Recollections of Bill Mixon
I’ve known Bill Mixon since the 1970s. I knew him first as editor of the
Windy City Speleonews and may have met him a couple of times at caving
events in Indiana or elsewhere in the upper Midwest at that time, but we
became fast friends after he moved to Austin in the early 1980s, where I
already resided. We shared an intellectual curiosity and interest in all
things scientific, often discussing and critiquing the latest
announcement of a scientific advance. (Bill worked in physics at the
Tokamak fusion reactor at the University of Texas and I worked in the
chemistry department doing organic synthesis.) We also shared an
appreciation for concise writing and good grammar, often lamenting the
poor quality of even official pronouncements and journal articles. We
met for lunch almost every work day, even long after UT Grotto lunch
gatherings had faded away.
Bill Mixon was intensely interested in the phenomenal caving taking
place in Mexico, even though he was no longer personally doing hardcore
trips. He moved to Austin to be closer to the action and very quickly
moved into a leadership position within the AMCS, becoming the primary
editor of its flagship publication, the AMCS Activities Newsletter,
which he transformed into a world-class journal. He also oversaw the
publication of many AMCS Bulletins covering specific topics in great
detail. He was a meticulous grammarian and conscientious editor, keeping
countless details in order. Bill also maintained a vast personal caving
library as well as the AMCS library with extensive material on Mexico
from AMCS exchanges and other foreign publications, all of which was
indexed online. He had a great memory and could often point to an
obscure publication to answer a question or provide background material.
In addition to his work on publications, he also devoted a large amount
of time to making the AMCS website an outstanding reference source for
Mexican caving. He scanned and posted or archived thousands of cave
maps, photographs from major expeditions, videos, out-of-print
publications, and other items involving caving in Mexico. He was also
often the primary representative of the AMCS at NSS Conventions, where
he maintained a small space selling publications.
After he became gravely ill, Bill arranged for his house to become the
Texas Speleology Center, which provides offices, meeting space and a
permanent home to the libraries and archives of both Texas and Mexican
caving. Bill Mixon’s legacy will live on for decades to come.
Mark Minton
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