I wonder if there are any other statues of cavers in the world? Are there of E.A. Martel or Norbert Casteret in France? There ought to be one of Stephen Bishop at Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. Maybe with Roger Brucker's new book about Bishop such a thing could happen. I would think the African-American community would get behind that.
Thanks, Jerry ---- jerryat...@aol.com wrote: > > Caverns explorer's statue awaits unveiling > By Reid Wright > Current-Argus Staff Writer > Posted: 10/29/2009 09:04:16 PM MDT > > > CARLSBAD — Jim White has returned to Carlsbad. > Tucked under blue plastic tarp in a dark corner of a county garage, a > stately 13-foot-tall bronze statue of the Carlsbad Caverns explorer awaits > unveiling. > Sculpted by Reynaldo "Sonny" Rivera, the more than $100,000 statue was a > project of a Carlsbad arts committee. > Rocky Hayes, a former Current-Argus publisher and committee member, said > White's exploration and promotion of Carlsbad Caverns was an example of the > western spirit and the pioneering spirit of the town. > "It represents Carlsbad as a western town, as a town settled by people with > incredible character," he said, citing the founding of Carlsbad and the > construction of the first flume across the Pecos River. "To actually > re-direct the river to get water over to what little soil there was, to turn > it > into this Garden of Eden, this utopia it means overcoming some tremendous > challenges." > Jim White is reported to have been a young cowboy who followed a cloud of > bats to the entrance of Carlsbad Caverns, which he eventually descended into > on a ladder made of sticks and fencing wire to explore. > "Jim was basically responsible for much of the exploration of Carlsbad > Caverns and bringing it to the attention of the public and the National Park > Service," said George Veni, executive director of the National Cave and Karst > Institute. > Veni said it was his first trip into the caverns that inspired him to > pursue a career in the research of caves. > He said the sculptor of the statue was inspired by the story of White. > > "He explored the caverns with very limited technology," Veni said. "I think > that's a credit to his skill and his courage." > Hayes said the story of Jim White may be embellished or hypocritical, but > he still finds it compelling. > "That's just a hell of a story," he said. "All I know is that level of > curiosity, of ruggedness, of bravery to make a real discovery. I find that > captivating. I think it is worth remembering and is worth memorializing." > The statue is expected to be unveiled in the coming months, Veni said. It > will be placed in front of the new Cave and Karst institute which is still > under construction, expected to be opened early next year. > Funding for the statue included $100,000 in state funds made possible by > legislation passed by then-State Representative Bill Gray and Rep. John > Heaton as well as Senators Vernon Asbill and Carroll Leavell. Other funds > included a trust fund created by money from Gannett Newspapers, and > donations by > author Bill Coat, Hayes said. > Committee members included Jim Harrison, Bob Forrest, John Heaton, Jed > Howard, Larry Henderson, and Jerry Matson. > _http://www.currentargus.com/ci_13673144_ > (http://www.currentargus.com/ci_13673144) > --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
