langcliffe
Well-known member
Mel Gascoyne died on July 14th of this year at the age of 69.
Mel was a prominent member of Lancaster University Speleological Society in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and caved in Venezuela, France and Treviso during the time he was based in England. He then went on to McMaster University where he received a PhD in 1980, supervised by Derek Ford, for his chronological and stable isotope research into the paleoclimate of Vancouver Island and the Dales. Indeed, most of the known speleothem dates in Yorkshire caves comes from work done by Mel.
Mel was an influential member of the British caving community for a number of years, but he will be best remembered by his contemporaries for his ability to keep old bangers going, for his enthusiastic rendering of a wide repertoire of pub songs, and his enormous strength which was most welcomed when one was ascending the last 10 metres of a 60 metre ladder pitch.
Mel was a prominent member of Lancaster University Speleological Society in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and caved in Venezuela, France and Treviso during the time he was based in England. He then went on to McMaster University where he received a PhD in 1980, supervised by Derek Ford, for his chronological and stable isotope research into the paleoclimate of Vancouver Island and the Dales. Indeed, most of the known speleothem dates in Yorkshire caves comes from work done by Mel.
Mel was an influential member of the British caving community for a number of years, but he will be best remembered by his contemporaries for his ability to keep old bangers going, for his enthusiastic rendering of a wide repertoire of pub songs, and his enormous strength which was most welcomed when one was ascending the last 10 metres of a 60 metre ladder pitch.
Mel in the Flying Horseshoes in about 1969
Photograph: John Sellers
