Eugene W. Kavanagh

News Death Notice

KAVANAGH, Eugene W. 91, passed away October 16, 2011 at his home in South Charleston, OH. He was born near Jamestown, Ohio on March 20, 1920 and was the son of William J. and Rosetta "Rose" (Pitstick) Kavanagh. Gene graduated from Ross High School in 1937 and from Cedarville College in 1941, where he attended on a basketball scholarship. He received his Master's degree in school administration from Miami University of Ohio and attended Wright State and Ohio State Universities for extensive post-graduate courses. Gene taught high school in Logan, Shelby and Greene County. He was Superintendent of five different school systems throughout Ohio. Gene was a pioneer and strong advocate for the development of the first vocational schools in the state of Ohio. He was the Superintendent of the vocational school in Greene County and later the Superintendent of the Great Oaks Vocational Schools, which include Diamond, Laurel, Live, and Scarlet campuses in Clinton and Hamilton County. In the early 1970's, working personally with the US Secretaries of Defense, Casper Weinberger and Melvin Laird, he spearheaded the transition of the closed Wilmington Air Force base to the vocational school system. In addition to teaching, Gene served four years in the United States Army during the WWII in the Pacific theatre as a commissioned officer and 18 months in the Korean War with the 2nd Infantry Division. During his military career, he received two Bronze Stars for exemplary service. Gene was heavily involved and interested in agriculture throughout his lifetime. He owned several farms in Clark and Greene County. Gene was an early pioneer of soil conservation practices on his farms and was one of the first farmers in the area to plant soybeans using the no-till method. Gene was very concerned with the preservation of farmland for future generations and enrolled nearly 1000 acres in Greene County into an easement with the Tecumseh Land Trust to ensure that the land would never be developed. Gene was a part owner of the Ohio Feed Lot near South Charleston and employed innovative cattle feeding and manure disposition methods during his tenure. In December of 2010, Gene purchased 76 acres in Ross Township, Greene County to put his dream of a wildlife farm into place. In keeping with his commitment to education, in March of this year he and his handpicked Board of Directors created the Eugene and Dorothy Kavanagh Wildlife Farm Inc. At the farm, both children and adults will have the opportunity to ride around on horse drawn buggies and learn about the crops, trees, flora, birds and wildlife that inhabit the area - all at no charge, for years to come. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Dorothy (Frazier) Kavanagh and his sisters Monica (Kavanagh) Uphaus and Viola "Sally" (Kavanagh) Francis. He also leaves 18 nieces and nephews and numerous grandnieces and grandnephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his best friend of 85 years, Warren Long, his brothers Joseph J. Kavanagh and Lloyd R. Kavanagh, and a sister Marie (Kavanagh) Monnin. Gene was an active member of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in South Charleston. In lieu of a funeral, and in keeping with his passion for learning, Gene donated his body to medical science at Wright State University. A memorial mass will be celebrated Saturday, October 29, at 11 am at St. Charles Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Community Mercy Hospice, Saint Charles Borromeo Church, or the charity of your choice.