He was, in this most basic sense, an ordinary person doing what people of his community did, carrying out an organized task that his community considered worth doing.

What he was doing when the boulder fell is reasonably clear from the physical context.

The ledge where he was found, the position of his body, the proximity to gypsum-bearing surfaces — all of these indicate active mining work.

He had gone more than two miles into the dark, climbed to a high ledge, and was working at the mineral deposits when the accident happened.

Metal straps applied to the boulder during the 1935 recovery operation are still visible in the cave today, reminders of the moment this man’s story became, briefly, part of the modern world.