OBIT: William Thomas Austin, 2003, Hart Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Submitted by Sandi Gorin, Email Registry ID# Date: 3 Oct 2003 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ************************************* USGENWEB NOTICE: USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities, when written permission is obtained from the contributor, so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. ************************************* NOTE: I have no connection, no further information and am not seeking additional information. Name: William Thomas Austin Residence: Horse Cave KY Died: Tuesday, 2 Sept 2003, T J Samson Community Hospital in Glasgow KY, age 75. Born: Louisville KY, 26 Sept 1927 Son of Joseph William and Mary Thomas Austin Facilitator of science in the Antartic, of cave conservation all over the U.S. and of long-term improvements in his hometown of Horse Cave. After serving in the US Army in 1946, he graduated from the University of Kentucky where he received a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. After college, he returned to Horse Cave and used his engineering skills to improve the lighting circuits in Mammoth Onyx Cave and to install the first high-voltage lighting distribution system in Kentucky in Floyd Collins' Crystal Cave. Hidden River Cave in Horse Cave, owned by his family, had been Kentucky's first cave to be lit with electricity. He was a pioneer in the field of 35 mm U.S. cave photography, and his photographs helped bring national publicity to Floyd Collins' Crystal Cave which led to the creation of the Cave Research Foundation (CRF). CRF explorations in the 1960's and 1970's culminated in the discovery of a connection between Floyd Collins Crystal cave and Mammoth Cave, makig it the world's longest cave system. He brought the first high-speed water jet propelled boat to this country from New Zealand in the late '50's and later organized the only successful trip up the Colorado River to demonstrate the boat's propulsion capacilities. In his work with the National Science Foundation in Washington, D.C., he was a program engineering officer, and later worked in the field, helping in the design and construction of Antartic stations. After returning to Mammoth Onyx Cave in 1972, he devoted the next 2 1/2 decades working with others to successfully clean up Hidden River Cave in Horse Cave. He was instrumental in persuading the American Cave Conservation Association (ACCA) to move their national headquarters from Richmond, Va., to Horse Cave, to help with the project, and to establish a museum and educational center. Austin and his wife Judy brought vision, determination, and enthusiasm to their efforts, which included the founding of Horse Cave Theatre, a non-profit professional theatre, and the creation of their pet project, Kentucky Down Under, a 75-acre private Australian theme park. Their involvement brought a host of economic benefits to these entities and others in the region. Survivors: Wife: Judy Austin Son: Joseph Austin of Thompsons Station, TN Daughters: Virginia Austin of Washington DC and Mary Austin, M.D. and husband Stephen Hodges of Nashville, TN. Services and burial will be private, visitation was at Winn Funeral Home. Glasgow (KY) Daily Times, Friday, 5 Sept 2003, p.2.