The following obituary for Texas caver Katherine Goodbar appeared in
the latest NSS News. Jim Goodbar has allowed me to post it here. The
attachment is a photo of Katherine. -- Bill Mixon
Katherine Goodbar (NSS # 5538) passed away peacefully at her home in
Dallas, Texas in her 94thyear on July 18th, the last day of the NSS
Convention. She was preceded by her husband Blair (NSS # 5537) who
died in 1966 and survived by her three children: Nancy (NSS# 7816),
Ellen (NSS# 9395), and Jim (NSS# 9715). She and Blair joined the
Dallas-Ft. Worth Grotto (DFWG) as founding members in 1961. Always
one to be involved, Katherine was the Grotto secretary in 1961 and
1962 and again from 1965 to 1967. She also served three consecutive
terms as the Secretary/Treasurer for the Texas Speleological
Association (TSA) from 1963-1965. Her fellow officers during those
years were Chuck Larsenå, Orion Knox, Pete Lindsley, and Carl
Kunath. All of them had the highest respect for her as a person and
for the faultless performance of her duties as a TSA officer.
When cave safety education was becoming a national issue, Katherine
volunteered to play the part of Horace Stumblefoot in a DFWG Caving
Safety slide presentation made available by the NSS. Her early years
of caving were on survey and photography trips into Mayfield Cave
which later became the Caverns of Sonora and Laubach Cave that was
subsequently developed as Inner Space Caverns. The Goodbars were
regular participants in all Texas caving activities including the
survey of Powell’s Cave and the lower stream passage of Cave-Without-
A-Name.
Katherine earned her masters degree in Earth Science Education at
Texas A&M University in 1974. Upon her retirement as an earth
science teacher in 1986 she traveled to Spain for the 9th
International Congress of Speleology in Barcelona. Later that year
she joined an Earth Watch expedition to Natural Trap Cave near
Armpit, Wyoming where she rappeled the 90 feet into the cave every
day despite the availability of a scaffolding with stairs.
Katherine always maintained her interest in the caving world and
followed the latest exploration and scientific discoveries with
delight. She continued caving into her 70’s.
Her love of the earth and all natural things led her into many
associated areas. In the 1970's she formed the Richardson
Environmental Action League that spearheaded the recycling program
which is still active today. She was awarded the Outstanding Earth
Science Teacher in Texas in 1982 by the National Association of
Geology Teachers. She worked with the Texas Nature Conservancy as
the director of their Land Stewardship program where she evaluated
land acquisitions and wrote management plans for the properties they
managed and recruited stewards for them. She received the Chevron
award for environmental preservation and was interviewed by the
Conservation History Association of Texas for her work.
She was an inspiration to all for what could be and for the
protection of those natural landscapes that held special values both
on the surface and inside earth.
Vaya con Dios Mom. Nancy, Ellen, and Jim
Thanks to Carl Kunath, Chuck Larson, Bill Mixon, and Pete Lindsley
for providing information for this writing.
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Ack! Christmas decorations already. This might be a good time to spend
a couple of months in Saudi Arabia.
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