Driving (with) Ms. Ruby

"Miss Ruby" (second from right) with some of her driving students

If you're an international students attending school at Luther College, the intracacies of driving a car in America might be daunting.  Enter Decorah resident Ruby Hermeier, who has spent the past few years offering driving lessons to around 40 eager-to-learn Luther international students.

Hermeier, a 1953 Luther graduate, began offering driving lessons after attending a family dinner and meeting Emily, an international student from Kenya.  She asked what two things Emily would like to do before she graduated college. Without hesitation, Emily replied that she wanted to cook a Kenyan meal and learn to drive; Hermeier answered "No problem." A week later, Hermeier and Emily scheduled their first driving lesson.

Each driving student is required to have a driver's permit before Hermeier will begin lessons. In the Regents Center parking lot, she begins with the basics of labeling car parts and functions before taking the student through neighborhoods and Decorah's downtown, as well as the highways around Decorah.
 
Hermeier says that she expects each of the students to know the rules of the road and understand two very important words, "anticipate and focus!" One former student of Hermeier, Annette, said " Every time I drive, four years later, I still hear Ruby saying 'Anticipate!' That's probably why I haven't got into an accident or got a ticket."

Hermeier not only donates her time to the students, but she also donates her own car for their use.  She says, "After four and a half years, about 1,280 hours and 9,800 miles of driving, there has not been even a single scratch on my car!"

Hermeier has taught 40 students from nearly 20 different countries, including Ghana, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Swaziland, Nigeria, Rwanda, Ethiopia, China, India, Spain, East Timor, Vietnam, Nepal, Haiti, Maldives, Trinidad and Tobago, and Afghanistan.

When asked if she will continue to help Luther international students learn to drive, she explained, "It gives me purpose and it gives me joy… as long as there is a need, I will continue...You can do one kind thing every day for someone else, starting today. Find a need and fill it!"