When three-year-old Shane Cockrum blew out the candles on his birthday cake—adorned with a fire truck on one side and a race car on the other—he already knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. More than four decades later, as Benton's Fire Chief, he reflects on that childhood dream with a smile.

"I'm the little boy who never grew up," Cockrum says. "I've always known what I wanted to do. It's never been in question."

Born in 1981 at Union Hospital in West Frankfort, Cockrum has been a lifelong Benton resident. He grew up on a notable block where the Malkovich family lived on both sides of his home, and Hall of Fame coach Harry Stewart lived across the street. This neighborhood setting, combined with his father's business ownership and position on the Franklin County Board, gave young Shane a unique perspective on "life in the limelight" of a small town.

As a "Grant Green Gorilla" in elementary school, Cockrum experienced Benton's neighborhood school system, which created natural rivalries between Grant, Logan, Lincoln, and Washington elementary schools.

"These kids today don't get to understand that," he explains. "If you were from the side of town Grant was on, your competition was the side of town where Logan was. You may play with them after school every day, but you didn't go to school with them."

He fondly recalls the excitement of fifth grade when all four elementary schools converged at the middle school. "It was like a melting pot. Everybody was really excited. We felt like we were putting the dream team together."

Throughout his education in Benton, Cockrum played baseball, basketball, and football. His high school football team was ranked number one in the state during his senior year, accumulating an impressive 43-3 record over four years. The 2000 Benton High School graduate notes that even 25 years later, his classmates still gather frequently, bonded by shared experiences.

After high school, Cockrum attended Rend Lake College while pursuing his firefighting dream. He joined the Benton Fire Department as a volunteer on his 18th birthday in 1999, was hired full-time in 2004, became an officer in 2011, and in 2015—at just 33 years old—was appointed Fire Chief, making him the youngest career fire chief in Illinois at that time.

Now in his tenth year as Chief, Cockrum oversees seven full-time firefighters and 14 paid-on-call volunteers. While he works regular Monday through Friday hours, he's still expected to respond to all major emergencies, embodying the firefighter's creed: "Night and day, they're always firemen."

Cockrum credits much of his success to the values instilled during his time in Benton schools. He mentions influential educators like Mr. Knox, who became middle school principal the same year Cockrum arrived there, and Mrs. Satterfield, along with various sports coaches who shaped his character.

His childhood in Benton resembled scenes from the movie "The Sandlot"—riding bicycles to school, playing backyard baseball games, and having the freedom to explore without cell phones or social media.

"I was welcome at anybody's house," he recalls. "I feel like maybe I was one of the last ones growing up before cell phones and all that stuff, where I got to concentrate on just being a kid."

This experience informs his advice to today's Benton students: "Be a kid. Have fun. Do not try to grow up too fast. Those are the memories that you will always remember. The older you get, the more important those memories will become."

As Fire Chief, Cockrum sees his role as more than a job—it's a way to give back to the community that shaped him. He regularly encounters former classmates, teammates, and neighbors, reinforcing the connections that define small-town life.

"There are 7,000 people in this town, and I feel like I have 7,000 kids or 7,000 grandparents to protect," he says. "They're not strangers to me. They're family. They're Benton Rangers."

For Cockrum, the bonds formed in Benton schools and neighborhoods have created roots that continue to nourish his life and service. "If you do good things and you are a good human being, every day that you live, you will run into people who remind you of great times. Every day is a joy because I get to see those people."