IN MEMORY OF STEVE HUDSON
The caving and rescue community suffered a tragic loss on December 19, 2013 when Pigeon Mountain Industries (PMI) co-founder and President Steve Hudson passed away unexpectedly while vacationing with his wife Diane Cousineau in Puerto Rico.
“Steve Hudson was a giant in our community of rescuers. I am not sure people realize how much of his time he gave to us. International Technical Rescue Symposium (ITRS) instigator and co-host, NASAR NATRS committee, SPRAT®
founder, NCRC leader and
teacher, NASAR board member for years and so many standards meetings with NFPA, SPRAT®
, ASTM and ASSE. So many times he stepped up to lead an organization or chair a committee, giving us the benefit of his judgment, experience, patience, and humor,” said Jim Frank, Santa Barbara SAR member and Chairman and Founder of CMC Rescue.
“For all of us who put our lives on the line to help others, Steve’s contributions made us safer, wiser, and better. And for his teammates in TAG country (Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia), he was right there with us. It is a great loss for his family and friends, colleagues at PMI, and for all of us in rescue.”
Steve’s passion for rescue and especially caving began nearly half a century ago, when he picked up cave diving in 1965. In 1969, as a college freshman, he began “dry” caving with the West Georgia Grotto, part of the National Speleological Society (NSS). He was active with the Society’s National Cave Rescue Commission (NCRC) for over 35 years, was a Fellow of the NSS, and was a recipient of the society’s “Outstanding Service Award”. Steve was also an active member and supporter of the Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc. since its founding.
It was his relationship with cavers and caving that led to the founding of Pigeon Mountain Industries more than 35 years ago.
“I was privileged to purchase the first 600 foot section of rope they ever sold,” said caver and former PMI share holder Buddy Lane.
“Steve, along with Richard Schreiber, Smokey Caldwell and Bill Cuddington set out to change the vertical world by forming Pigeon Mountain Industries (PMI) in 1976. It wasn’t long after this that the company took off and Steve moved from the Atlanta area to LaFayette, Georgia, to work full time at PMI and as a volunteer with Walker County Rescue,” Lane said.
Steve dedicated 40 years of his life to Walker County’s Emergency Services Agency, organizing and managing the county’s specialty team for cave rescue. He served for many years as the Deputy Director of the Agency.
Along with Tom Vines, Steve co-authored High Angle Rope Techniques (soon to be published in its fourth edition) as well as many other rope access and rescue-related publications.
Steve was also active with the Cordage Institute, where he served as a Board Director for 15 years and as its President from 2005 to 2007.
) and the Cordage Institute, expressed a sentiment shared by many who knew Steve. “He was such a great guy with a big heart.” he said.
“Steve was a founding member of SPRAT®
Peter Lance, Executive Director for the Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians (SPRAT®
, and he was always an enthusiastic advocate
for the organization and the rope access community. He was passionate about ensuring that SPRAT®
’s standards and technical documents represent the consensus of all members, and that every single member has the opportunity to actively contribute to the process.”
“As anyone who knew Steve can attest, he was passionate about standards development. He was committed to ensuring that the Cordage Institute’s standards, guidelines, and technical documents represent the consensus of all members, and that every single member has the opportunity to actively contribute to the process.”
“He’ll be missed by many, including me.” Lance said.
Active both in the field as a rescuer and behind the scenes as an expert in the field of rescue, Steve was active on ASTM’s F32 Search and Rescue Committee, ANSI’s Z359 Fall Protection Committee, NFPA’s Technical Rescue Committee and NFPA’s Committee on Special Operations Protective Clothing and Equipment. He was a Life Member of NASAR and served on the NASAR board of Directors for over nine years.
Steve’s lifelong devotion and commitment to the worlds of sport caving and rescue continues to serve as an inspiration to anyone who has ever trusted their life to a rope or worked to rescue someone in need. His guiding principle in both business and in the world of caving and rescue was, “Always do the right thing,” and it will endure as his legacy to cavers and rescuers the world over.
CATALOG NO 214
PMIROPE.COM T 1-800-282-ROPE
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