60 attend event in honor of late diver
By Sheila Harris sheilaharrisads@gmail.com
A new memorial bench at the head of the walkway leading to Roaring River Spring was the site of many photos on Saturday as family and friends gathered at Roaring River to pay tribute to the memory of Eric Lee Hahn on the first anniversary of his death.
The 27-year-old diver from Blacksburg, Va., died Oct. 14, 2022, while exploring Roaring River Spring Cave as a member of the KISS Rebreathers dive team.
A special memorial and diver recognition event hosted by Hahn’s parents, Gordon and Linda Hahn – of Charlottesville, Va. – in conjunction with Missouri State Parks, and coordinated by the Cassville Democrat, was held at the Emory Melton Inn and Conference Center on Saturday.
The event presented an opportunity for the Hahn family to learn more about the cave exploration project that Eric Hahn was a part of in the Roaring River Spring Cave from the members of the KISS Rebreathers dive team who were present. It also offered local residents the chance to learn more about Hahn, whose name will live on as part of Roaring River’s history.
At the event, where about 60 people were in attendance, Linda Hahn spoke of Eric’s birth as a double-blessing, since he was born just minutes after his twin brother, Alexander.
“Eric entered the world and departed in a way few [people] could claim,” she said. “While he was here, he embraced life in every way: always learning, always exploring and always on the move.”
In high school, Eric Hahn’s education centered around the Math, Engineering, Science Academy (MESA) at Albemarle High School, where he was selected for the Northrop Grumman WORTHY Engineering Program, and was a member of the F.I.R.S.T. Robotics Team 619. After high school, Hahn pursued a degree in Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech. While still in school, he accepted employment as a software engineer for Torc Robotics, a company focused on self-driving technology.
Hahn’s side pursuits included volunteering for the Blacksburg (Virginia) Volunteer Rescue Squad, as a tech member, and volunteering as an advanced E.M.T.
Eric Hahn loved the outdoors, especially caving and scuba diving. He was the vice president of the National Speleological Society’s VPI Cave Club and a member of the Scuba Club of Virginia Tech.
Hahn attained his open-water SCUBA certification in Hawaii, from his uncle, Kelvin Dale, who is a dive instructor. Hahn later took a turn into the technical world of cave-diving. With the encouragement of his caving friend, Jon Lillestolen – also of Blacksburg, Va. – in 2021, Hahn became a part of the KISS Rebreathers dive team exploring Roaring River Spring.
“Eric left an indelible mark on all of us,” said Linda Hahn.
In an emotional reference to the annular eclipse on Saturday, which appeared through a break in the cloud cover, near their lodging at Roaring River Resort, Gordon Hahn said he believed Eric was looking in on them.
“The clouds parted at about 11:30 a.m., the same time that Eric died last year,” Hahn said.
Pastor and diver Charles “C.J.” Jay, who offered the invocation for the memorial event, reminded friends and family members that Eric’s not a guy you grieve — he’s a guy you celebrate.
“We get to be thankful for having known him,” Jay said.
Other KISS Rebreathers teammates shared their memories of Eric, along with descriptions of their roles in the exploration of Roaring River Spring Cave. Mike Young, KISS Rebreathers CEO and dive team leader, said one of his biggest regrets is not having gotten to know Eric better.
“I was always busy running around, worrying about [details],” he said. “Now, I just wish I had slowed down and talked to him more.”
Hahn joined the team, Young said, after Lillestolen, KISS team cartographer, kept advising Young that he knew a guy who could help with the project.
“Is he solid?” Young asked. “Yes,” Lillestolen replied. Turns out, Lillestolen was right, Young said.
Hahn proved to be an exemplary part of the dive team, Young said, always willing and able to do what was asked of him — right down to repairing an old flashlight that had been sitting on a shelf for a couple of years.
Randall Purdy, KISS underwater photographer, of Kearney, Neb., who cuts an imposing figure at a lean 6 feet, 6 inches in height and with a commanding voice, recalled the first time he met Hahn.
“I got to the camp to unload my gear, and all of sudden I had this shaggy-haired kid standing over me asking, ‘What’s this for? What’s that for? How does that work?’” Purdy said. “At first, I thought, ‘What the heck?’ But then I figured out Eric just loved to learn.”
Purdy says his last memory of Hahn was hearing him singing “The Raiders March” — the theme song to Indiana Jones – into his breathing loop, while on his final dive.
“He was always happy, so he sang while he worked,” Purdy said. “We were in especially high spirits that day, so I joined him in the song as I passed him.”
Teammate Gayle Orner remembers hearing them sing as she attempted to collect biological samples in test tubes for marine biologist Fernando Gutierrez to study.
Minutes later, Hahn began seizing from the effects of oxygen toxicity, the details of which were not rehashed by the divers in attendance, nor were questions asked. Hahn’s life came to an abrupt end on Oct. 14, 2022, but the focus of the memorial event remained focused on the beauty of his short time on earth.
Gutierrez, with Texas A&M University in San Antonio, treated those in attendance at the event to a PowerPoint presentation with an overview of the results of his research in Roaring River Cave. According to preliminary DNA testing, Gutierrez said, Roaring River Cave may be the home of unique species, which could mean that the cave itself is not connected to other cave systems. As a possible standalone system with unique species inhabiting it, it’s important that Roaring River Cave be protected, Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez dedicated his presentation to the memory of Eric Hahn.
After the divers spoke, Justin Adams, Ozark lakes regional director for Missouri State Parks, introduced the new map created for the park service by Curt Bowen, of Advanced Diver Magazine, as a result of the underwater work of the KISS Rebreathers team.
“We’ll place a copy of the map in the nature center, as well as at the head of spring,” Adams said.
A documentary titled “Abyssal,” created by Tim Bass of T.L. Bass Productions, which showcases the divers’ exploration of the Roaring River Spring Cave, was also presented for the first time in a public setting.
Afterward, as a surprise to her husband and those in attendance, Linda Hahn announced the formation of the Eric Lee Hahn Scholarship Endowment, which will benefit families who participate in the annual Wonders of Wildlife (WOW) School at Roaring River State Park.
According to its mission statement, “WOW National Outdoor Recreation and Conservation School is designed to teach participants how to enjoy a wide range of outdoor recreation activities while practicing personal safety and outdoor responsibility.”
“WOW School has held annual outdoor classes at Roaring River State Park for the past 26 years, and has served over 500,000 students,” said Misty Mitchell, director of conservation programs for the Johnny Morris Foundation, which includes Wonders of Wildlife, in Springfield; Dogwood Canyon, in Lampe; and Top of The Rock, in Branson. “WOW has a passion to inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts.”
Donations to the Eric Lee Hahn Memorial Scholarship can me made at https://cfozarks.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/ create/fund?funit_id=10702 or by going to www.cfozarks.org/ donate, then typing “Hahn” in the “Other Funds” search box. Donations will help pay for campsites at Roaring River State Park for WOW School families.
In one of the most touching tributes of the evening, Eric Hahn’s grandfather, 92-year-old Elbert Dale, of Charlottesville, Va., thanked the KISS Rebreathers dive team for allowing Eric to dive with them. Dale, one of the oldest divers in the world to receive his open water SCUBA certification a few years ago, has been on several dives with Eric.
“God bless all of you,” Dale said. “Eric couldn’t brag enough [about you]. You were his greatest team. Thank you for your support and the great love you all had for Eric.”
With the presentation of a new map, the documentary for the nature center, and the new memorial bench near the spring, Linda and Gordon Hahn have created monuments of beauty for the Roaring River community from the ashes of their son’s death.
Linda Hahn encourages people to carry on her son’s legacy by doing good deeds, pursuing lifelong learning and making adventure a part of their lives.
More information about the KISS Rebreathers exploration of Roaring River Spring will soon be available in a special display being planned at the Barry County.
Record broken
KISS Rebreathers established Roaring River Spring as the deepest explored spring in the United States, by diving to a depth of 472 feet on Nov. 13, 2021. That record has since been broken by divers in Phantom Springs Cave, in West Texas, where divers reached a depth of 570 feet on Oct. 4, 2023. Brett Hemphill, an experienced cave diver, lost his life while making his way back from that depth. The incident is still under investigation.
