NSS 2024 Luminary Emily Davis

Emily Davis Luminary talk at the 2024 NSS Convention in Swanee, TN.
Emily was born in Boston in 1950. She grew up in a middle-class home where art, music and theater were prevalent features. Her first serious outdoor activity was hiking up Mount Washington at 13. She attended a Bohemian prep school where the students were encouraged to run all activities except the dormitories and academia. She worked for a veterinarian through high school and was accepted at the University of Denver (DU) in a pre-veterinary med program. It was at this time that her life took a 180-degree turn, which would lead her in the direction she would follow right up to this day.
At a DU Outing Club meeting, a really cute guy stood up and started talking about caving. Emily had never heard of caving, but he was cute and caving sounded interesting. That weekend, she fell madly in love - with caving. But that cute guy, Peter Jones, is still her best friend. Emily became involved in supporting and helping to run the Outing Club’s caving group as the newsletter editor for the year she was in Denver.
In 1978, Doug and Linda Rhodes, who had established Speleobooks in 1973, decided to sell the business. Emily borrowed money from her father to buy it. Her father asked if she thought it was a good investment. Emily replied, “I think it may be life changing.” Emily was teaching at a small, private school in western Massachusetts and managed to both run the business, teach, coach a bicycle team, run an outing club and build sets and do technical work in the theater for nine years. During that time, Emily realized how much she enjoyed making the NSS a stronger and more cohesive organization. She volunteered as treasurer for the 1979 Convention in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. In the early 1980s, Emily served as an NSS board member.
By the mid 80s, Emily was no longer able to run Speleobooks, do NSS volunteer work, and teach. The teaching went, and Emily and Bill moved to Schoharie, New York, where they had plans to make their home in the center of the northeast caving world. Speleobooks had an open-door policy, welcoming experienced and beginner cavers with maps, permits and crash space, resulting in a fat guest register filled with the names of cavers from around the world.
The NSS already owned nearby McFails Cave. In the late 80s, Emily and Russ Gurnee worked together to secure what would become the James Gage Nature Preserve to the National Speleological Foundation, later to be transferred to the NSS. Emily was heavily involved in the establishment of cave rescue training and rescue practices with the local cavers and two sheriff’s departments. She often made weekend trips to West Virginia, staying with or near Bob & Bob’s in Sinks Grove, West Virginia. She carried tanks to the back of Scott Hollow Cave, McFails Cave and others for dive exploration teams. She worked on high leads with climbers on many trips in Scott Hollow.
On a Lechuguilla expedition in March 1991, a hand hold popped loose, causing Emily to become a worldwide celebrity when she broke her leg. From the beginning of the rescue and for weeks afterward, Emily’s goal was to put the caving community and the NSS in the best possible light and get back into Lechuguilla in a year. Her public speaking background allowed her to steer the press to accomplish the publicity goals. A tough physical therapist helped her accomplish the goal to be back in Lechuguilla a year later. Having a broken leg did not stop Emily from her job as the treasurer of the 1991 Cobleskill Convention, nor from running Speleobooks.
In 2001, Emily and Mike were encouraged by Don Coons to come to Hawaii and join in the excitement of mapping long, multilevel, braided lava tubes. Project work in Hawaii has continued since. The Cave Conservancy of Hawaii was established during this time and has included Emily as a committee head since inception.
Emily continues to try and find ways to support the caving community and the NSS. Having worked on the staff and volunteering for at least 25 conventions, she is now working on the Vertical Training Commission curriculum committee and is assistant to the chairs of the 2025 convention. Emily still runs Speleobooks, trying to connect used books with people who need or want them. And Emily is always looking for that next opportunity to help where she can because, in the end, it is the rewards that come with volunteering that open so many doors.

[@ericjorgenson338]

Inspiring

[@lindaarchinal9008]

Love having this to hear from the dedicated longtime cavers. I haven’t caved and will have to save it for next lifetime (I’m 71) but having Emily be a contemporary of mine puts an interesting perspective on my own life. Thank you Emily for all your contributions.