John Wallace, 1924-1994
By: Hubert Crowell
John was a very giving person. He gave of his time, his thoughts and his
experiences to all those with whom he came in contact. He was fair and
thoughtful. When accepting others' share of travel expenses, John's
favorite saying was, "I don't want to lose my amateur status," and would
not accept a penny more than an equal share for gas. Even when flying
his private plane to cave locations, he would only accept gas money. He
was always willing to help escort scout and church groups we took
caving.
John knew how to listen to others and encourage others to do more. We talked at length about
cave mapping with the computer, and his encouragement helped to develop my cave mapping
software. He invented an electronic lamp control that would allow caving for long periods, and
published the details in the NSS NEWS. He enjoyed living and taught me how to take in more
when traveling. We often took side trips to investigate points of interest along the way. Caving,
wind sailing, trail hiking, flying, music, amateur radio, canoeing, motor cycle riding and hang
gliding were but a few of John's interests.
Being tall has its advantage in caving. We traveled too many NSS Conventions together and
during one of our first in Bloomington, Indiana in 1973, we decided to exit the spring entrance of
Sullivan Cave. There was a drop of about three feet from a crawl way to the water level, and
John, being the shortest in the group, was quite surprised when he went completely under the
water and had to swim a short distance before he could stand. The rest of us were able to keep
our heads dry.
John was a true explorer. In 1972 he discovered air blowing from behind a rock in Grassy Cove
Saltpeter Cave and proceeded to dig open an unexplored passage to a large extension. Later
discoveries led to what Gerald Moni, a well-known Tennessee caver, described as probably the
best formation cave in the eastern United States. John also helped in the exploration of more
than two miles of cave in Pumphouse Cave, Tennessee.
Dave Hughes tells the following story about John that shows his true nature. On returning to the
vehicles after a wet caving trip, John was approached by a young college student who had participated
in the adventure. In the hustle of loading the vehicles and leaving the area, this individual had
become separated from his ride home, from his change of clothes and from his wallet. John took the
novice under his wing, loaned him some dry clothes and began to drive him home. Along the way, John
bought the student a good dinner and delivered him right to the doorstep of his dormitory. When the
student asked John what could be done to pay him back for his kindness, John replied. "You've
already paid me back. It's good to visit with a new and enthusiastic caver!"
I knew John for 23 years and he will be remembered each time I go caving or plan a cave trip.
His phone calls always began with "Hubert, are you ready to go caving" or "have you had too
much sunlight." My favorite picture of John is the one of him sitting in a crawl way in his usual
relaxed position, legs crossed, hat back, just taking in the cave. Caving, for me, will never quite
be the same without John.
All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyrights hereon may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means-graphic, electronic, taping, or informational and retrieval systems - without the written permission of the author.