La Sierra mourns passing of former trustee Larry Caviness

Elder Caviness passed away at his home in Springboro, Ohio following a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. He served as a La Sierra trustee from 1997 through February 2015 in his capacity as president of the Southern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, a post from which he retired in April of that year.

“I so deeply appreciated his level of commitment to the university, and his ability as a trustee to help us remain focused upon our students,” said university President Randal Wisbey.

Last June, during La Sierra’s commencement ceremony, President Wisbey presented the annual Jay J. Nethery Award to Elder Caviness and his wife, Linda for their service to students and significant contribution to La Sierra’s ideals. The award is named for a church official influential in founding La Sierra in 1922.

The award honored Elder Caviness for consistently making decisions based on the impact the board’s actions would have on La Sierra’s students, and for the strong support he demonstrated for university faculty. He held the belief that while there may be occupations of equal bearing, there is no profession superior to that of teaching. “Teachers shape our future – now and eternally,” he said.

Dr. Linda Caviness, who retired last July from her role as chair of the School of Education’s Curriculum & Instruction division, was honored for her passionate student advocacy and her creation of the “Brain, Affect and Education” specialization. Linda served as a member of La Sierra’s faculty for 16 years and was dedicated to the research of neuroeducation – the relevance of neuroscience to teaching and learning.

A memorial service is being planned in the Southern California Conference, according to information from the conference office. The La Sierra University community continues to hold up Linda and the Caviness family in prayer.