper School – attended the Brickyard with his name heard throughout IMS.
Each year, Crown Royal receives nominations from across the country for heroes from all walks of life, from military to firefighters to community leaders and, this year, one Indiana physical education teacher who helped saved a life in a split second.
“It’s a great honor just to be nominated, especially coming from Indianapolis, growing up and going to the Speedway,” Rockwell said. “It would be awesome for sure (to win) and a great honor.”
To nominate their own heroes for the “Your Hero’s Name Here” program, consumers 21+ can visit www.CrownRoyalHeroes.com, now through April 12th.