UT Martin Honors Local Alumnus Lt. Gen. Dennis D. Cavin by Naming ROTC Center After Him

The University of Tennessee Martin (UT Martin) named its ROTC Building after retired Lt. Gen. Dennis D. Cavin on April 12. Cavin, a UT Martin alumnus, graduated in 1970 with an agriculture degree and was commissioned as a distinguished military graduate in air defense artillery. He expressed his gratitude at the naming ceremony.

Cavin's family, friends, military representatives, and UT Martin Department of Agriculture, Geoscience, and Natural Resources representatives attended the ceremony. Cavin, originally the son of a sharecropper, revealed that he hadn't planned on an Army career or college until his high school senior year.

UTM Chancellor Yancy Freeman introduced Cavin, commending his contributions to his community and his impressive Army career. Cavin served as an Army air defense artillery officer for over 20 years, holding various command and leadership positions.

Cavin's military career included roles as the deputy commanding general and later command general of the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery Center until 2000. He also commanded the U.S. Army Recruiting Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and the U.S. Army Accessions Command at Fort Monroe, Virginia. He played a key role in developing several major Army outreach programs.

After 34 years in the Army, Cavin joined Lockheed Martin in 2004. He received UT Martin’s Outstanding Alumni Award in 1999 and was named one of the initial 22 Outstanding Nashville Veterans by the Nashville Business Journal in 2015. The ROTC program at UT Martin, established in 1952, now bears his name and currently has 96 cadets.

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