The Explorer

As a boy, he would borrow flashlights from his father’s hardware store to explore nearby caves. He began his dental practice on an Indian reservation. He moved to Jasper in 1989 and maintained a successful practice for 29 years. Meet Dr. John Branstetter: dentist, traveler, and family man. 

Words by Terrell Manasco | Image by Blakeney Clouse

As a boy growing up in Horse Cave, Kentucky, John Branstetter spent hours in caves. He often went to great lengths to explore one cave on the town’s Main Street—one that was closed to the public and had a terrible stench from a sewage treatment plant.

 “I remember sneaking a flashlight out of my dad's hardware store,” John says, his next words peppered with infectious laughter. “When people bought flashlights, the batteries didn't last long because I'd put together a flashlight, go down in that cave, come back to the store, and put everything back.”

 On this chilly but sunny January morning, John sips hot coffee at his kitchen table, his stalwart companion, J.P., a rescue dog, sprawled across his lap as he recalls his life’s story (though his breed is unknown, John speculates that J.P.—which stands for “Just Precious”—is a Shih Tzu blend).

 John Branstetter arrived in this world in 1955, number five of six boys. Branstetter Hardware became a source of supplies for his adventures. Using thick rope pilfered from his dad’s store, John would lower himself into a pit, a flashlight held in his teeth. A friend once tagged along—and almost didn’t come home. 

 “A guy came with me and couldn't climb out,” John says. “We had to pull him up with the rope tied around his waist. Halfway up, he turned upside down. It's a wonder we didn't kill him.”

 As an undergraduate student at the University of Kentucky, John dreamed of becoming a microbiologist. Two summers at UK were spent working for a geologist at Mammoth Cave National Park. “I actually got paid to explore and map caves,” he says. “I got introduced to people who knew what they were doing. It took my caving ability to a really high level.”

 John’s father was adamant that his sons get a good education. Two brothers became pharmacists, one went into business, and one was a dentist. Although his parents hoped John would practice medicine, he ultimately chose the University of Louisville School of Dentistry.

 In his junior year of dental school, John applied for an Indian Health Service internship program and was among six students chosen nationwide who trained on a reservation. “I drove a 1970-something brown Volkswagen Rabbit from Kentucky to Oregon,” he recalls. “I spent eight weeks at the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.”

 Late one night, John set out to climb Mount Hood. The 11,000-foot ascent was treacherous in places, but John pushed himself onward. As he watched the Oregon sun rise from Mount Hood the next morning, he discovered he wasn’t alone. “I was sitting up there by myself when this couple came up, decked out in all this gear—climbing harnesses, ice axes, helmets, crampons…and here’s this boy from Horse Cave watching the sun come up,” he says, bursting into laughter. “I didn’t have a camera with me but it's one of the best memories I've ever had because of how fully present I was there.”

 In 1977, John and his wife, Susan, were married at Mammoth Cave National Park. After he graduated dental school (in the top 3% of his class), he worked on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Tohatchi, New Mexico. “This was the best training ground for a young dentist you could ever find,” John says. “I worked hand in hand with specialists in the Gallup Indian Health Service Hospital, 25 miles away. We would have an afternoon to do periodontal surgery and a morning to do root canals.”

 The Branstetters have many pleasant memories of their days on the reservation. Most weekends were spent camping, backpacking, and exploring all over the beautiful Southwest. Their first child, Nick, was born in Gallup. “That is what the Navajo ladies that were my dental assistants gave our son,” John says, pointing to a papoose cradleboard on the wall. “They do not have a baby shower; they have a party to celebrate the first laugh.” 

 A family tragedy ended the New Mexico adventure and forced John and Susan to move with their ten-week-old son back home to Horse Cave to assume the practice of John’s deceased brother. But joy struck the household again, as they welcomed their beautiful daughter, Katy, in 1983.  

 After a few years practicing in Horse Cave, John met Dr. Jerald Sherer at a dental conference in 1985. When the two ran into each other a few years later, Sherer suggested John sell his practice and move to Jasper. John agreed, but after several months, he still had buyer. Refusing to give up and in spite of no success at selling his existing practice, he promised his friend, “I’ll be there January 2nd.” 

 That was November 1988. 

 I was scared…to…death,” John says. He recalls a lesson learned while rappelling a 600-foot cave pit in the jungles of Mexico. “I realized, you don't conquer fear,” he says. “You can't go through life waiting for fearless moments. You take the fear and go with it. The fear is just in your mind.”

 In December of that year, the Branstetters moved to Jasper. And on January 2, 1989, John kept his promise and began his local dental career (the next year, John and Susan’s third child, Allen, completed their family profile). When Dr. Sherer retired in 1997, John continued as a solo practitioner until he teamed with Dr. Jacob Bivona’s practice in 2016. 

 John’s love of dentistry is evident by the longevity of his career. As a general rule, you don’t spend over 38 years in a profession that bores you. There are several aspects of dentistry that he enjoyed but ultimately, it always came down to the people. “I always appreciated the cooperative approach with my staff and how we worked together,” John says. “My staff was so good at being connected to our patients as a health care provider as well as with a personal, friendly relationship that meant so much to me.”

 “Over the years I have had good staff, good patients, and good colleagues with which to interact,” John adds. “The colleagues in our building, and in my Dental Study Club were highly appreciated and important. It was special working side-by-side with Dr. Sherer. He was top-notch and helped me learn almost daily.”

 Since retiring in 2018, John has time for cycling, camping, hiking, and cross-country motorcycling. He and Susan also love traveling in their Airstream trailer. Last year, they traveled 5,000 miles across 17 states. It’s a good life, and John considers himself a fortunate man. “I’m just a little kid from Horse Cave, Kentucky, but I was born to be a dentist,” he says. “Jasper, Walker County, and the surrounding area gave me the opportunity to fulfill my destiny. Do you understand why I am eternally grateful? Absolutely I am!”

 Ever the explorer, the man from Horse Cave still enjoys discovering new and exciting places—with non-pilfered flashlight and rope, of course. 78