John Van Swearingen IV
Caver, Conservationist, Photographer, SCCi Director
July 19, 1945  August 7, 2001

John Van Swearingen IV of Huntsville, a resident of Madison County for the last 25 years, died on Tuesday, August 7, 2001. He was 56.

Survivors include his father and stepmother, John and Avis Van Swearingen III of Huntsville; his mother, Sarah F. Van Swearingen of Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; three sisters, Julianna Held of St. Louis, Judy Oljey of Ardmore and Pak Wan O'Leary of Fiji, Japan; and one brother, Scott Van Swearingen of Kwajalein Islands.

John Van Swearingen IV, or JV to most, started caving in 1969 when his father took him to Hughes Cave. He instantly felt at home underground. For the next 32 years, he caved practically every weekend and participated in many aspects of the sport - discovery, exploration, surveying, photography, and just plain fun tourist trips.

JV is best known for his photography, a hobby he took up in 1985. Over the years, he cataloged hundreds of caves and accumulated around 7000 photographs. Although many associate him with his cave models, his favorite photography subjects were pits and large borehole. His favorite caves both to visit and photograph were Fern and Blue Springs, which provided an endless supply of interesting passages to explore and photograph. His passion for cave photography was an important part of his life, offering a form of expression and an avenue for meeting new people and making friends.

Countless cavers spent time with JV, either on exploration or photo trips (caving with JV usually involved hauling either a Pelican box or a tripod). But JV was always up for any kind of trip. Bob Coney recalls that it was always such a great pleasure to drag him out to some god-forsaken horror hole he and Kathy had found to listen to him whimper, complain, and curse about the cold, the wet, and the tightness. He loved it.

JV was a fellow of the NSS, and served in many offices in the Huntsville Grotto and the Fern Cave Project. In addition, he was the Fern Cave Access Coordinator for 12 years. More recently, JV became deeply involved with the SCCi. JV believed that the success of the SCCi was critical to conservation, management, and access of caves in the future. He became a director in 1998, served as chair of the fundraising committee, and was responsible for staffing the SCCi booth at most caving events. Landowner relations was also one of his responsibilities, and he was the property manager for the Fern Cave Preserve, in addition to many other roles.

Even more important than JV's caving and photographic accomplishments, he was a remarkable person and a good friend. You could always count on JV to tackle any project, no matter how much work was involved. And you could always count on him to listen, laugh (who will ever forget his laugh), give excellent advice, and provide support and friendship.

JV was diagnosed with cancer in 1999 but continued to lead a very active life, full of caving, photography, SCCi and NSS work, hiking, canoeing, and spending time with friends and family. Many admired JV's ability to always meet life's challenges with a positive attitude, especially during his declining health. He never complained about his situation and was always looking ahead, planning more photographic projects and continuing his important work for the SCC. He continued caving until May of this year. He died on August 7 at the age of 56. The world is a much emptier place without him, but we are all richer to have known such a wonderful caver, photographer, and friend. We'll all miss you, JV.