By Arek Sarkissian II
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Thursday Apr. 4, 2002
Randy Tufts, a planetary science researcher who co-discovered Kartchner Caverns, died on Monday. He was 53.
Tufts died after suffering from complications related to a bone marrow transplant he received in 2000, said Ericha Scott, Tufts' wife.
He had endured the transplant to alleviate problems from a rare blood disease that degenerates bone marrow.
Tufts' sister was the donor.
"He said, 'I have two perfect matches in my life - my little sister and my wife,'" Scott said.
Tufts was best known for co-discovering Kartchner Caverns - now a state park east of Tucson - while he was hiking with long-time friend Gary Tenan in 1967.
When he was 18, he was hiking in the Whetstone Mountains southwest of Benson when he stumbled upon a sinkhole.
Tufts at first thought nothing of the sinkhole, but when he returned with Tenan and another friend in 1974, they realized they had stumbled upon the cavern.
The two kept the discovery a secret until 1978 when they met with the property owners and worked with state legislators to make it a state park, Scott said.
"He knew if it became public, it would be ruined and if it wasn't protected, it would have been ruined as well," she said.
Richard Greenberg, a planetary sciences professor, said Tufts also played a role in revealing that there are numerous lines on the ice of Jupiter's moon, Europa, proving that the ice is very thin and water is underneath.
"No matter how difficult things were, he would say, 'This is really interesting, I wouldn't miss it for the world,'" Scott said.
Tufts graduated from the University of Arizona in 1972 with a geology degree but later returned as a geosciences graduate student. Three years ago, he received his doctorate.
Scott said before Tufts became ill, they both enjoyed hiking on the trails that dot the state.
Even while he was ill, the two would rent a cabin on Mt. Lemmon.
"One weekend, we watched really bad movies, practiced drawing from this one how-to book, played Scrabble and cooked together," Scott said.
Tufts is survived by his wife, his mother Carol and his sister Judy Rodin.
His funeral has been tentatively set for April 14.
Memorial donations can be made to the Tucson Light the Night Walk of the Desert Mountain States, a chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 100 E. Northern Ave., Suite E, Phoenix, AZ, 85028.
