Cover Story: The Cavener Family Legacy

Greyhounds Since 1934

By Alvonna Arnold

ENMU was founded in 1934 as Eastern New Mexico Jr. College and my family, local to Portales since 1906, has a rich history as proud Greyhound supporters from the college’s earliest years. In 1934, my grandparents Tom and Sylvania Cavener and their eight children began their heritage of recognizing the value of education. For the first 24 years of ENMJC’s existence, some member of the Cavener family attended Eastern every year, continuously. Since then, there have been 21 ENMU graduates and many more degrees earned.

Grandpa and Grandma Cavener themselves were not highly educated people. Grandpa earned his high school diploma, and Grandma was only able to attend school through eighth grade. They both had quite modest upbringings as well.

Grandpa Cavener worked as a farmer, a field hand, as a caretaker at the cemetery—at that time there were no backhoes, so Grandpa had to dig the graves by hand with a shovel—and as a janitor at the courthouse, First Baptist Church and later at ENMU.

Grandma Cavener worked at the canning factory, wrapping butter at Price’s Creamery, making brooms at the broom factory and being a house parent for ENMJC students in the Cavener home since there were no dorms at that time.

Of their eight children, the four oldest daughters worked in the fields to pay for their college education. The main crop they recall planting, weeding and harvesting was sorghum, which they would then help grind and process into molasses. The four younger children also picked cotton, harvested broom corn, and picked green beans to supply the cannery.

In seventh grade, the oldest child Jennie Mae (AA 36) had Typhoid Fever, so the teacher who was boarding with the family taught her at home. Jennie Mae made such outstanding progress that she was promoted to high school early, and on the year the college was founded, she entered ENMJC at age 16.

Nina Lee (Attended) lived with former ENMJC president Donald McKay and his family from 1936-38, serving as their maid and earning seven cents an hour to help pay for tuition. Her sister Oleta (BA 46) started attending the following year to earn a degree in Education. One fall she was 13 dollars short to pay her tuition. She was going to have to skip a semester until she’d earned enough to return, but former president, Floyd Golden, knew the family from church and took care of Oleta’s fees, explaining that it was just a “small contribution to a family who is so dedicated to getting a college education.”

The fourth daughter, Naomi (Attended), studied at ENMJC for one year before getting married. School was difficult for Naomi, who struggled with what we now know as dyslexia. She bravely overcame her learning difficulty and continued her education by taking sewing and tailoring classes and eventually became an accomplished seamstress.

In 1942 during World War II, there was little manual labor work available in Portales, so the four youngest children had to drop out of public school. The family went to Levelland, TX where they lived in a migrant shack and worked in the fields.

During their family reunion this past summer, the Caveners gathered to represent the University that so many of them have attended. Front Row (L-R): Elaine Watson James (BS 74); Betty Brown Perkins standing in for her mother, Jennie Mae Cavener Brown (AA 36), Deceased; Chris. R. Ross standing in for his mother, Nina Lee Cavener Ross (Attended), Deceased; LaDrue Jordan standing in for his mother, Oleta Cavener Jordan (BA 46), Deceased; Eudora Cavener Watson Harris (EDSP 80, MED 75, BS 65); Roedean Cavener Jordan (MED 78, BS 72); Reba Cavener Loring Camp (MED 71, BS 56). Second Row (L-R): Marcia Jordan Hinze (BS 84); John Hinze (Attended); Alyssa Hinze Anaya (BSE 07); Jason Anaya (BME 07); Donna Ross standing in for her cousin, Twila Gollehon Arnold (BSE 01); Judy Jordan (MED 04); Sarah Jordan standing in for her father, Kent Jordan (MM 90), Deceased; Freddy Stewart standing in for his cousin, Hardy Carlyle (MA 75, BSE 74); Don Ross standing in for his cousin, Adeana Jordan Carlyle (BME 75); Alvonna Watson Arnold (MED 84, BSE 71); Brian Arnold (MED 84, BS 69); David Arnold standing in for his uncle, Alvis Watson (BBA 78), Deceased; Cynthia Loring Baker (BBE 84, AA 80); Jan (Donella) Loring Moon (MED 85, BS 81); Kristina Moon standing for her cousin, Brian Dale Arnold, Jr. (BSE 98).

My mother, Eudora (EDSP 80, MED 75, BS 65), missed an end-of-year high school exam in English and failed the class because of it. When she returned the next fall for her senior year, she took both English three and four and, even with this extra load, she graduated as class salutatorian. Eudora attended ENMJC for one year before marrying. She raised her family and then returned to ENMU in 1963 to earn her three degrees.

Roedean (MED 78, BS 72), the sixth daughter, also married soon out of high school but returned in 1969 to earn her degrees. The Cavener’s only son, Jim (Buddy) (Attended), joined Eastern in 1956 but transferred to New Mexico State to pursue a degree in engineering. He went on to work as a propulsion engineer on the XC-142A vertical take-off and A7 attack planes.

Reba (MED 71, BS 56) was the baby of the family. After earning her master’s degree, she taught junior high P.E. classes and sponsored many extra-curricular activities. She eventually got certified as an elementary school teacher and taught a total of 25 years.

Many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and in-laws of Tom and Sylvania Cavener have also attended ENMU in ensuing years. Interestingly, almost all of these degrees have been in the field of education and educational administration.

Former University president Floyd Golden once attended a service at Roedean’s church in Fritch, TX where she and her family worshipped. He recognized Tom Cavener in front of the entire congregation, saying that my grandfather “had more interest in and support for ENMU than the entire state of New Mexico!”

Jennie Mae would never have been able to predict that her initial journey into the arena of higher education would have set the stage for her seven siblings and four generations of family members to earn a total of 39 degrees and higher certifications from ENMU. Tom and Sylvania Cavener would be so very proud of their children, grandchildren, in-laws and great-grandchildren. The rich heritage of the Cavener family’s value of education that President Floyd Golden spoke of so long ago has indeed been priceless.