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September 7, 2016
In the World

Caving Expert Passes Away

Remembering a Life Devoted to Learning

Nationally known caving expert and Professor of Biology Horton H. Hobbs III passed away peacefully in his home in Fleetwood, N.C., on Aug. 29, 2016. 

Born Dec. 17, 1944, in Gainesville, Fla., Hobbs III was the son of the late Horton H. Hobbs Jr. and Georgia Cates (Blunt) Hobbs.  He earned his B.A. in biology from the University of Richmond in 1967, his M.S. in zoology from Mississippi State University in 1969, and a Ph.D. in zoology/limnology from Indiana University in 1973.  In 1976, he joined the faculty at Wittenberg, spending nearly four decades teaching courses in biology, ecology and limnology, and sharing his deep passion for caving with his students.

During his tenure at Wittenberg, Hobbs served as chair of the department of biology and authored more than 225 professional articles and delivered more than 100 professional papers.  In 1977, he founded the Caving Club, which later became the 麻豆传媒色情片 Speleological Society (WUSS), and served as the club鈥檚 advisor.  He retired from Wittenberg in 2012.

Hobbs鈥 interest in cave ecosystems developed in graduate school and led him to study in a variety of places in the United States, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Hawaii, Mexico, several Caribbean islands, Central America, Eastern and Western Europe, and Canada.  Within a year of arriving at Wittenberg, he began to explore caves closer to home, surveying approximately 125 caves in Ohio during his career.  Noting that Hobbs 鈥渁lmost single-handedly resurrected cave research in Ohio,鈥 the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) presented him with the Cardinal Award in 2007 in recognition of his efforts to preserve the state鈥檚 caves.

He was particularly interested in how cave-dwelling organisms adapt and evolve, and he made certain to include Wittenberg students in his research, spending summers with them exploring Ohio鈥檚 caves and documenting the plants, animals and microbes living within them.

Outside of Wittenberg, Hobbs was active in a variety of professional organizations.  He was a Fellow of the Explorers Club, a Fellow and Honorary Life Member of the National Speleological Society, a Fellow and Past-President of the Ohio Academy of Science, and member of the Cave Research Foundation. He served on the Boards of Directors/Trustees of the American Cave Conservation Association, the Cave Conservancy of the Virginias, the Karst Waters Institute, and the Ohio Academy of Science.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 41 years, Susan Krantz Hobbs, in 2009. Survivors include his two children, Heather (Mark) Killion of Avon, Ind., and Horton H. (Lori) Hobbs IV, class of 1997, of Springfield; his companion and friend of the past four years, Linda Marsh of Fleetwood, N.C.; four grandchildren, Andrew and Patrick Killion and Caitlyn and Courtney Hobbs; a sister, Nina (Tom) Singleton of Brattleboro, Vermont; and several nieces and nephews.

A service in celebration of Hobbs鈥 life will be held at a later date.

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About Wittenberg

Wittenberg's curriculum has centered on the liberal arts as an education that develops the individual's capacity to think, read, and communicate with precision, understanding, and imagination. We are dedicated to active, engaged learning in the core disciplines of the arts and sciences and in pre-professional education grounded in the liberal arts. Known for the quality of our faculty and their teaching, Wittenberg has more Ohio Professors of the Year than any four-year institution in the state. The university has also been recognized nationally for excellence in community service, sustainability, and intercollegiate athletics. Located among the beautiful rolling hills and hollows of Springfield, Ohio, Wittenberg offers more than 100 majors, minors and special programs, enviable student-faculty research opportunities, a unique student success center, service and study options close to home and abroad, a stellar athletics tradition, and successful career preparation.

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