Standiford Gorin Rogers was born 3 May 1922 in Louisville KY, the son of Lewis Jeffersoon Gorin Sr and Standiford Danforth. He served honorably in WWII along with his two older brothers, George Danforth Gorin and Lewis Jefferson Gorin Jr. His accomplishments in life were inspiring; he was the owner of Cumberland Caverns in McMinnville TN, a gentle southern man that one doesn't meet too often. He loved genealogy, was an avid reader and learner; loved life to its fullest, built a beautiful authentic and working grist mill on the Gorin farm here in KY. He treated my daughters and I as part of the family from day one as did his brother Lewis who passed away several years ago and Lewis's precious wife. In 1989 while living in AZ, I had written a letter to him, trying to share some questions about the Gorin family after being unable to contact others in his family. He handed the letter to his brother Lewis who with his wife was coming out to AZ to visit their son. While there, they called me, drove from northern AZ to southern AZ and spent a day with us. It was because of them that we moved to KY. From day one we were accepted into their family and have learned to love them all; we have shared holidays with them, walked cemeteries, had many dinners together. Tank was the epitome of what a man should be; a gentle spirit, a kindly heart and once when I was facing a very difficult time and I had been crying and praying, Tank walked into our front door and became the miracle I was praying for. Tank passed away at 4 pm this afternoon in McMinnville TN after a several week bout with double pneumonia. He was 84 years young, a strong man with a brilliant man that always amazed me. From living in Mexico City, serving in Germany, attending college in VA, teaching on an Indian reservation, he taught me so many things. He taught me the workings and history of grist mills, of building a beautiful log cabin, of the flowers and nature; he swam every day in the creek running by the cave. His friends were more than could be counted; highly respected and writen of in caving history himself; he was our friend. I had to share this with the list; every life is precious and every death is hard. But I was blessed to know Standiford Rogers "Tank" Gorin for the past 17 years and will remember him when he was able to out-walk me in Cumberland Caverns, could scale a hill while I was gasping for breath, for being there when I needed a friend. God bless you Tank, I'll miss you so much. Sandi Col. Sandi Gorin - Publishing: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/ GORIN worldconnect website: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/~sgorin