Endowment will spread diver’s love of exploration to new generations

Nestled in the Ozark hills near Cassville, Roaring River State Park is home to one of the deepest underwater cave systems in the country.

For decades, divers have tried to chart the vast caverns of Roaring River Spring, which, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, pumps 20 million gallons of turquoise, 57-degree water into the river every day. To date, these courageous folks have marked a depth of 472 feet, with untold further depth yet to be explored.

It’s not a surprise that such a place would draw adventurous and scientifically minded divers from across the country. Eric Lee Hahn of Blacksburg, Va., was one of these. From October of 2021 until his untimely death a year later, Eric drove the 14 hours from Blacksburg to Cassville about once a month to scope out the cave’s mysteries with a team of like-minded explorers.

According to Linda Hahn, his mother, that’s just who Eric was: full of purpose and curiosity, and always exploring that which ignited his interest.

“He won a remote sailboat competition in high school,’ Linda said. ‘He was so into technology, from robotics to all kinds of things, just all things technical.”

Eric was driven from a young age. A telling story Linda shares is Eric’s admission into the exclusive Math, Engineering Science Academy curriculum when he started at Albemarle High School in Charlottesville, where he grew up.

“He was adamant about getting in,” Linda said. ‘But, the teachers in his middle school weren’t so convinced — but he told [the director of the MESA program] that he just had to get in.”

Eric was part of a diving team charting the depths of the underwater cave below Roaring River Spring near Cassville. After his death in 2022, his family established a fund to share his passion for the outdoors with others.

Later, Eric studied computer engineering at Virginia Tech, and was employed as a software engineer at Torc Robotics.

But he made time for his other interests, the diversity of which speaks to his curiosity and compassion. He worked with the Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad as a technical rescue member and Advanced EMT, roles he adopted after installing information technology for the organization. He also became vice president of the National Speleological Society’s VPI Cave Club, a spelunking club for students at Virginia Tech. It was there that Linda believes Eric first learned of Roaring River and the frequent dives there.

Soon, Eric connected with a team from KISS Rebreathers of Fort Smith, Ark., comprising divers from all over the country. With the team, Eric made his first dive into the spring’s chilly waters in October 2021.

Inside the spring cave, millions of gallons of water rush up from the depths every day. Especially after a rainy spring, this tumultuous barrage makes the dive physically strenuous as the divers must scale the cave walls against the current; and silty murk is often barely penetrable, even with powerful scuba lamps.

At nearly 230 feet down, the first cavern pinches to a claustrophobic squeeze — this is the ultimate barrier that held up earlier dives, including notable ones in 1979 and 1999. New technology allows the KISS Rebreathers team to inch through the restriction point and emerge into a second large cavern beyond. Ultimately, in November of 2021, a month after Eric joined the crew, KISS Rebreathers reached a depth of 472 feet in this second chamber.

At the time, this discovery set the record for the deepest underwater cave in the United States. The record was broken less than a year later by a dive of 570 feet in Texas’s Phantom Cave — though potentially much more depth remains unrevealed in Roaring River Spring.

The dives, however, are not merely to generate clout or personal accomplishment; there are important scientific reasons for them. Eric documented a number of cave-dwelling animals during his dives, and the team’s charting the source of the spring and mapping the structure of the cave will expand our understanding of southwest Missouri’s geology.

It was on the morning of Oct. 14, 2022, on a set-up precursor to a dive the next day intended to plumb further depths, that Eric’s divemate noticed him struggling in the water at about 165 feet down. Eric seemed to be panicking and struggling with his mouthpiece; the other diver, after attempting and proving unable to help or move Eric by himself, went to the surface for help. When the team reached Eric, it was too late. He was unresponsive.

Eric was a bright, curious and kind man who left a glowing impression on everyone who’d spent time around him, Linda said, and “not just in Charlottesville or Blacksburg, but everywhere he went.” His death marked a serious and painful absence to his family, friends and fellow divers.

“Eric was very kind, he thought of others,” she said. ‘He was always gracious with his time. He was always happy to touch base or share a meal.’

That’s how many who attended Eric’s memorial event in Cassville a year after his passing dedicated themselves to his legacy.

“A lot of people mentioned that, in honor of Eric, that they’d share a meal, lend a helping hand, reach out to help someone in need, because that’s who Eric was,” Linda said.

Eric is survived by his parents, Linda and Gordon, and two siblings, Dylan and Heidi. His twin brother, Alexander, died in October 2023.

The Eric Lee Hahn Scholarship for Roaring River Outdoor Education is one of the ways that the Hahns have chosen to remember Eric and his giving nature. The Hahns are currently fundraising to achieve the $10,000 minimum required to establish the fund as an endowment, so that the fund will be able to provide funding in perpetuity — as of this writing, they’re about halfway there.

“So, with the endowment, we want him to live on,” Linda said. “We want to remember him and keep remembering him. We want to celebrate and bring to light the things he loved.”

The scholarship works in partnership with the Johnny Morris Wonders of Wildlife Foundation, which operates several recreational outdoors schools for families in Missouri. Eric’s charitable fund will allow one family a session to attend the Roaring River School without cost.

Misty Mitchell, director of conservation programs at the Wonders of Wildlife Museum, recounts working with the Hahns to establish the fund: “We were familiar with the cave-diving efforts at Roaring River, and we had known about Eric’s passing. When Linda reached out to us to partner on the scholarship, it just seemed like a perfect fit and a great way to commemorate Eric.

Like other WOW Schools, the Roaring River School’s goal is to bring families (not just children) together to experience and learn in the outdoors.

“We want the entire family to get unplugged, get outdoors and learn in a way that matches their experience,” Mitchell said.

With about 60 different classes from which to choose — from creating natural dyes and other plant crafts to overnight canoe trips — there’s something for everyone.

Eric’s story is a reminder of the remarkable impact one passionate individual can have, and his legacy reflects a life lived with purpose and generosity. The Eric Lee Hahn Scholarship ensures that this legacy will continue to inspire and support future generations of adventurers and learners.

As Linda Hahn said, “It’s what he would’ve wanted.”

Publisher’s Note: This article is featured in the summer 2024 edition of Passion & Purpose: The CFO Magazine.