Roger W. Brucker (born July 27, 1929) is an American cave explorer and author of books about

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

s. He is most closely associated with

Mammoth Cave Mammoth Cave National Park is an American national park in west-central Kentucky, encompassing portions of Mammoth Cave, the longest cave system known in the world. Since the 1972 unification of Mammoth Cave with the even-longer system under F ...

in Kentucky, the world's longest cave, which he has been exploring and writing about since 1954.

Early life and education

After graduating from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

with an art degree in 1951, Brucker enlisted in the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

and was stationed at

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene County, Ohio, Greene and Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patte ...

near

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

where he wrote and directed documentary, technical and training films. While in the Air Force, Brucker was temporarily stationed in New York City, where he became friends with some people who introduced him to caving, through the National Speleological Society (NSS). He participated in Floyd Collins' Crystal Cave (C-3) Expedition in Kentucky in 1954, in which dozens of explorers spent one week underground, in an effort to determine if Crystal Cave might be connected with other caves. Although such connections were not found at that time (they later were), the expedition set new standards for organized cave exploration, and became the subject of Brucker's first book, ''The Caves Beyond'', which he co-authored with Joe Lawrence, Jr.

Career

Convinced that Crystal Cave would one day connect with caves in nearby

Mammoth Cave National Park Mammoth Cave National Park is an American national park in west-central Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper Sout ...

, Brucker and other explorers formed the

Cave Research Foundation The Cave Research Foundation (CRF) is an American private, non-profit group dedicated to the exploration, research, and conservation of caves. The group arose in the early 1950s from the exploration efforts at Floyd Collins Crystal Cave, now with ...

(CRF), to survey and study Mammoth Cave and other caves in the area. Through the late 1950s and 60s, CRF expanded the known reaches of Mammoth Cave and other caves under the adjoining Flint Ridge. In 1972, cavers found a connection between Mammoth Cave and the Flint Ridge Cave System. That discovery made Mammoth the world's longest cave, inspiring Brucker and Richard Watson to write ''The Longest Cave''. Brucker began working on the book ''Trapped! The Story of Floyd Collins'' with historian

Robert K. Murray Robert K. Murray (April 9, 1922 – February 9, 2019) was an American professor of history at the Pennsylvania State University for 35 years, best known for ''The Harding Era'' (1969), a biography of US President Warren G. Harding, which won a His ...

. Brucker had long been fascinated with the true story of

Floyd Collins William Floyd Collins (July 20, 1887 – February 13, 1925) was an American cave explorer, principally in a region of Kentucky that houses hundreds of miles of interconnected caves, today a part of Mammoth Cave National Park, the longest ...

, who was trapped in a cave in 1925 and could not be rescued, despite a massive effort that received national attention. The authors interviewed dozens of witnesses and studied hundreds of documents to uncover facts about the tragedy that were not previously known. As part of the research, Brucker and a small group of explorers even ventured into Sand Cave several times to the spot where Collins was trapped, to better understand why rescuers had been unable to free him. ''Trapped!'' was published in 1979. The book helped to inspire the stage musical ''

'' by playwright

Tina Landau Tina Landau (born May 21, 1962) is an American playwright and theatre director. Known for her large-scale, musical, and ensemble-driven work, Landau's productions have appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally, most extensively at the ...

and composer

Adam Guettel Adam Guettel (; born December 16, 1964) is an American composer-lyricist of musical theater and opera. The grandson of musical theatre composer Richard Rodgers, he is best known for his musical '' The Light in the Piazza'', for which he won the To ...

. In 2006, the book was optioned by actor

Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker and musician. He had his first break when he co-wrote and starred in the 1992 thriller ''One False Move'', and received international attention after writing, directing, a ...

, who planned to develop it into a movie. A screenplay was written by Thornton's writing partner,

Tom Epperson Tom Epperson is an American author and screenwriter, known for his collaborations with Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker and musician. He had his first break when he co-wrote and starr ...

, and the project was reportedly greenlit by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. However, Thornton's option expired, and rights to the book were then acquired by producer Peter R.J. Deyell in 2011. In 1983, rival groups of explorers, including Brucker, discovered a connection between Mammoth Cave and nearby Roppel Cave, further expanding the known reaches of the Mammoth Cave system beyond the boundaries of the national park. Brucker later teamed up with James Borden to write ''Beyond Mammoth Cave: A Tale of Obsession in the World's Longest Cave''. In 2009, Brucker's fifth book and first historical novel was published. ''Grand, Gloomy, and Peculiar: Stephen Bishop at Mammoth Cave'' is based on the true story of Stephen Bishop, a slave who gained fame as a guide and explorer at Mammoth Cave in the 1840s and 50s.

Books

* ''The Caves Beyond'' with Joe Lawrence, Jr. (1955), / * ''The Longest Cave'' with Richard A. Watson, Ph.D. (1976) / * ''Trapped! The Story of Floyd Collins'' * ''Beyond Mammoth Cave: A Tale of Obsession in the World's Longest Cave'' with James D. Borden (2001), / * ''Grand, Gloomy, and Peculiar: Stephen Bishop at Mammoth Cave'' (2009), (pb) / (hb)

References

External links

Official website

CBS News, March 13, 2010

Men's Fitness, Sept., 2001

Cinemablend.com, Feb. 22, 2006

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brucker, Roger 1929 births Living people American biographers American male biographers American cavers American memoirists Oberlin College alumni Wright State University faculty People from Shelby, Ohio