Recollections of Don BroussardDon Broussard was a frequent caving companion of mine for about 20 years in the 1980s and ‘90s. For most of those years we were also neighbors in Driftwood, Texas. Don was active, even legendary, in Mexican caving, including long stints in both the Sierra de El Abra and in Huautla, the latter as recently as 2018. Don was one of the principal explorers of the Crevice at the bottom of Sótano de las Golondrinas, which extends the famous pit to over 500 m deep. He was also active in Texas, making many survey trips into Honey Creek and later supporting diving efforts there, among other projects.
One particularly memorable trip with Don in Huautla comes to mind. In 1987, while coming out of Camp IV in Sótano de San Agustín after the historic connection with Nita Nanta, Don injured his back and needed to bivouac near the entrance. Bill Steele stayed with him. The following day Doug Powell and I went in to help carry his gear. While we waited for Don to climb out, the three of us investigated a high ledge just inside the cave. We probed breakdown following the air, and eventually found an obscure way through the collapse into a totally independent deep route, unknown and unsuspected for over 20 years. That passage, the Fool’s Day Extension, reconnected about 500 meters lower, but provided a much improved route to the bottom that played a pivotal role in future expeditions. So while Don didn’t discover that passage himself, we wouldn’t have found it without him.
Don had several close calls while caving and became legendary for those as well. He survived free diving into a pocket of bad air and passing out in the Sierra de El Abra, a plane crash in the Sierra de Guatemala, and getting short-roped in Sótano de San Agustín, causing him to nearly run out of insulin (Don was diabetic), to name a few. We began to talk about the nine lives of Don Broussard because he survived so many potentially fatal scenarios.
Don was a diminutive man who lived a simple life, but made a big impact on caving. He will be missed.
Mark Minton [email protected] On 2019-05-20 18:29, William R. Elliott wrote:
Thank you, Bill Steele, for saying that about Don Broussard. He was a tough old caver, but such a sweet guy. WILLIAM R. (BILL) ELLIOTT [email protected] 573-291-5093 cell On Mon, May 20, 2019 at 5:33 PM Bill Steele <[email protected]> wrote:I first met Don Broussard in the fall of 1971 as I passed through Austin on my way to Mexico. That was almost forty-eight years ago. He was two months to the day older than me, something I mentioned many times. My older friend. Don and I did a lot of caving together. It wasn’t just caving, either. Don was an active member of The Explorers Club. He joined in 1984 and was made a fellow upon joining. That’s a great honor. It says that you have made a lasting contribution to some realm of exploration. He already had, 35 years ago. Don had the greatest tenure in caving at Sistema Huautla. He first went there in 1969 and the last time was in 2018. He was on some epic trips. He was there when we started the climb up to Anthodite Hall. He was there when we discovered the Lower Gorge of Sotano de San Agustin. He was trapped underground 500 meters deep with us in that same cave for four days in 1977 and had run out of insulin. He was there in 1987 when we connected Nita Nanta to Sistema Huautla, making it the world’s second deepest cave at the time. Maybe “he was there” sums it up. More often than not, Don was there. In Texas Don was a mainstay in the exploration of our longest cave, Honey Creek Cave. And our third longest cave, whose name I shall not mention by request of the landowner, Don camped on the surface there last month while cave divers camped underground, far from the entrance, knowing Don was in support on the surface. He was always to be counted on. And he did so calmly with a smile. C. William "Bill" Steele 500 Kingston Drive Irving, Texas 75061 USA [email protected] [email protected] cell 214-770-4712 On Mon, May 20, 2019 at 5:05 PM William R. Elliott <[email protected]> wrote:DON BROUSSARD August 17, 1948 – May 16?, 2019 Famous caver, Don Broussard, from the Austin, Texas area, passed away probably on Thursday, May 16. His close friend, David Honea, had visited Don May 6-10, and they usually spoke on the phone on Sundays, but David could not reach Don on May 19. Nancy Weaver was asked to check on him, and she found him deceased in his home between Wimberley and Driftwood, Texas. The cause is not known at this time. Don was diabetic, but he was in good health lately. Don was an active caver who went on many hard caving trips from about 1967 through the 1990s. He continued to be part of the support crew for major expeditions to Huautla and other destinations until recently. Don was always cheerful and helpful. His trademark was to walk up and say “Good morning!” even if it was late at night. Everyone noticed how unassuming, modest, and quiet he was. His good friend, John Fish, said, “Don was a faithful helper, a faithful friend.” Don and David Honea were friends in Houston schools from 1st through 12th grade. Don went to the University of Arkansas, where he started caving, then to the University of Texas, where he joined the UT Grotto caving club. He, David, and Bill Elliott were caver pals and roommates in 1968-1969. In the summer of 1969 Don worked with Bill Elliott and Jim McIntire in the Sierra de El Abra, mapping and making cavefish collections in many caves for Robert W. Mitchell’s cavefish research. After that he worked for John Fish from 1971-1973 in the El Abra as part of John’s dissertation work on hydrogeology. Most of Don’s work in the El Abra is documented in AMCS Bulletin 14 by John Fish, Karst Hydrology of the Sierra de El Abra, Mexico (2004) and AMCS Bulletin 26 by Bill Elliott, The Astyanax Caves of Mexico (2018). Don was declared the “King of the El Abra” because he went in more caves for science and mapping than anyone else. Friends presented him with a free copy of the cavefish bulletin in 2018 and had a lunch in his honor. Peter Sprouse said, “The passing of the first generation of AMCS cavers, those who were active in the 1960s, continues with the loss of Don Broussard. Don was very involved in the exploration of the Sierra de El Abra and Aquismón in San Luis Potosí in his early caving years. In the 1980s Don led efforts to explore and survey the Crevice in the deepest part of Sótano de las Golondrinas. Has was also active in explorations in the Huautla area of Oaxaca and the Purificación karst of Tamaulipas. ¡Vaya con Oztotl, Don!” John Fish remembers the time when he and Don returned to Ciudad Valles after a crawlway trip in Sótano de la Tinaja. They emerged covered in mud. When they returned to their rented room Don walked straight to the concrete shower stall and proceeded to wash down his muddy clothes before stripping and scrubbing himself down to the skin. That way he got all the mud off in one session. Bill Elliott is working on an index to Don’s name in all of the AMCS newsletters and maps he participated in. His name was on 47 maps in San Luis Potosi and Tamaulipas alone. Don was involved with mapping Sótano del Venadito, Tamps., from 1969 to 1998. He led the re-survey of the cave from 1989-1998, the longest project in the Sierra de El Abra. Don’s family originally was from the Houston area and Louisiana. He is survived by his mother, Madeline Skinner of Brenham, Texas; sister, Linda Broussard, Los Angeles, CA; nephew, Morgan Broussard, Houston area; and cousin, Wendell, Smithville, TX. David Honea has notified the family and will be assisting them in making arrangements. A full obituary with more details will be posted later and in the next AMCS Activities Newsletter. Many friends will be writing tributes to Don. We ask that cavers be respectful of the life of Don Broussard, and please do not post critical or embarrassing remarks. We all miss our dear friend, Don! Contributors: William R. Elliott, John Fish, David Honea, Logan McNatt, Peter Sprouse, Nancy Weaver. WILLIAM R. (BILL) ELLIOTT [email protected]
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