William Thomas Austin

HORSE CAVE -- William Thomas Austin, 75, died Tuesday, September 2, 2003, at T.J. Samson Community Hospital in Glasgow, KY. He was a facilitator of science in the Antarctic, of cave conservation all over the United States and of long-term improvements of his hometown of Horse Cave. He was born in Louisville on September 26, 1927, the son of Joseph William Austin and Mary Thomas Austin. After serving in the US Army in 1946, Mr. Austin graduated from the University of Kentucky, where he received a bachelor's degree in 1951 in civil engineering. After college, Bill 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 Bill's family, had been Kentucky first cave to be lit with electricity. Bill was pioneer in the field of 35mm US 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 1960s and 1970s culminated in the discovery of a connection between Floyd Collins' Crystal Cave and Mammoth Cave, making it the world's longest cave system. Bill brought the first high-speed water jet-propelled boat to this country from New Zealand in the late 1950s and later organized the only successful trip up the Colorado River to demonstrate the boat's propulsion capabilities. In his work with the National Science Foundation in Washington, DC, Bill was a program engineering officer and later worked in the field, helping in the design and construction of Antarctica stations. After returning to Mammoth Onyx Cave in 1972, Bill devoted the next two-and-a-half decades working with others to successfully clean up Hidden River Cave in Horse Cave, which had, by that time, become heavily polluted. 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. Bill 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. He is survived by his wife, Judy Austin; a son, Joseph Austin of Thompsons Station, TN; two daughters, Virginia Austin of Washington, DC, and Mary Austin M.D. and her husband, Stephen Hodges, of Nashville, TN. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. CDT Friday, September 5, 2003, at Winn Funeral Home, Horse Cave. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that any memorial contributions be sent to The American Cancer Society.