James Cavanagh ’70 CLAS

In his hometown of New London, Connecticut, Jim Cavanagh grew up in a Catholic family and attended Catholic schools, along with his older sister, Carroll. Jim’s mother was a college graduate and he understood early on that it was expected he would attend college. As he started to consider schools, a cousin who worked at Merrimack College, an Augustinian institution in Andover, Massachusetts, suggested Villanova. Jim was quickly open to the idea of studying at an Augustinian college.

Unlike today, when students make multiple visits to colleges before actually committing to attend, Jim saw Villanova for the first time when he began his freshman year in the fall of 1966. On arrival, there was no dorm room available and Jim lived off campus in a house in nearby Havertown. For the first week, he traveled to class through a combination of public transportation and hitchhiking. It would be hard to imagine current Villanova students, or parents, being agreeable with this arrangement. Eventually, a house adjacent to the campus became available. Jim also quickly found a lifelong friend, John Casey, ’70 CLAS. After freshman year, and until graduation, Jim and John roomed together, in Sullivan Hall, Sheehan Hall and finally in the Stratford Apartments in Devon with four other students.

1966 was a time of change on campus, as women, other than nursing students and daughters of faculty, were finally being admitted to all colleges. Most students were still commuters. Jim recalls that sometimes, on-campus students who went home for a weekend would share their matriculation cards with those who did not live on campus. Besides John Casey, Jim also fondly recalls Michael Hohenadel, ’70 CLAS and Michael Danaher, ’70 CLAS, a football player who passed away at a young age and whose community of friends established a scholarship fund in his memory.

Besides keeping busy with his classes, Jim strategically chose extracurricular activities with bonuses. He became a working member of the Weekend Committee, which was charged with constructing stages for musical and other cultural events that took place on campus. Jim worked organizing and executing these stunning events. He had a front row seat to some memorable concerts by Simon and Garfunkel, The Lovin’ Spoonful and the Fifth Dimension. Likewise, Jim volunteered with the Basketball Club, and was able easily to secure tickets to the always popular games.

Summers meant a return to Connecticut and Jim’s job as a bank teller, which he held during his entire college career. When graduation came, Jim was set to begin what became a long and significant career in auditing. The Vietnam conflict intervened however, and Jim detoured with a three-year commitment with the U.S. Army. Following Officer Candidate School, Jim was commissioned and served in Korea. On discharge, Jim attended Syracuse University, where he completed his MBA.

Although he worked in many capacities as an auditor, Jim developed expertise in, and a fondness for, higher education, including when he served as the Controller at Swarthmore College. Additionally, during his long tenure with a major accounting firm, Jim served as manager of the annual audit conducted for Villanova. This gave him an inside peek into the workings of the University and a satisfaction that all was well-managed and financially secure. His devotion to always working in an ethical manner and intellectual curiosity led him to explore business ethics, something which he says was not part of his training in any job. Villanova Professor Mark Doorley explained the need for an endowment to support the teaching of ethics in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Jim was moved to create The James C. Cavanagh ’70 Endowed Fund for Ethics. This fund receives Jim’s annual gifts made through his IRA and will receive a planned gift as well. In further service to Villanova and to his love of ethics, Jim gives his time as a member of the Ethics Advisory Council, housed in the CLAS Ethics program.

After Jim was widowed, he was blessed 16 years ago to find a new life with his wife, Pat. Family events and spending time with Jim’s sons, Jim and Sean, Pat’s children and their spouses, and Pat and Jim’s grandchildren, are important to the couple. They also frequently visit campus for sporting events and other activities, including reunions and Heritage Society outings. Jim is continually impressed with what he sees as the maturity of today’s students.

Philanthropy also is important to Jim, who supports several initiatives at Villanova, including The Michael J. Danaher Memorial Scholarship Fund, the Ethics Department, Athletics and his own endowed fund. Jim describes his four years at Villanova as “the high point of my life.” The Augustinian values, the Villanova traditions and the tremendous growth of the University have all served to inspire and support Jim throughout his life. In explaining his motivation for giving, Jim says he would ask his classmates, and all Villanovans, if they remember what the University was like when they were on campus, and if they see what Villanova is like now. For Jim, the generosity of others is clear in the magnificent changes which have taken place at Villanova through the years. He challenges all to be a part of continuing that generosity, as a living example of Augustinian virtue, as a bedrock of being a Villanovan.

If you share Jim’s concept of generosity, please consider making a gift, perhaps, one in honor of your reunion year. There are many ways to donate to the University in your estate or as a current gift. For information on making a gift, please contact Tim McKinley at 215-240-0812 or timothy.mckinley@villanova.edu. Be generous to a student today so that they can be generous to others tomorrow.