Vivien and Scott Caven
On Nov. 16, 2011, a new and improved Clark Field turf and track officially reopened following a $4 million renovation project made possible largely from private gifts. The facility was renamed the Caven Lacrosse and Sports Center at Clark Field in honor of former chairman of The University of Texas System Board of Regents H. Scott Caven, Jr., BBA ’64, LLB ’67, and his wife Vivien Caven, BS ’72, former Board of Regents representative to the UT Austin Intercollegiate Athletics Council for Women. The couple made the first major gift to launch the renovation.
The Cavens initiated the renovation project by contacting the university in 2006 about upgrading the field to make it more accessible to students and transforming it into one of the premier lacrosse fields in the southwest in memory of their son, Scotty, a 2004 incoming freshman Plan II Honors student whose athletic passion was lacrosse. He had been an accomplished lacrosse player at St. John’s School in Houston and had planned to join the Texas Men’s Lacrosse club at UT before his young life was tragically cut short. In addition to honoring their son’s memory, Vivien and Scott Caven also sought to honor the many Caven family members who have been involved with UT for nearly a century.
Recreational Sports embraced the couple’s desire to build a field for the men’s and women’s lacrosse clubs in which to practice and hold meets. Thanks to the Caven’s generosity, the renovation of Clark Field came to fruition and the teams gained a facility with an artificial turf surface with permanent lacrosse lines, a new field house and a fully digital scoreboard. This updated facility fulfilled the Caven’s mission of building a permanent rememberance of Scotty on the campus he would have joined.
The couple participated in the dedication ceremony of the Caven Lacrosse and Sports Center at Clark Field on that Nov. 16 afternoon. Scott Caven stood before the crowd of students, faculty, staff and other well-wishers stating, “Orange blood flows like a river in the Caven family. This is our field of dreams.”
Both Vivien and Scott Caven have been involved in other education-centric projects. Vivien volunteered as a reader and participated in many forums at The University of Texas Elementary School in Austin. She also served on the mentoring team for the Rusk Elementary School in Houston where the couple resides. Scott is a life member of the UT Austin McCombs School Advisory Council and serves on the advisory board of the Texas Cowboys Alumni Association.