Patricia Crowther

Who is Patricia Crowther?

Patricia P. Crowther, later known as Patricia P. Wilcox, is an American cave explorer and cave surveyor active in the 1960s and early 1970s. She also worked as a computer programmer.

Crowther was well-known among Kentucky cavers for her slight frame and her extreme dedication. These two traits led her to pursue promising leads that other cavers were unwilling or unable to attempt. Of particular note is her traversal of a narrow canyon known as "The Tight Spot" in the portion of the Flint Ridge Cave System underlying Houchins Valley. The Tight Spot proved to be the critical juncture leading to the passages connecting Mammoth Cave and the Flint Ridge Cave System. Both Patricia Crowther and her then-husband Will Crowther participated in many expeditions that attempted to connect the caves. She was part of the September 9, 1972 expedition that discovered and surveyed the historic final connection.

Crowther earned a B.S. degree in physics at MIT where she met and married William. The couple had two daughters, Sandy and Laura, and divorced in 1976. Around 1977, Crowther married John Wilcox, who had led the cave connection expeditions.